Updated

Trash is piling up on Paris streets because of a strike by garbage collectors angry over wage and career stagnation.

The walkout comes amid frustration over spending cuts across the French economy. Garbage collectors and workers from Air France, which saw violent protests this week over job cuts, plan to join a general protest Thursday.

Overflowing garbage bins crowded sidewalks in about half of Paris' districts, or arrondissements, as the strike entered its fourth day Thursday. City hall said 45 percent of the city's 4,900 waste workers are on strike.

Workers briefly occupied waste incineration plants in the Paris region earlier this week, according to the CGT union. It says wages aren't keeping up with the cost of living and too few garbage workers are eligible for promotion.