Trash Strike 'Odors, Rats' Update: North Shore Officials In Court, No New Negotiations

PEABODY, MA — Officials from six North Shore and Greater Boston cities and towns were in Salem Court on Tuesday to press their case for health violation citations and additional resources from Republic Services amid the 22-day-old sanitation workers' strike.

"We are fighting to protect our communities against trash odors, rat infestation, and other pubic health hazards caused by uncollected trash," Peabody Mayor Ted Bettencourt said in a statement following the hearing, which had been postponed from Monday.

• Trash Strike Hits Day 21 With No New Negotiations Planned
• Peabody Explores 'Breach Of Contract' Filing As Contract Talks Resume
• Towns Scramble, MA Leaders Mount Pressure On Republic Services
• 'Public Health Concerns Are Escalating': Trash Strike Crisis Grows On North Shore, Greater Boston
• 'All Unacceptable': Mayor Says Trash Collector Failing City Amid Strike

Last week, 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."

The Beverly City Council was set to hold a special meeting on Tuesday night to discuss the state of the collection disruptions.

Local Union 25 Teamsters have been on strike for the past three weeks — demanding higher pay, equitable time off and health insurance concessions.

"The city will seek to hold Republic Services responsible for any costs incurred by the city because of the strike, including police details," Bettencourt said. "These costs are not the responsibility of Peabody taxpayers.

"Also, I am certainly open to engaging with alternative trash and recycling haulers for assistance during this crisis. Let me be clear, however, there are simply no viable alternatives capable of handling Peabody's needs at this time and trash haulers are not willing to cross a picket line during a strike."

Bettencourt said he has not been told of any new negotiations scheduled between Republic and its employee union as of late Tuesday afternoon.

On Tuesday, Federal Court Judge Brian Murphy denied Republic's motions for both a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against the striking workers.

"In addition to continuing the strike in Greater Boston, Local 25 will continue extending its lines elsewhere in the country until Republic agrees to a fair and equitable contract," Teamsters Union Local 25 President Tom Mari said. "All we want is what our members now receive from Capitol and Star."

Gov. Maura Healey late last week 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 pickup 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."

(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.)