Overview

• Negotiations remain deadlocked as strikers in Philadelphia seek 5% annual raises over three years against a city offer of just under 9% and Boston-area Teamsters demand pay parity with regional waste firms.
• Trash has mounted across both regions, with major accumulations reported in Philadelphia neighborhoods including Morrell Park and at least six Massachusetts towns from Peabody to Malden.
• A Philadelphia court has ordered emergency sanitation staff back to work under new waste rules, but the wider AFSCME District Council 33 membership remains on strike.
• Municipalities have responded by deploying cross-trained city workers, out-of-state contractors and temporary crews and by establishing residential drop-off sites to manage uncollected waste.
• Illegal dumping has surged because of service gaps, prompting at least one arrest in Philadelphia under enhanced enforcement measures and calls from Massachusetts business owners for increased dumpster security.