Negotiations between Teamsters Union and Republic Services are underway after 250 of it’s waste collection employees organized a strike to address workers' concerns including excessive labor and harassment.
These employees are members of Teamsters Local 542, and walked out of the job on Friday. The region may see a disruption in service that may impact thousands of residents during the holiday season if a contract is not ratified soon, according to a statement.
According to Republic Services, the strike is affecting the company’s Chula Vista, Newton, Armour Street, and Clairemont Mesa locations. Eastgate customers have not been impacted so far.
“I’ve been working with this company for 20 years. The past nine years have been especially hard. Management treats us like trash, and we are tired of it,” said Hilario Fernandez, member of Teamsters Local 542 and Republic Services driver in a statement. “My co-workers feel the same way. We want to serve our community to the best of our ability but can’t do so when we’re fighting for our rights on the job. That’s why we voted to authorize a strike. We were tired of being treated like this, and we knew it was time to do something about it.”
The strike authorization vote comes as over 400 Republic Service sanitation workers, also members of Local 396, employed in Anaheim and Huntington Beach employed by Republic services ratified two new collective bargaining agreements with the company after ending the week-long strike.
According to Teamsters Local 542 Secretary-Treasure Jaime Vasquez, the San Diego strikers have encountered almost the exact same negotiating tactics from Republic Service that were faced by the Local 396 chapter.
“These members have been working throughout the pandemic and they deserve respect,” Vasquez said in a statement. “The company has been calling them heroes, but at the end of the day, all they care about is profit. The membership has spoken and their voice for justice was made clear. They are speaking out for every worker in this industry. They want to make a stand and show the company what they’re worth. This is serious.”
Over 30,000 people are employed by Republic Services spanning across 41 states. The company is the second-largest provider of waste collection and disposal, transfer and recycling services in the country.
