Hundreds of sanitation workers in the Boston area have quit their jobs, stating that they would not pick up trash until they have reached an agreement with Republic Services, a waste management behemoth.
The Teamsters Local 25 claim that management’s refusal to compromise on greater pay, better benefits, and more robust labor rights has thwarted their attempt to come to an agreement before their contract ended this past Monday.
Arlington, Beverly, Canton, Danvers, Gloucester, Lynnfield, Malden, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Marblehead, North Reading, Peabody, Reading, Saugus, Swampscott, Topsfield, Wakefield, and Watertown are among the towns that are impacted.
According to Teamsters General President Sean O. Brien, the waste management business is solely to blame for what happens next.
In a statement sent by the local union, O Brien said, “Remember who’s to blame if your trash is piling up on July 4th: the white-collar criminals who run Republic Services.”
Victor Mineros, Director of the Teamsters Solid Waste and Recycling Division and International Vice President of the Teamsters Western Region, stated that this battle is not limited to Boston, despite the fact that over 450 Bay State union members began picketing on Tuesday.
The Teamsters claim that other local unions are engaged in similar contract conflicts with Republic and could go on strike at any time, potentially leading to up to 3,500 Teamsters quitting their jobs.
Teamsters all over the country, from Massachusetts to California, are having the same issues with this business. We will set an example for this employer’s maltreatment of our people if Republic doesn’t swiftly get its act together. According to Mineros, American workers deserve better.
A request for comment on the strikes was not immediately answered by Republic Services.
According to the union, up to 400,000 people in Massachusetts may be impacted by the walkout.
According to O Brien, we will finish the fight even though it wasn’t initiated by the Teamsters.
According to him, our members will stop at nothing to finally receive the respect they deserve.
On June 10, just before their contract expired, the union practiced picketing Boston and declared that they would go on strike if talks didn’t work out.
In a social media video, Teamsters Local 25 members stated that they will fight until they receive their fair share of the multibillion-dollar profit the waste management company posts annually and that they will die on our feet before we live on our knees, following the expiration of their contract at midnight on Tuesday.
In the video, a member of OneTeamsters Local 25 states, “Divided we beg, together we win.”
Rep. Seth Moulton of the United States, who represents a number of the impacted towns, stated that he supports the union in their battle.
Sanitation workers are simply essential to the operation of our communities. “These men and women deserve to be treated like the essential workers that they are,” he said on social media, particularly as the holiday weekend draws near.
