Philadelphia union workers' strike continues in to July 4 weekend, as city deals with trash piles

The Philadelphia workers' strike that began on Tuesday continues as trash piles up in the city.

Roughly 9,000 Philadelphia municipal employees went on strike on Tuesday, impacting 911 service, pools, and trash pickup, amid temperatures hovering near 90 degrees this week. The workers are members of Philadelphia's largest workers union, AFSCME DC 33. 

Monday was the last chance for the union and the city to reach a contract agreement before the previous contract expired.

"The City of Philadelphia remains committed to reaching a fair and fiscally responsible contract with our municipal workers who are members of DC 33," Mayor Cherelle L. Parker said during Wednesday’s press conference, Patch reported. "In the meantime, we are laser-focused on providing the essential city services that our residents need and deserve with little to no interruption."

Officials said that the Department of Sanitation is working to increase capacity at dumpster site locations. They added that trash piles accumulating at the dumpsters are being monitored and collected separately from the dumpster removal.

News reports have shown massive piles of trash at drop-off dumpsters, as odors are noticeable blocks away.

According to officials, the dumpsters are scheduled to be serviced multiple times throughout the day. Full dumpsters will be swapped out with empty ones at each location by vendors.

The sites are continually being assessed and evaluated for possible relocation of dumpsters as needed, city officials said.