TRASH CONTINUES TO PILE UP in Bay Area municipalities served by Republic Services, a waste management company that saw many of its workers go on strike around the nation last week.
The strikes began on July 8 amidst ongoing national contract negotiations between the International Brotherhood of Teamsters union and Republic Services, the second-largest waste management company in the U.S.
Regionally, the strikes began due to contract negotiations between the company and Teamsters members working at Forward Landfill in Manteca, according to the Republic Services website.
Teamsters members have since expanded picketing locations to include Republic Services facilities at Ox Mountain Landfill in Half Moon Bay and Newby Island Resource Recovery Park in Milpitas. The facilities remain operational with longer entry wait times, according to San Mateo County officials.
Teamsters represents around 8,000 of Republic Services’ 42,000 employees.
Many Republic Services employees in the Bay Area are refusing to cross picket lines, Republic Services shared on its website.
“We respect the rights of our employees to engage in collective bargaining and are committed to meeting the service needs of our customers,” the company said.
The strikes continue to affect cities including Daly City, Fairfield, Fremont, Half Moon Bay, Newark, Piedmont, San Jose, Stockton, Suisun City and Union City, according to the Republic Services website.
The company has mobilized additional employees from other areas to assist with waste collections and is prioritizing waste collection over yard waste and recycling. Waste pickup continues at essential businesses, including hospitals, nursing homes and apartment complexes.
Limited trash collection has resumed in parts of Half Moon Bay, Newark, Fairfield and Fremont, according to the cities’ respective websites.
In west Contra Costa County, Republic Services is running limited trash collection routes through Saturday and anticipates returning to regular scheduled service next week, according to the Republic Services website. Contra Costa County residents may bring up to four bags of trash and four bags of recyclables to the Golden Bear Transfer Station on Parr Boulevard in Richmond, according to county Supervisor John Gioia.
In San Mateo County, affected households can drop off up to two bags of waste per household at one of three temporary dumpsters in Daly City or at the Pescadero Waste Transfer Station, the county stated in a press release.
San Mateo County Board of Supervisors president David Canepa in a statement expressed a desire for Republic Services to “pay workers” and “restore services.”
Canepa on Thursday also posted a video on Instagram of an overflowing trash bin spilling out onto the roadway. “I woke up to this 🤢,” Canepa captioned the video. “Republic pay your workers.”
Teamsters general president Sean O’Brien in a press release from the union attributed the strike to Republic Services’ “overpaid, corrupt executives” and “their greed.”
“It’s shocking, and increasingly disgusting, how far Republic Services is willing to push its workforce. Our members are everyday Americans performing essential services across our communities, but Republic is unwilling to offer workers good wages, decent benefits, or a fair contract,” O’Brien said. “We don’t want this garbage piling up. We want to return to work. But we refuse to be exploited.”
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