Philadelphia City Workers Go On Strike, Trash Piles Up On The Streets Of Philly

With all the chaos currently engulfing America thanks to Donald Trump's current assault on the Constitution and rule of law, other things happening that should be getting national attention have been flying under the radar, including a workers' strike in Philadelphia that's leaving the city looking like a third world country.




According to the Associated Press,100,000 city workers for the District Council 33 from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees announced that they were on strike in the City of Brotherly Love on Tuesday (July 1). The strike has led to trash piling up on the streets of Philly and certain public places shuttered as the city grapples with the strike. As workers continue to negotiate with the powers that be for fair wages and better benefits, Mayor Cherelle Parker stated that the city put their best offer on the table, but for now would be shutting down some public pools, suspending trash collection and shortening recreation center hours. Still, the fire department and police department would continue to operate as usual.




Though the mayor seems intent on reaching a deal with DC33, it seems easier said than done as the city workers aren't backing down from their strike until they get some of their demands met, if not all of them.




AP reports:




Union leaders, in their initial contract proposal, asked for 8% annual raises each year of the three-year contract, along with cost-of-living hikes and bonuses of up to $5,000 for those who worked through the pandemic. The union also asked the city to pay the full cost of employee health care, or $1,700 per person per month.




In November, the city transit system averted a strike when the parties agreed to a one-year contract with 5% raises.




A DC33 trash strike in the summer of 1986 left the city without trash pickup for three weeks, leading trash to pile up on streets, alleyways and drop-off sites.




"Like any workers in this country, I think that they have a right to expect a livable wage, and it's really nice to see our country's ability to still have strikes and still have public dissent," Nick Shuhan, a 34-year-old editor and property manager who lives in Center City, said Tuesday. "So I stand with them."




Seems like a reasonable ask but hey that's just us.




No word on when anyone expects a deal to be reached and the strike to be over but once people start demanding their trash be picked up after a week or two, things might begin moving at a faster pace.




What do y'all think about the current strike in Philadelphia? Let us know in the comments section below.



via: https://hiphopwired.com/2761370/philadelphia-city-workers-strike-trash-piles-up-streets-of-philly/