LL Cool J pulled out of Philadelphia’s Wawa Welcome America concert scheduled for July 4 on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, citing support for striking city workers and refusing to perform while labor negotiations remain unresolved.
The Hip-Hop icon announced his decision Thursday night via Instagram, just one day before the event, stating that he would not cross a picket line while thousands of municipal employees continued their walkout for better pay and benefits.
“But there’s absolutely no way that I can perform, cross a picket line, and pick up money when I know that people are out there fighting for a living wage. I’m not doing that, you know what I’m saying?” he said in the video.
The strike, led by AFSCME District Council 33, began July 1 and marks Philadelphia’s first major municipal labor stoppage since 1986…