Trash is piling up throughout Philadelphia.

Workers from the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees District Council 33 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, went on strike on July 1, 2025, at 12:01 a.m., after not reaching an agreement with the city of Philadelphia. The union includes over 9,000 city workers, including Philadelphia’s sanitation workers, responsible for weekly residential trash collection. 

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It is the union’s first work stoppage in Philadelphia since 1986, the Philadelphia Tribune reported.

As a result of the AFSCME strike, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker announced the city has set up 20 trash collection sites where residents can dump their trash. The work stoppage has affected the speed at which waste is collected at these sites, leading to an overflow of trash in many dumpsters throughout the city at each location reserved for trash removal.

The strike has also received the attention of the nation’s entertainers. During Philadelphia’s July 4th celebrations, rapper LL Cool J, real name James Todd Smith, and R&B singer and songwriter Jazmine Sullivan, a Philadelphia native, canceled their appearances for the city’s annual Independence Day concert.

“I understand there’s a lot going on in Philadelphia right now, and you know, I never, ever, ever want to disappoint my fans, and especially in Philadelphia,” Smith said. “Y’all mean too much to me, but there’s absolutely no way that I could perform, cross a picket line and pick up money when I know that people are out there fighting for a living wage. I’m not doing that, you know?”

One point of contention between the city and the union is worker compensation. According to NBC Philadelphia, the average salary for a Philadelphia sanitation worker currently ranges between $39,000 and $42,000 annually. This is reportedly the lowest sanitation worker salary of any major city. The AFSCME union is seeking a 5% increase in pay, according to NBC Philadelphia. However, representatives for Parker’s government are offering a 2.75% wage increase this year and 3% for the subsequent two years. The union rejected that offer.

In addition to salary, workers are seeking an increase in the city’s contribution to workers’ healthcare and pension plans, NBC Philadelphia reported. In response to the union’s benefits demands, Parker posted information on X explaining the current total compensation for the city’s sanitation workers. It revealed that workers have access to free public transportation in the city, getting paid “time-and-a-half or double time” for holiday work, and over 43 days of paid time off each year, including vacation days, sick days, city holidays, and administrative leave days. 

Contract negotiations were to resume on Tuesday, according to a representative from Philadelphia’s mayor’s office.

“Negotiations will take place this afternoon between the City and District Council 33, as we seek a fair and fiscally responsible contract for the hard-working men and women in DC 33 and the City,” said Leah Uko, the mayor’s press secretary.