Post-strike morale is in the dumps | Morning Newsletter
🇨🇦 And fewer Canadians in Wildwood.
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
Morning, Philly. Enjoy temps in the 80s while you can: Tomorrow’s forecast brings an extreme heat watch with a high near 97.
The municipal workers strike may be over, but District Council 33 members must now contend with the swing from the high energy on the picket lines to feeling “demoralized” at work.
And many Canadians canceled travel to the Jersey Shore after President Donald Trump’s tariffs and 51st state talk. But some came to Wildwood anyway.
Plus, wanna own a pool club? One in South Philly is for sale and going viral.
— Julie Zeglen (morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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The trash piles that accumulated during the eight-day DC 33 strike are gone, but frustrations within the municipal workers union linger.
A done deal, at a cost: Seven city employees spoke to The Inquirer about the strike and their return to work, expressing frustrations with Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s administration and what many viewed as a lackluster contract.
Low-pay concerns remain: The average DC 33 employee earns $46,000 annually. Union leaders initially asked for an 8% annual raise, then 5% as negotiations continued. They got 3%.
Notable quote: “July 1 came around, and we kind of got slapped in the face because we didn’t get nothing good,” a sanitation worker said. “We just got told, you’ll continue to be underpaid for at least another three years.”
In other city government news: Philadelphia Managing Director Adam K. Thiel is on leave to serve in the Army Reserve.
Amid noise from Trump over tariffs and trade wars, that annexation threat, and a bad-for-Canadians exchange rate, Shore proprietors were wondering as far back as March if their usual repeat customers from the Great White North would show up this summer.
🇨🇦 Now, in July, the results are in: Some did skip indeed their annual trips to Jersey. Tourism officials report a 20 to 30% decline in Canadian business, while some managers of campgrounds and rental properties frequented by Canadians say they’re being hit much harder.
🇨🇦 But some still came, determined to continue enjoying their go-to vacation spot despite political tensions. That doesn’t mean all Americans have been welcoming.
🇨🇦 “People were walking by and they were laughing at our car plate,” a Quebecois visitor to the Wildwoods told The Inquirer. “I don’t let it affect us. We still had a beautiful vacation and I would come back.”
Shore reporter Amy S. Rosenberg has more.
Plus: Planning a beach day? Here’s what to know about umbrella and tent bans at the Shore.
What you should know today
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are wearing masks while making arrests. Some Pennsylvania lawmakers want to ban them from covering their faces. Plus: Philadelphia Archbishop Nelson Pérez has released a letter calling for solidarity with immigrants.
The Trump administration is considering removing Independence National Historical Park exhibits for depicting American history in a negative light.
A former Philly fire department captain who became head of FEMA’s Urban Search and Rescue branch resigned Monday amid frustration with how Texas’ recent deadly floods were handled.
Philadelphia needs welders. A Trump administration proposal would eliminate the agency helping to train them.
Bucks County delivered Trump’s largest mail ballot surge in Pennsylvania. The local GOP is already looking ahead to key elections in 2026 and 2028.
Three weeks past the Pennsylvania budget’s deadline, talks are stalling as legislators have been unable to reach agreement on top-line issues. Philly residents and schools must prepare for cuts in the meantime. And canvassers on Wednesday encouraged Regional Rail riders to ask their state senators to pass a budget that includes new funding for SEPTA.
Jack Ciattarelli, the Republican nominee for New Jersey governor, has picked a sheriff from his opponent’s district as his running mate.
Temple University Hospital staffers called for stronger security measures and more training at a rally Wednesday following a recent active shooter alert.
On these steamy July days, owning a pool sounds pretty nice. Or maybe you want to take that fantasy up a notch and buy an entire pool club, with room for friends, family, and paying strangers.
👙 In South Philly, all you need to live your dream is about a million dollars and the ability to withstand the curiosity of thousands on the internet.
👙 The property housing a former club called the NC Club at 1307 S. Sixth St. has been live on Zillow for nearly a year, but recent viral social media posts have sparked new interest.
👙 Among the amenities: an in-ground pool colored robin’s egg blue, a cabana, one basketball hoop, and an olden-days vibe (i.e. the 2010s).
Reporter Emily Bloch explains the lore of the NC Club.
🧠 Trivia time
Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath played their first-ever U.S. show (and blew out the power) at which Philly-area school in 1970?
A) Delaware Valley University
B) Camden County College
C) St. Joseph’s University
D) Glassboro State College
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
⚖️ Following: The drama in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey.
🎨 Taking: A last look at PAFA before all is zipped and spiffed up.
🌳 Noting: How Philly-area homeowners built their outdoor living spaces.
⚽ Wondering: What are 2026 World Cup “hospitality” tickets, really?
🏥 Considering: The case against the legalization of human organ sales.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: Higher ed institution in Reading
COLLAGE BLIGHTER
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here.
Cheers to Jo Ann Forte, who solved Wednesday’s anagram: Mount Laurel. The Burlington County township is home to one of South Jersey’s must-try bagel shops.
Photo of the day
Cue “The Boys Are Back In Town” — it’s time for Eagles training camp, baby. That means the next football season is just weeks away.
Thanks for starting your day with The Inquirer. I’ll be back with you tomorrow to close out the week of news.
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