Trash Strike Update: Gov. Healey Scolds Republic, 6 Cities, Towns File Court Complaint

UPDATED 12:30 p.m.

BEVERLY, MA — Six of the more than a dozen communities suffering from disrupted trash and recycling pickup during the 17-day Local Union 25 sanitation workers' strike against Republic Services on Thursday filed a complaint against the company in Salem Superior Court.

Beverly, Malden, Gloucester, Peabody, Danvers and Canton officials filed the complaint for injunctive relief to abate the public health nuisance resulting from what the communities called "Republic's failure to adequately collect and dispose of trash and recycling in our communities."

• Trash Strike Talks Resume As Towns Scramble, MA Leaders Mount Pressure On Republic Services
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• 'All Unacceptable': Mayor Says Trash Collector Failing City Amid 10-Day Strike
• Frustration Soars As Trash Strike Enters Third Week

Teamsters Local Union 25 President Tom Mari said that after 12 hours of negotiations with a federal mediator on Tuesday, the company again cut off the talks and refused to indicate a willingness to resume them.

Leaders from Beverly, Canton, Danvers, Gloucester, Ipswich, Lynnfield, Malden, Manchester, North Reading, Peabody, Swampscott, Wakefield and Watertown signed a separate letter to Republic Services late last week that demanded that Republic Services "act to swiftly expand interim staffing by bringing in additional drivers and resources to stabilize service in the short term."

That letter also cited a lack of communication, escalating costs and public health concerns because of bags piling up on sidewalks and in commercial dumpsters.

Communities continue to scramble to create alternative means of trash, recycling and yard waste relief for residents 17 days into the strike.

Local 25 said 4,000 Teamsters were either on strike or honoring the strike extensions across the country on Wednesday morning. Picket lines were set up at four locations in Peabody as well as those in Revere, Holbrook, Roxbury and Quincy.

Gov. Maura Healey on Thursday became the latest state leader to call on Republic Services to work harder to resolve the work stoppage and restore full collections.

"It has now been three weeks of no trash pick up in several Massachusetts communities, and this has gone beyond a headache for residents, businesses and municipalities — it is a public health concern and it’s expensive for everyone," Healey said in a statement. "Sanitation workers do essential
work to keep our neighborhoods clean and healthy, and they deserve fair wages, benefits and protections.

"Republic Services needs to come to the table and reach a fair deal — it's time to get people back to work and resume services to our communities as soon as possible."

State Treasurer Deb Goldberg and State Auditor Diana DiZoglio this week joined Secretary of State Bill Galvin over the weekend in also calling for an end to the strike — placing much of the blame for the disruptions on the nationwide sanitation company.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)