Overview

• Over 400 Republic Services employees struck on July 1, stopping trash pickup in at least 14 Massachusetts communities and causing bins to overflow under intense heat
• In Philadelphia, AFSCME District Council 33 initiated its largest city workers’ strike since 1986 after contract negotiations collapsed
• A July 2 federal mediation session failed to produce an agreement and no further meetings are scheduled before the Fourth of July holiday
• Municipal authorities have turned to public works crews and temporary contractors to manage mounting sanitation and health risks
• Teamsters Local 25 has warned that hundreds more waste workers nationwide could join strikes over similar contract disputes