The AFSCME DC 33 strike came to an abrupt end early Wednesday morning. While the work stoppage ended, the saga has not. About 9,000 union members still have to vote on the deal, and trash collection and some other services won’t resume until next week.
If you’ve been wondering when your trash will be picked up, when the voting process will end or what to do with the books you haven’t been able to return to your local library, keep reading. We’ve got you covered.
When will my trash be picked up?
Starting next week, blocks around Philly should get cleaner and smell better.
Curbside trash and recycling pickups will resume its normal schedule on Monday, July 14.
The return to the normal schedule means that if your pickup day is normally Monday, your trash and recycling will be collected on Monday; if your pickup day is later in the week, it will be collected then.
In the meantime, if you have excess trash that you need to get rid of, right now, the city encourages residents to use one of its six sanitation and convenience centers.
These centers are open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
Here are the locations of the six Sanitation Convenience Centers:
- Northeast Philadelphia: 8401 State Road. 19136
- Northwest Philadelphia: 320 Domino Lane, 19128
- Port Richmond: 3901 North Delaware Avenue, 19137
- Southwest Philadelphia: 3033 S. 63rd Street, 19153
- Strawberry Mansion: 2601 West Glenwood Avenue, 19121
- West Philadelphia: 5100 Grays Avenue, 19143
Most dumpsters that were used during the work stoppage for trash dropoffs have already been collected, as that service ended with the conclusion of the strike. All remaining dumpsters will be removed from the streets in the coming days.
Are we sure the strike is over?
The strike-ending deal agreed to on Wednesday morning was tentative and would provide DC 33’s workers with 3% annual salary increases over the next three years, plus a $1,500 bonus and an additional pay tier for longtime employees.
The roughly 9,000 members of DC 33 still have to vote on the deal to fully ratify the contract and make things official. This voting will be held in person at DC 33’s union hall, starting Monday and continuing to Sunday, July 20.
The nearly weeklong voting period is to ensure every member of the union has a chance to cast a vote. All votes weigh the same. On the day that voting concludes, all votes will be counted, and results will be released.
If the Union votes “yes,” the contract is ratified. If “no,” there’s no deal and another work stoppage is possible.
The union only needs a majority for the deal to be accepted.
It’s worth noting the deal agreed upon was far from the union’s ask of a 5% annual increase over three years.
“If the members choose to accept it, that’s fantastic. If the members say no, then we will have to go back to the drawing board. I’m not happy now, that hasn’t changed,” DC 33 president Greg Boulware said from outside the union’s offices Thursday afternoon. “I don’t feel like we’ve gotten enough and quite honestly, I probably will never feel that way.”
What about other services affected by the strike?
Health centers have been reopened across the city and resumed normal hours. Any missed or canceled appointments will be rescheduled.
A majority of Free Library locations have reopened and resumed normal services, including the location on Ben Franklin Parkway. Some are operating on reduced hours, and you can check here for your library’s hours. All library hours are expected to return to normal in the coming days.
Any library materials that were due before Tuesday, July 15, are now due July 15.
Pools, sprayground, and recreation centers will all resume normal hours and operations on Monday. Philadelphia Parks & Rec is working to refill all the pools that were emptied during the work stoppage by this Monday.
All other services, including street-sweeping, crossing guards, bulk-item collections and others will resume Monday.
