Philadelphia and AFSCME District Council 33 reached a tentative three-year contract on 9 July, ending an eight-day walkout by roughly 9,000 sanitation workers, 911 dispatchers and other blue-collar staff. The deal provides cumulative wage increases of 9%—3% in each year—and is projected to cost the city about $115 million, according to officials. Union members are expected to vote on ratification in the coming days, while the Parker administration says normal trash pickup will resume on 14 July. The strike began at 12:01 a.m. on 1 July after marathon talks failed to produce an agreement, marking Philadelphia’s first major municipal work stoppage since 1986. With garbage collection halted, refuse quickly accumulated on sidewalks during a holiday heatwave, pools and recreation centers closed, and response times at the city’s 911 center were stretched as police officers filled vacant dispatch posts. Amid mounting public pressure, a Philadelphia judge ordered more than 200 emergency dispatchers and certain water-department employees back to work on 2 July, citing public-safety concerns. Negotiators reconvened later that week, working through the night before striking the accord announced on Wednesday. Mayor Cherelle Parker said the package is the biggest first-term pay offer to DC 33 in over three decades and keeps the city’s finances "fiscally sound." Talks with other unions, including the police and firefighters, continue.