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The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers made picket signs on Wednesday in anticipation of a possible strike if a deal is not reached by the end of the month.

The union, which represents 14,000 employees for the Philadelphia School District , says it wants to avoid a strike and reach at least a tentative deal before the school year begins on Aug. 25.

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However, the union also says that reaching a deal is at the hands of the city, who they accuse of not showing urgency ahead of an Aug. 31 deadline for a new deal.

Members of the union approved a strike authorization by a vote of 94% to 6% in June .

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