Negotiations resume between AFSCME District Council 33, Mayor Parker's administration on Day 5 of strike
Representatives for the striking AFSCME District Council 33 and Mayor Cherelle Parker's administration sat down for another round of negotiations Saturday, Day 5 of the ongoing labor strike.
"It's another opportunity for us to sit down, hopefully we make some progressive movement from where we've been," DC 33 President Greg Boulware said before heading into the building where the talks were taking place.
However, after hours of negotiating, union members and city officials once again walked away from the bargaining table without a deal. There were also no talks of the negotiations continuing on Sunday
The union represents thousands of municipal workers from a broad array of services, from sanitation and water services to crossing guards and medical examiner's office employees.
Workers walked off the job starting at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, after both sides could not come to an agreement on a wage increase structure and health benefits for all members.
As Philadelphia celebrated the 4th of July on Friday — without Wawa Welcome America concert headliners LL Cool J and Jazmine Sullivan — negotiations between the union and city appeared to be at a standstill.
However, a representative for DC 33 told CBS News Philadelphia Friday night that negotiations were set to pick back up on Saturday afternoon.
Earlier Friday, sources said the union was working through the holiday weekend on a counter-proposal to the city's latest offer.
The strike was top of mind even as the city celebrated the 249th birthday of the United States.
Speaking at Independence Hall Friday morning as part of the city's official celebration, Parker acknowledged that "this is a challenging time for our city right now," referencing the labor talks.
"I will continue to meet leaders of our city's largest blue-collar union to reach a fair deal that workers understand is fair, that is fiscally responsible for the city's overall financial health," she told the crowd.
Parker has repeatedly touted a 5% pay increase given to the union in her first year as mayor, and said her administration's "historic" offer would boost union pay more than several past Philly mayors had in their first terms.
Parker and the city had proposed a three-year deal with a 2.75% increase in the first year, with 3% raises each of the next two years.
Boulware has said DC 33 set its plateau number at 5% over three years and added the city is currently at 8.75%. The Parker administration has cited a 13% figure, but is claiming it includes the 5% increase from the one-year extension signed last fall, according to Boulware.
Meanwhile, trash is piling up at temporary drop-off sites established by the city as neighborhood trash pickup has been halted due to the strike. Temporary workers have been collecting trash from the sites, but social media has been awash with photos and videos of trash bags piled up in all sections of the city.
"You don't want people having this outside their house, because [there are] going to be flies, rodents, raccoons, everything under the sun hitting this area pretty fast within a week, especially with the heat," one resident said. "Just pay these people at this point."
The trash piles even have their own subreddit on Reddit, called r/ParkerPiles.
Philadelphia City Council President Kenyatta Johnson and State Rep. Jordan Harris, head of the Pennsylvania House Appropriations Committee, urged union reps and Parker to get back to the negotiating table.
