The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) District Council 33 is the largest city union and is composed of the most exploited public workers. Sanitation, airport maintenance and other workers withholding their labor created a public health crisis in Philadelphia. Garbage remained piled up for more than a week while other tasks carried out by municipal workers went undone.

The reality is that the city of Philadelphia in 2024 was cited as the most impacted by the rate of inflation. The prices for housing, food, energy and other essential
commodities and services have manifested into a deeper problem for working families. See this. Under such circumstances it is not surprising that the AFSCME District Council 33 would go on strike aiming to win concessions for their membership. One source indicates that the cost of living in Philadelphia is 5 percent higher than the national average. See this.

In the U.S. there is no political party which effectively represents the working class and the nationally oppressed. The economic policies of both the Democrats and Republicans have only lowered the standards of living among the majority of people living inside the country. The arduous task of building a party of the proletariat and the oppressed provides the only glimpse of hope for reversing the current situation. Such a formation would be positioned to fight back against the worsening conditions of the people, the imposition of fascism and the heightened threats of imperialist war.