Philadelphia municipal workers from AFSCME District Council 33 ended an eight-day strike seeking better wages after contract negotiations broke down. The union, comprising mainly Black members, faced severe pay disparities, with median salaries around $46,000, falling short of a living wage. Sanitation workers, in particular, earned between $39,000 and $42,000. The city's budget surplus of $882 million was seen as an opportunity to negotiate for better contracts. Union representatives focused on improving salary conditions to address longstanding inequalities in pay.
The median salary for a DC33 member is $46,000, startlingly low compared to those of their counterparts in places like Chicago and New York City.
One of the primary purposes of a strike is to apply pressure, and few of us enjoy quite so much leverage as a sanitation worker in a major city during the midst of a summer heat wave.
DC33 is the lowest-paid of the city's four municipal unions; it is also the only one with a majority Black membership.
The city currently has a budget surplus of $882 million that is under the mayor's direct control, with $550 million budgeted for new contracts.
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