As Philadelphia celebrated the 4th of July on Friday, negotiations between the striking AFSCME District Council 33 and Mayor Cherelle Parker's administration appeared to be at a standstill.The union represents thousands of municipal workers from a broad array of services,

A strike by nearly 10,000 city workers in Philadelphia has stretched into a third day. Trash continued to pile up Thursday in some areas, and a judge ordered more than 30 Medical Examiner’s Office staffers back to work because of a growing backlog of bodies in storage.

Many AFSCME DC 33 members have been itching for the union to take a dramatic stand against the city ever since then-Mayor Rendell won concessions in a 1992 contract. On Tuesday, they got their wish.