After the latest marathon with the city, which ended without a deal, Philadelphia’s largest blue-collar union is moving toward going on strike at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday.
AFSCME District Council 33 left Monday morning’s negotiations with the Parker administration without a new contract in place.
The union is scheduled to hold a solidarity rally at 5 p.m. Monday at City Hall.
The 16-hour negotiating session began Sunday afternoon and lasted through Monday morning. The union said it has ended talks and plans to proceed with a strike.
Mayor Cherelle Parker and city officials are holding a press conference at City Hall at 2 p.m. to discuss a potential work stoppage in the city. The press conference will be streamed in the video player above, in the CBS News app, or wherever CBS News Philadelphia is streaming.
The strike would include approximately 9,000 blue-collar city workers from the streets, water and sanitation departments, as well as police dispatch and airport operations.
DC 33 is seeking a pay increase and health care benefits for all employees.
“Sometimes in life, you’ve got to take a step backward to take meaningful steps forward,” DC 33 President Greg Boulware said Monday morning. “And our men and women don’t want to do it, and truth be told, can’t afford to do it, we can’t continue going down the road that we’ve been going for this many years. We have to see change.”
Over the weekend, Parker claimed the city offered a more than 12% wage increase over her term to the table — and kept health care coverage intact.
The Philadelphia Police Department said that it has contingency plans in place but will not disclose any details publicly.
If a deal is not struck by midnight, DC 33 will strike at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday.
This is a developing story and will be updated.