Garbage Piles Up Around Bay Area As Workers Join Nationwide Strike: Reports

BAY AREA — Thousands of Bay Area residents are experiencing delays in garbage, recycling and compost collection as local workers join a nationwide strike of Republic Services workers. The workers are striking in solidarity with the Teamsters Local 439 in Stockton, a union whose members are asking for higher wages, better health insurance, and pension benefits. Republic Services workers are not technically on strike, but consider working tantamount to “crossing a picket line.”

Work stoppages began in Boston, where more than 400 trash collectors walked off the job last week, and continued to Philadelphia, Illinois, and Atlanta. In the Bay Area, Republic Services employees in Fremont and Daly City began picketing earlier this week, holding signs reading “Hold Your Nose.”

Teamsters Local 350 workers in Half Moon Bay are walking out to support Stockton workers, and in Fairfield, Local 315 workers are walking out to protest what they say are unsafe working conditions and inadequate pay.

Service delays or stoppages were also reported in San Jose, Richmond, San Pablo, Santa Clara, Union City, Newark, Manteca, and Lathrop. In cities across California, residents are waking up to discover no trucks are coming on trash day.

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“In all of these cities Republic Services is refusing to give workers what they deserve and are not giving them the respect they deserve,” Teamsters International spokesperson Matthew McQuaid told The Reporter.

“Everything that is happening is the company’s fault,” McQuaid told The Coastside News. “It’s their fault that we’re on strike, it’s their fault that picket lines have been extended, it’s their fault that people’s trash hasn’t been picked up. The ball’s in their court. They can end this all by offering a fair deal tomorrow.”

Republic Services said it is negotiating with workers, and will make adjustments to its services.

"Republic Services is in contract negotiations with IBT 439, the union representing some of our employees at Forward Landfill,” the company said in a statement. “Those employees are engaged in a temporary work stoppage, and are picketing at other Republic Services locations in the area. As a result, we anticipate temporary service delays for some recycling and waste collection customers. We are making adjustments to our operations to ensure our ability to continue providing service during this situation. We apologize to our customers for any inconvenience this may cause.”

Cities like Fremont and Half Moon Bay said they are working to find ways for additional trash collection. Fremont added a Saturday pickup day, while Half Moon Bay is exploring temporary public debris pickup sites, according to Coastside News.

Neither unions nor management in the Bay Area have indicated if there has been any forward movement with negotiations, and the strike could continue for days or weeks. In the meantime, residents are trying their best to make due.

“We put our garbage out today thinking they were going to pick it up, but apparently they went on strike in support of Stockton,” Fremont resident David Villarreal told CBS News. “What can I do? At some point this garbage needs to get thrown away so it doesn't get piled in the street, so I either go to the dump, or I find somewhere to take it.”