Unbelievable stenches and a fear of rats: mountains of trash on one corner in Mayfair grew so large that the city had to tape it off.

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.