AMERICANS living in five cities have been forced to shut their windows and cover their noses after an essential service was abruptly stopped.
Residents across the country fear their health could be at risk after the crucial practice ended, despite them paying for it.
It has now been one week since workers at Republic Services, a waste management company, initiated their strike. As a result, trash accumulation has become a noticeable issue in several regions, including Western Washington.
Residents in these areas, feeling the pressure, have resorted to personally delivering their waste to designated drop-off sites, often after days of exposure to the sun, causing significant discomfort.
For some, like daycare director Brit Harris, the situation has become especially challenging. She is reluctant to deal with the unpleasant contents of overflowing dumpsters and hopes fervently that the union resolves the matter soon, avoiding more drastic measures.
“This is the worst possible time for this,” Harris, who runs Lil People’s World in Bellevue, outside Seattle, told CBS affiliate KIRO.
“Mainly the feces, I’m super worried about. It is very hot out and we are going to overflow very quickly.”
Washington residents in Bellevue, Renton, Edmonds, Kent, and Lacey have all been warned that trash pickup will be paused for the foreseeable, despite taxpayers contributing to the services.
Union related work stoppages have also been reported in Boston, Massachusetts, Cumming, Georgia, Ottawa, Illinoi, and Manteca, California.
Republic Services still hasn’t struck a deal with garbage worker union Teamster, and the two aren’t scheduled to meet until the end of the month.
Plus, Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien threatened to stock collections across multiple states and declared a “war” against Republic Services last week, Fox News reported.
He said the union plans to “flood the streets and shut down garbage collection in state after state” if they can’t strike a deal.
“Republic Services has been threatening a war with American workers for years — and now, they’ve got one,” he said in a statement.
“Republic abuses and underpays workers across the country. They burn massive profits and funnel money to undeserving, corrupt executives.
“Workers are uniting nationwide, and we will get the wages and benefits we’ve earned, come hell or high water.”
Strikers say they are demanding basic needs like fair wages, health insurance and retirement benefits, but Republic Services claims the union isn’t taking negotiations seriously.
“Today, we made a formal proposal that included a nearly 16% wage increase immediately and an approximate 43% pay increase over five years for our Greater Boston employees,” the company told Fox News.
“Contrary to the many falsehoods the Teamsters are spreading, our offer outpaces competitors.”
Over 2,000 workers are striking nationwide, and some are attempting to barricade replacement workers from completing deliveries, KIRO reported.
Affected cities have established drop off areas for trash, and residents are being asked to deliver on days they were supposed to get pick up.
Thurston County transfer station heavy equipment operator Will Zekus called for a better deal and said “right now we’re just trying to make ends meet.”
He hopes that his team can get more workers as they’re working “400 hours of overtime a year.”
“It just causes a lot of stress,” he told ABC affiliate KOMO.
“They’re going to have to budge, because we’re not.”
The trash drama comes just weeks after strikes picked up in Philadelphia.
