Members of AFSCME District Council 33 approved the tentative contract between union leaders and Mayor Cherelle Parker’s administration, officially ending a saga that included an eight-day strike that disrupted trash collection and other municipal services.
DC 33 on Monday released the results from the ratification vote, held over several days last week. Nearly 65% of the 2,375 people who participated voted in favor of the deal, while 838, or 35%, opposed the agreement.
The union represents roughly 9,000 city workers assigned to a variety of departments, from sanitation to water to the library system. DC 33 initiated a work stoppage July 1, when an earlier contract expired.
Parker’s team and the union broke the impasse July 9 when the sides signed onto a three-year package incorporating 3% annual raises, a $1,500 bonus and an expanded pay scale, among other provisions.
Garbage pickup has continued to be delayed since workers got back on the job. The Department of Sanitation, in a social media post Monday, said crews are focusing on trash collection, with recycling “running a few days behind.” Residents are being asked to leave refuse on the curb and report missed collections to 311.
AFSCME District Council 47 – sometimes referred to as DC 33’s ‘white collar’ counterpart – reached a tentative contract agreement last week with the Parker administration. A ratification vote is ongoing.
