Sanitation Crews, More Philly Workers On Strike

PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia's union that represents sanitation crews, 911 dispatchers for fire and police, and more workers are on strike.

AFSCME District Council 33 represents about 9,000 city workers. Union members include:

• 911 dispatch for the Fire and Police Departments
• Trash and recycling collection
• Street Department repairs and maintenance
• Water Department repairs and service
• Airport maintenance and service
• Department of Revenue services
• Department of Public Health services
• L&I enforcement

The strike began at midnight Tuesday after the union and the city failed to agree on a contract for the workers.

Philadelphia officials have laid out a contingency plan to provide residents with essential services that the union members offer.

Critical departments such as Public Safety, Public Health, and Sanitation are ramping up efforts to ensure operations continue smoothly.

The city will keep residents informed through multiple channels, including social media, the city’s website, it's free text alert system, ReadyPhiladelphia, and local media updates regarding service availability and any changes due to potential disruptions. Residents can get official ReadyPhiladelphia updates from the Office of Emergency Management to phones by texting READYPHILA to 888-777.

The emergency management team is on high alert to respond swiftly to any challenges that may arise during the strike period, ensuring public safety is never compromised. The Office of Emergency Management will open the City’s Emergency Operations Center in the event of a work stoppage, bringing together department leadership from over 40 agencies for real-time information sharing, problem-solving, and response coordination.

Officials are closely monitoring the situation and has assessed what the impact of a District Council 33 strike would have on city departmental operations and services.

All employees who are not represented by District Council 33 are expected to report to their worksites as usual and will receive specific instructions from their department leader.

Impacts to Services & Operations

Emergency Services: 911 Call Centers & Dispatch

Philadelphia’s 911 call centers for emergency dispatch will remain open in the event of a work stoppage, and operators will continue to take calls. Residents are urged not to hang up when calling 911.

Trash & Recycling Collection

The Department of Sanitation will operate on in a modified capacity. There will be no residential collection of trash or recycling effective Tuesday.

Residents should not place any trash or recycling out for curbside collection until further notice. The City will open 63 temporary drop-off locations around Philadelphia where residents can bring their trash in the event of any work stoppage. Residents can search for the nearest drop off location for trash here. Please read the map instructions carefully.

Six sanitation drop-off centers (open 6 a.m. through 10 p.m.) Sunday through Saturday. More than 60 temporary drop-off locations sites (available 6 a.m. through 10 p.m.) Monday through Saturday.

Drop off locations will be available for usage beginning at 5 p.m. Tuesday and for the remainder of the week they will be open at 6 a.m.

Details will be posted online here.

Drop off locations will not be available on Friday due to the holiday. Sanitation Convenience Centers will also be closed.

Residents are asked to bring their materials to drop off sites on their normal trash day.

The city will continue to monitor these locations. If the strike continues and the sites reach capacity, the city will be expanding to additional locations.

Officials will monitor the sites to ensure there are enough dumpsters at each site, and will have personnel on hand to assist with trash collection at designated locations.

Residents can bring up to eight bags of trash to the drop off locations. Loose garbage will not be accepted.

Recyclable materials will only be accepted at the six Sanitation Convenience Centers. Residents are asked to hold recycling materials as long as possible, as trash is the priority due to health and safety concerns.

Department of Public Health

Most Health Department services will continue to be available to City residents. However, some services at the Health Centers may be temporarily unavailable or delayed. Patients with appointments will be contacted about the status of their upcoming appointments.

The Health Department will strive to offer full services in the event of a strike. Depending on which staff are available on a particular day, be they contract staff, supervisory staff, or DC33 staff, services available may vary. For example, the Health Department will strive to keep Health Centers open, but based upon available staff, some appointments may be moved to virtual, and some services may be referred out.

Water Department Services & Repairs

PWD has prepared for this workforce reduction by cross-training staff to perform operational functions ensuring core drinking water and wastewater services. However, parts of our core service delivery may be impacted by reduced staffing. Some customers could experience service impacts including longer response and repair times (for example – water main breaks, street cave-ins, open hydrants, clogged inlets). During a strike and any city emergency, repairs will be prioritized according to severity of impact and available resources.

PWD’s customer contact line remains open during a strike. Call 215-685-6300 to report issues. Due to limited staffing, wait times for non-emergency calls will be longer than usual, and we thank you for your patience. Customers should use self-service options for bill payment and general account information. Go to online here to view account information and make payments. Self-service account information and payment options are also available by calling 215-685-6300 and following the prompts in the main menu. Representatives will prioritize emergency calls and not be available for billing issues or account information. Non-emergency service inquiries should be held until we can resume full staffing.

Water and sewer connection permit requests should follow the instructions posted on the Water Department’s website. The permit desk at Municipal Services Building (MSB) may be impacted by reduced staff levels. Most planned construction projects will stop until staffing levels return to normal.

During a strike, only urgent meter work will be performed, such as repairing or replacing damaged or leaking meters. No new meter appointments will be made during a reduced staffing situation. Customers with existing appointments may receive cancelation calls and an option to reschedule.

Department of Streets

The Department of Streets will maintain appropriate levels of staffing and resources to ensure traffic signals, traffic signs, roadways, bridges and city-wide street lighting provide safe egress for multi-modal traffic, particularly on high traffic volume routes throughout the city. Work performed will focus on “make-safe” operations and emergency repairs for conditions and problems affecting traffic safety or impediments to the movement of traffic. In addition, Streets will continue to coordinate crossing guard coverage for schools currently receiving crossing guard services during the summer months.

“Make-safe” operations can include inspection, barricades or partial closures, relocation of damaged traffic infrastructure, temporary electrical repairs, or temporary signage.

Please continue to report damage to traffic infrastructure or unsafe roadway conditions to 311. Any emergency reports, such as a non-working traffic control devices, should be reported to 911.

Parks & Recreation

Philadelphia Parks and Recreation services will be impacted, particularly in pool operations, park maintenance, and event support.

While 62 City pools were originally expected to be open by the end of next week, only 24 pools will be fully available due to limited maintenance staffing. All 112 spraygrounds will remain open, however.

Rec Centers will shift to reduced hours, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Evening programs will be suspended. Summer camps will continue as scheduled.

All designated cooling centers will remain open to support public health during extreme heat.

Picnic permit holders and event organizers should expect limited cleaning, maintenance, and gate access. Park spaces will not meet their usual standards for appearance or functionality.

Philadelphia International Airport

Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) will be open and operational, as airline, concessions and federal security staff are not DC 33 staff. The work stoppage does affect several of PHL’s teams, including custodial, facilities and maintenance. Where permissible, PHL staff shortages will be temporarily filled by non-DC33 employees not performing critical or emergency work and contracted employees.

Officials will release updates as appropriate and provide updates online here.