SNOHOMISH COUNTY — Republic Services workers are on a work stoppage throughout Snohomish and King Counties because they are in solidarity with a strike by the Teamsters Local in Thurston County at a Lacey landfill, who went on strike Wednesday.
International Brotherhood of Teamsters spokesman Matt McQuaid said in an interview that setting the picket line across Western Washington was "a tactic that was a last resort." They'd been negotiating for a long while. This caused no trash pickup in Snohomish and King counties and elsewhere by Republic.
An extension is like enlarging the net of workers who are off the job in solidarity to a the local Lacey union's strike. McQuaid wasn't sure whether the picket line extension would extend statewide.
Locally, Republic is contracted by individual cities such as Snohomish and Monroe to handle garbage, recycling and yard waste pick up.
Those local Teamsters members are not on strike, but didn't come to work because of the Lacey situation.
It was a surprise to the office, a Republic Services customer service representative said.
The company is working to send notifications to customers.
People here "should care because this is entirely the company's fault," McQuaid said. "It's the company's fault garbage is piling up."
Republic's offer is to offer double services next week, the customer service representative said. No discounts.
Republic is negotiating on five separate workers contracts around the country.
Some 2,000 of the 6,000 Teamsters workers working for Republic are on strike, McQuaid said.
Another strike was July 1 in Boston over matching pay wages to a competitor's wages, according to the organization Teamsters for a Democratic Union, an independent group of union members.
Then a couple of days ago, other Teamsters Locals also in contract negotiations -- such as one near Chicago, and another in Stockton, Georgia -- went on strike.
In Lacey, the local union seeks better health care packages and better wages and better worker protections.
McQuaid said Lacey workers are paid 13% less than the Western Washington average. For health care, they seek lower premiums and better deductibles. McQuaid said they seek health care packages comparable to other Teamsters at other waste companies.
“The company is hurting because of our unity. That's the firepower we need to win the contract we deserve,” Jose Zepeda, a chief shop steward at the Stockton Republic landfill, was quoted in a Teamsters for a Democratic Union article.
Republic Services' media relations department said in an email: "Republic Services is in contract negotiations with the union representing some employees at our Lacey facility, and four locations in other areas outside the state. Those employees are engaged in a temporary work stoppage, and are picketing at Republic Services locations in King and Snohomish counties. As a result, some customers are experiencing temporary service delays. "
