On Friday, the teamsters representing garbage collectors in Boston reported that the waste disposal company held a 5-hour caucus.

Bargaining between striking sanitation workers and the waste management giant they work for have ended in an impasse, as the company asks a federal judge to intervene to stop allegedly criminal negotiating tactics.

Republic Services and the Teamsters have been at a standoff since July 1, when 450 local workers went on strike after the union's contract expired. Teamsters are seeking better wages, benefits and stronger labor protections.