Sanitation workers at Republic Services’ Cumming facility went on strike at 2 a.m. on Tuesday, which means they aren’t picking up trash. Their location provides commercial trash pick-up within a 20-mile radius and residential trash pick-up for tens of thousands of people in Alpharetta.
The 33 Teamsters Union members joined a growing number of unionized Republic Services workers on strike nationally after contract negotiations that started in March between the Teamsters and management hit an impasse. The workers are striking over unfair labor practices and are demanding pay increases, better health insurance, and safer scheduling and work practices.
Ronald James, 66, has worked as a garbage truck driver for Republic Services in Cumming for 10 years. He said working conditions have been “going downhill” for at least six.
“Poor routing, poor maintenance on the trucks, not having issues addressed – be it safety or customer-related,” James said. “So there’s a real void in competent management, and it affects you as a driver.”
James added that changes to routes and schedules have created more dangerous conditions. Drivers, he said, should start working early in the morning and wrap up their routes by 3 p.m. to avoid rush hour traffic. “Nobody on the road wants to be behind a garbage truck,” he said. “It’s really dangerous to be out there later in the day.”
The Teamsters called the work stoppage last week, initially in Boston and Chicago. After a union vote on Monday, the Republic Services workers in Cumming joined them, along with their brethren in California’s Bay Area and Central Valley. Today, workers at a Republic Services location in Lacey, Washington also joined the strike.
Garbage collection is the fourth deadliest civilian job, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. “There’s always a chance if you handle something with trash you could be poked by a needle, you could get bitten by a rat,” James said.
For James, management in Cumming is disconnected from the hard realities of the work. In 10 years, he said, he’s had six general managers and eight supervisors. “We have very incompetent management that has no knowledge or experience of what we do,” he said.
By going on strike, James hopes management will finally listen. “So many things have been falling on deaf ears,” he said. “But at some point they have to listen to the drivers who have been there, do the work, know the customers, and generate revenue for the company.”
Contract negotiations
The Teamsters are negotiating separate contracts for the various unionized Republic Services locations. “Our members are demanding fair wages — compensation that keeps pace with the cost of living and the industry standard, we want affordable and accessible healthcare, and we want fair work rules,” Teamsters spokesperson Matt McQuaid said.
According to McQuaid, the contract negotiations are at different stages. In Boston, he said, Republic Services has refused to negotiate for eight days, but negotiations are ongoing in Cumming. The Cumming workers’ contract expired April 1.
In a statement to Atlanta Civic Circle, a Republic Services spokesperson said the company is “ready to reach fair agreements in each of these locations that benefit our employees and our customers.”
“Specific to Cumming, it is disappointing that the union chose to call a work stoppage rather than focus on negotiating in good faith toward a fair and competitive contract,” the statement said. “We are committed to continuing discussions with the union to reach an agreement,” it added.
The statement said that Republic Services has taken steps to continue providing trash collection service in the event of a work stoppage. That includes “securing Republic Services employees from other locations, prioritizing routes and optimizing routing efficiencies.”
Even so, “customers may experience service delays,” it said.