As garbage piled up in the streets of Philadelphia, a mom and daughter hit social media with an idea to help.
“Philly: NO TRASH PICKUP UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
“Me and my daughter: $25 a carload, we got you covered!”
And in a hat tip to free enterprise, they added: “No reason to ever be broke!”
A tweet about their offer went viral, garnering more than 10 million views by Monday night. As images of Philly streets clogged with garbage appeared on TV news and social media, some people found the reaction inspiring.
The Philadelphia AFL-CIO, however, had a very different reaction. They accused the family of being “scabs,” a union term for crossing a picket line to do work union members refused to.
“This is scabbing and is a pretty bad look tbh” @PhillyAFLCIO tweeted on X. It followed that post with an explanation.
“Scabbing is when union work is done by non-union workers while the union is withholding their labor during a strike. In this case, the union has specifically asked the public not to do this or use the dumpsters the city set up. Thus, this is what we call a double whammy scab.”
Last Tuesday, members of AFSCME District Council 33 went on strike, demanding a 15 percent pay hike for the 9,000 or so sanitation, water department and other blue-collar workers they represent. Mayor Cherelle L. Parker has reportedly offered an increase of just under nine percent. Negotiations are scheduled to resume today.
Meanwhile, the trash keeps piling up.
Union officials have asked Philly residents not to take trash to the dump themselves. Meanwhile, dumpsters set up by the city have been so overloaded with bloated trash bags that tourists have been spotted showing up to take pictures.
So what’s wrong with a local family trying to help? The public workers union doesn’t like it.
“Anyone who is doing what would be considered union work (such as dealing with the trash or serving as a crossing guard) is a scab since they are undermining the workers who are withholding their labor,” the AFL-CIO Philadelphia posted on social media Monday.
Mark Mix, president of the National Right to Work Committee, took a dim view of the union’s attacks on a local family trying to help out.
“The brazen attitude of AFL-CIO officials exposes exactly what Philly public sector union bosses’ real goal is: Firming up their government-granted stranglehold on the public services that Philadelphians rely on, whatever this lengthy and dysfunctional strike might cost both Philadelphia citizens and public workers,” said Mix.
“This social media exchange underscores the contempt that public sector union officials have for those who actually pay their salaries: taxpaying citizens, who along with their elected representatives, should be the only ones in control of public services – not unelected union officials.”
Gabriel Vargas, who owns White Owl Dumping and Hauling, told DVJournal that he’s also trying to help. He’s offering to pick up Philadelphian’s trash for $10 a bag with a limit of four bags.
“I want to help help out. That’s the biggest thing,” said Vargas. “My family lives down in South Philly so I like to keep the neighborhood clean. So I figured out, why not try to help in some way.”
In addition to the smell from piles of trash, there could also be an increased rat problem, he said.
“I got everybody from South Philly, which is where I’m originally from, to the northeast, to Fox Chase,” he said. “I’m just trying to be fair with everybody. People spend $10 on anything nowadays.”
Vargas says he disposes of the trash responsibly because he’s in the business. Asked to respond to the AFL-CIO’s social media posts, he said he understands that the workers want more money.
“Everybody should get a raise,” said Vargas. “I’m all for the trashmen. We’re always going to have trash, so why not make them compensated?”
But he rejected their “scabs” name-calling.
“This is our community,” said Vargas. “You know you can’t let them be surrounded by rats and bugs and possums and stuff like that. That’s not safe. That’s not healthy.”
Philadelphia has announced placing more than 60 temporary neighborhood drop-off sites, and it’s asking residents to hold recyclable materials “for as long as possible.”
The Bucks County town of Bensalem also has a message for Philly residents: Don’t even think about dumping your trash in our town.
“Illegal dumping is a crime,” Mayor Joseph DiGirolamo warned in a website post “Anyone caught illegally dumping trash in Bensalem WILL BE PROSECUTED.”