The largest and lowest paid for four urban associations in Philadelphia developed on Tuesday in the city, creating pickets in the town hall, water purification plants, sanitary centers and healthcare facilities.
Over 9,000 members of the District Council 33, part of the American (*33*) of State, Employees of the Fore and Commune, passed the strike shortly after midnight, tightening his muscles in a way that the relationship has not been for 40 years, paying attention to the work they do for the average salary of USD 46,000. The relationship said that the average salary has many members qualifying for public aid.
Data points were supported by anecdotal stories on picke lines throughout the city on the first day of the strike.
Saida Byrd, a 37-year-old employee picket in the town hall, said that “a living withdrawal for payment” does not describe accordingly how it is financially stretched, even with the second work.
“I live in the current account in the current account,” she said.
On the line of pickes in the north-east Port Richmond Port Control Port, a 53-year-old employee of the Philadelphia Water Department, Stacy Igle-Singleton, said that she experienced first hand, as her remuneration does not go as far as her mother and stepfather did.
“Over the past 20 years we have moved from employees from Blue to employees at the poverty level,” she said.
Employees described saving money as impossible impossibility and retirement as a feeling out of reach, and some consider completely leaving the public sector.
Police dispatchers, sanitary workers and water sewage treatment plants described mental and physical work, which, as in their opinion, were underestimated by the city, despite how necessary and common their trace is.
“The city does not work without us,” said 48 -year -old guard Parkway Central Library Dhafir Gerald, a picket in front of a building with the guardians of the DC 33 branch. The free library closed all except one units until noon.
Gerald said that after USD 46,000 a year, he does more than a typical security guard, undertaking tasks in the field of property management and serving visitors who experience mental health problems.
“The city has money to pay us,” he said. “We are the spine of the city.”
As the day passed, more services went offline, including laboratory work, mammographs and X -rays in eight health centers in the city. A spokesman for the Health Department James Garrow said that services in health centers will depend on the levels of staff. Patients with upcoming visits to health centers will be notified if their visits are canceled or changed from personal to virtual.
Centers are also unable to respond to the phones until the end of the strike, said the city.
At the international airport in Philadelphia, recycling may, next to the safety line of terminal B, filled with plastic bottles that could not go through the checkpoint.
In Nicetown on Tuesday, the planned pickup of garbage came and went with trash bags in the pipeline. According to nearby construction workers, some residents began to get rid of the stench, placing bags in Nicetown Park.
The mayor of Cherielle L. Parker asked the residents on Monday to refrain from placing bags on the curb, and instead took them to six sanitary centers in longer hours or to one of 61 additional garbage cans serving as a place to drop garbage. He considers the union to exploit these pages to cross the pickes and have touched some residents in the wrong way.
In Nicetown, Bolton’s postal worker said that the dropping parties emphasize the irresponsibility of the city without concluding a contract.
“Who is the city who pays for picking up?” Bolton said. “We come on the weekend of July fourth. And they intend to do it [DC 33 workers] Yes.”
In Port Richmond’s Citizen Confiluńce Center for Recycling and Trash, Union members said that few people tried to cross the picket line in the early hours of the day, with most of the turning and several bags on the sidewalk.
However, at the center of convenience Strawberry Mansion, members of DC 33 broke into an argument with a sanitary manager, who tried to open the object to the so -called Labor studies That they can take over operations according to NBC10.
One former member of DC 33, who said that he participated in the 20-day detention of the Union in 1986, expressed the surprise that the members moved to the strike. He said he doubted that they would receive increases they were looking for from Parker.
Parker administration began with the proposition of a four -year contract with 2% of the year’s increases. Parker said that until Monday night Parker offered a three-year contract with increases by 2.75%, 3%and 3%-arising 13%, more than any other mayor. The city also offered to add an additional stage of the scale of trade union wages, which will bring benefits to long -term employees.
The President of DC 33, Greg Boulware, replied on Monday evening with the final offer of 5% of annual salary increases before leaving.
Despite this, it seemed that public sentiment was on the side of DC 33. Several members of the City Council of Philadelphia issued statements about various support for employees, hoping for a quick settlement, including Nicolas O’Rourke and Kendra Brooks from the parties of working families; Progress Democrats Jamie Gauthier and Rue Landau; and Democrats of Cindy Bass, Isaiah Thomas, Jeffery “Jay” Young, Mark Squilla and Jim Harrita.
“You can’t build a just city by breaking the backs of people who clean it, pave and keep their action,” said O’Rourke, adding that employees should be able to “afford the necessary life after 40 or more hours of work, week after week.”
Local trade unions offered similar statements of support, including the Philadelphia Afl-Cio council, which include over 100 trade unions locally; IBEW LOCAL 614, which represents PECO and others employees; District 3 AFGE, which represents federal employees; and Teamsters. The (*33*) of Philadelphia teachers, the largest union of the school district, from 14,000 teachers, nurses, secretaries, advisers and other employees, encouraged its members to appear on the lines of pickets in Solidarity with DC 33.
Residents of Logan Square and Center City also understood the strike, despite potential inconveniences, such as tiny recreation center hours and lack of garbage.
“Ultimately, I support what they do. It’s a difficult job and they must get enough income to survive,” said James Taylor 46 years elderly.
Employee stories resonated among passers -by in Port Richmond. In the water pollution control plant, one driver raised his fist, saying to the group so that he “stick to hard!”
“The family court is next,” said the driver.
The PWD employee replied: “We live from salaries in 2009. There is 2025!”
Staff writers Sean Collins Walsh, Fallon Roth, Ariana Perez-Castells, Aubrey Whlan and Kristen A. Graham contributed to this article.
