Workers At Sunset Park Recycling Facility Will Get Official Union Vote

SUNSET PARK, BROOKLYN — Workers at the city's largest recycling facility — who have threatened to strike and send the city's pickup "grinding to a halt" — will get an official vote on a union Friday, according to a union press release.

Sims Municipal Recycling has agreed to remain neutral on the vote, union officials will be allowed inside the facility and workers will be permitted to wear union stickers on the job, according to the release from Teamsters Local 210, the union organizing the effort.

“There won’t be a strike over union recognition," Teamsters spokesman Alex Moore told Patch. "The company agreed to this process for recognizing the union that we’re very happy with.”

If the workers vote to unionize, officials would then go to the negotiating table with Sims — whose workers in other facilities in New York and New Jersey are unionized through Teamsters — over their demands for better pay, cheaper healthcare and fairer working conditions.

“I hope this agreement portends an amicable negotiation that addresses the issues that workers have raised," Moore told Patch.

"We are pleased that we were able to reach agreement with Teamsters Local 210 for an immediate vote on whether or not to have union representation at the Sunset Park Material Recovery Facility in Brooklyn," a statement from Sims said. "As we have said many times, we respect the right of our employees to unionize if they so choose. We particularly appreciate the role of the New York City Council in helping to make this vote a reality on an accelerated timetable.

"We remain firmly committed to providing a workplace that epitomizes Sims’ core values of safety, integrity and respect for all."

The results of the vote will be made public Friday afternoon or early evening, Moore said. To get notified instantly of the vote's results, click here to sign up for free, real-time news alerts for your NYC neighborhood.

SEE ALSO: Tons Of Garbage Would 'Pile Up' On NYC Streets As Recycling 'Grinds To A Halt' After Strike

Image via Marc Torrence, Patch