PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — Mountains of trash are piling up in parts of Philadelphia as a strike by blue-collar city workers nears a fourth day.
Sanitation workers are among the DC33 union members on the picket line, which means residential trash collection stopped when the strike was called at midnight Tuesday.
The latest round of negotiations began Wednesday but ended overnight without a deal. There’s no word on when talks would resume.
Mayor Cherelle Parker said during a news conference on Thursday afternoon that the city offered to return to the negotiating table, but the union did not accept.
“In order to come back to the bargaining table, you have to have a counterproposal to be able to do,” said District Council 33 President Greg Boulware. “Now, we just presented the city with what we thought was a very, very fair kind of proposal last night. They rejected it and came back with very much the same proposal that they’ve had over the last three days.”
“The narrative that we walked away from the table last night is absurd,” Boulware added.
During her impassioned remarks, Parker spoke about the city’s proposal, which has been referred to as “historic.”
“I will not put the fiscal stability of the City of Philadelphia in jeopardy for no one. If that means I’m a one-term mayor, then so be it,” she said. “But the history books will say that Mayor Cherelle Parker did right by the blue-collar men and women of District Council 33 and put an offer on the table that no other municipal blue-collar workers in the nation could be able to say that their city was providing mortgages for them to be able to become home owners.”
The city has stated all week that the 4th of July celebrations would go on as planned. But late Thursday night, headliner LL Cool J said he would not perform with the ongoing strike.
“I never ever want to disappoint my fans, and especially in Philadelphia. Ya’ll mean too much to me, but there’s absolutely no way that I could perform, cross a picking line and pick up money when I know that people are out there fighting for a living wage,” he said in an Instagram post.
The latest proposal by DC 33 includes a 5% wage increase per year for three years. The City is offering 7% over three years, which averages out to be just over 2% a year.
“We need to see incremental raises that are substantial, that keep up with the cost of living inside of this city,” said Boulware.
WATCH: Mayor Parker provides update on day three of DC 33 strike
Mayor Parker provides update on day three of DC 33 strike
Shortly before that news conference, a judge ordered workers from the city medical examiner’s office to return to work.
City officials said the strike was causing a delay in retrieving dead bodies and releasing bodies from the morgue to families.
Earlier Thursday, Chopper 6 was over a massive mound of garbage along Devereaux Avenue near Langdon Street in Northeast Philadelphia.
Chopper 6 was over a massive mound of garbage along Devereaux Avenue near Langdon Street in Northeast Philadelphia on Thursday.
Chopper 6 was over a massive mound of garbage along Devereaux Avenue near Langdon Street in Northeast Philadelphia on Thursday.
The city has set up dozens of trash collection sites, including this location. (Correction: An earlier version of this story stated that this was not an official dropoff location)
The Action Cam was at an official trash collection site at the 63rd Street Sanitation Center, where things were quiet on Thursday.
RELATED: Trash pickup halted in Philadelphia during blue-collar union workers’ strike | What to know
Residents were seen dropping off their trash without any issues.
It was a different scene on Wednesday when police responded after workers on strike reportedly blocked other city employees from entering.
This happened after a judge ordered picketers not to block access to buildings or facilities.
The city solicitor, Renee Garcia, says law enforcement is trying to monitor protests across the city.
“They are running around the city dealing with protesters who have been asked to move along, and they go right back, and this is putting a strain on our resources,” Garcia said.
The solicitor also says some picketers have gone too far.
“The kind of things that we are dealing with are jammed locks at health centers. We couldn’t get our doctors into the health center today. Opening fire hydrants. Yesterday, they were slashing tires on trucks, preventing trash drop-offs. We have residents going to drop off their trash and they’re getting harassed on their way,” Garcia said Wednesday.
Philly officials issue warning as strike tensions escalate: ‘This is not legal activity’
At least one arrest has been made in connection with the strike.
Carnell Wilder, 59, is accused of slashing a PGW worker’s tires Tuesday in Wynnefield Heights.
According to police, Wilder asked the worker why he wasn’t striking before damaging the tire.
Union leaders are urging members to follow the law and court orders.
They’re also asking the public to help support their demands for higher pay as the union’s nearly 9,000 members continue to strike.
RELATED: Here is a list of services impacted by union workers’ strike in Philadelphia
“Nobody understands financial constraints more than our members. We’re asking for a little bit of relief so we can loosen our belts just a little bit instead of continuously keep tightening them. There’s no more left to tighten,” said DC33 President Greg Boulware.
Copyright © 2025 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.