City of Philadelphia is preparing for potential of approximately 9,000 City employees represented by District Council 33 to go on strike June 30 at midnight

PHILADELPHIA — Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, Managing Director Adam Thiel, Police Commissioner Kevin J. Bethel and other City Officials today provided an update on the City of Philadelphia’s response plans and operational readiness in light of a potential work stoppage by AFSCME District Council 33 that could happen at Midnight tonight, Monday, June 30. As negotiations between City officials and union representatives continued this evening, the Parker Administration is committed to ensuring essential services remain uninterrupted.
District Council 33 (DC33) members, which include more than 9,000 City employees, provide essential services including:

• 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 union’s contract is set to expire at midnight (12 a.m.) on June 30, 2025.  

“As a city, our priority is to safeguard the well-being of our residents while also respecting the rights of our workers,” said Mayor Cherelle L. Parker. “As conversations between the Parker Administration and DC33 continue with a deadline of June 30, Philadelphia is fully prepared to continue operations and services if a work stoppage takes place. We are taking these precautionary measures to ensure that the people of Philadelphia continue to receive the critical services they depend on, regardless of the outcome of ongoing negotiations.”
Given the possibility for a work stoppage, the City has outlined a comprehensive contingency plan for essential services which Philadelphians rely on everyday, including:

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

2. Communication Channels: The City will keep residents informed through multiple channels, including social media, the City’s website, the City’s free text alert system, ReadyPhiladelphia, and local media updates regarding service availability and any changes due to potential disruptions. You can get official ReadyPhiladelphia updates from the Office of Emergency Management to your phone by texting READYPHILA to 888-777.

3. Emergency Response Readiness: 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.

“We greatly appreciate and rely on our DC33 colleagues to deliver a wide range of City services, and we remain hopeful that an equitable and fiscally responsible agreement can be reached,” said Adam K. Thiel, Managing Director, City of Philadelphia. “At the same time, we are extremely grateful to the rest of our City workforce that is ready, willing and able to step up and provide the full range of City services 24x7x365 to our residents, businesses, and visitors. As we provide those services, we humbly ask for the public’s patience and grace as we work through this dynamic situation together.”

Preparedness

The City is closely monitoring the situation and has assessed what the impact of a District Council 33 strike would have on City departmental operations and services. Contingency plans and recommendations for employees include:

• All City 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. “Don’t hang up,” Mayor Parker and Police Commissioner Kevin J. Bethel advised today. “Your calls will be answered.”

Trash & Recycling Collection 

The Department of Sanitation would operate on in a modified capacity. There will be no residential collection of trash or recycling effective Tuesday, July 1. Residents should refrain from placing 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.

The City has issued the following guidelines for residents:

Trash

• The following locations will be available for residents to drop off trash and recycling for disposal:
  • Six Sanitation drop-off centers (open 6 a.m. through 10 p.m.) Sunday through Saturday.
  • Over 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, July 1, and for the remainder of the week they will be open at 6 a.m.
  • Details will be posted on phila.gov/sanitation.
  • Drop off locations will not be available on Friday, July 4 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 work stoppage lingers and reaches capacity, the City will be expanding to additional locations.

• The City will monitor the sites to ensure there are enough dumpsters at each site.

• The City will have personnel on hand to assist with trash collection at designated locations.

• Sanitation regulations remain:

• Bagged trash only (up to eight bags of trash).

• No loose trash.

Recycling

• Recyclable materials will only be accepted at the six Sanitation Convenience Centers.

• Please 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 Center

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 MyPhillywaterBill 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.

Permitting & Construction Projects
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.

Meter Appointments
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.

• Potholes, ditches, cave-ins – Streets will respond and make-safe as necessary .

• Milling and Paving – Street resurfacing is not an essential service.

• Traffic Signals – Streets will respond to perform emergency repairs and make-safe.

• Traffic Intersection Control Signs – Streets will respond to repair.

• Streetlight and Alley light Repairs – will continue to be done by contractor, along with maintenance response.

• Streetlight Pole Knockdowns – Streets will perform emergency make-safe repairs for knockdown street light poles.

• Bridge Monitoring and Assessment – Streets will monitor City bridges and identify any potentially dangerous conditions.

• Roadway Monitoring and Assessment – Streets will monitor City roadway structures and identify any potentially dangerous conditions.

• School Crossing Guard and Public Traffic Safety Enforcement Programs – Streets will coordinate the continued staffing of intersections around schools currently receiving crossing guard services for summer programing. Schools and intersections near the Vision Zero High Injury Network will be prioritized.

Parks & Recreation  

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

• Pools & Spraygrounds: While 62 City pools were originally expected to be open by the end of next week, only 24 pools will be fully available if a work stoppage occurs, due to limited maintenance staffing. All 112 spraygrounds will remain open however.

• Recreation Centers: 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.

• Cooling Centers: All designated cooling centers will remain open to support public health during extreme heat.

• Permitted Events in Park Spaces: 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.

PHL 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.

Mayor Parker concluded today’s press conference by stating that her administration’s labor negotiating team, headed by Chief Deputy Mayor Sincere Harris and a group of high-quality, experienced labor negotiators, is committed to staying at the bargaining table as long as it takes – this evening and beyond – to reach a deal acceptable to both sides. “We understand the importance of these negotiations, and we will remain at the table as long as it takes to achieve a contract that honors our employees while safeguarding the City’s financial stability for all Philadelphians,” Mayor Parker said.

The City will release updates as appropriate and continue to update Strike on the City’s website.