Massachusetts trash strike: Greater Boston leaders say Republic Services is failing

Leaders of the Greater Boston communities where trash is piling up say they are feeling the financial burden of the ongoing sanitation worker strike threatening to press fines against Republic Services Striking members of Teamsters Local and the waste management giant are not negotiating this weekend pushing off next conversations until Tuesday after the sides failed to settle on an agreement on Friday As municipal leaders say their concerns grow by the day amid the dispute they are demanding that Republic Services provide accurate and updated timelines and institution expectations and expand driver guidance and logistical advocacy to guarantee the daily completion of all trash and recycling routes Their demands and concerns are outlined in a letter that they sent to the company on Friday while striking workers and Republic Services accused each other of not taking their proposals seriously Authorities from Gloucester Danvers Beverly Canton Ipswich Lynnfield Malden Manchester-by-the-Sea North Reading Peabody Swampscott Wakefield Watertown all signed onto the letter Our communities are already bearing the cost of this disruption both in personnel and material materials as we work to mitigate the impacts of the organization interruption and delay in full utility resumption the letter states It is entirely reasonable and necessary for municipalities to take efforts to secure alternative services that protect society physical condition and maintain basic standards of cleanliness and safety We fully intend to seek appropriate compensation for the consequential damages and expenses incurred as a direct product of Republic Services failure to meet its obligations the administrators added They highlighted that they are tracking the costs including labor and emergency response efforts to determine the full extent of the financial burden In an update on Saturday Local President Tom Mari stated that the union met with Republic Services at the request of a federal mediator on Friday with the unsuccessful negotiation session ending after hours Mari added that the union required to continue bargaining over the weekend I feel bad for the citizens in the cities and towns serviced by Republic he stated We have no idea why Republic refused to meet for another three days but we will show up Tuesday morning ready to agree to a contract that brings Republic s employees up to the standards we ve established for the employees of Capitol and Boston Carting Republic Services says its proposed nearly immediate wage increase and roughly pay increase over five years offered on Friday outpaces competitors According to the company payroll evidence shows that almost half of the Boston regional union members already earn six-figure salaries annually The company also contends the union is attempting to force workers out of the zero-premium healthcare plan offered by Republic and into the Teamsters healthcare and welfare plan which offers no key benefit at a substantially higher cost The sides have met for days twice with a federal mediator who requested mediation to continue on Tuesday according to Republic Services When a wage proposal this crucial is combined with zero-premium healthcare and generous retirement contributions the company stated in an update Friday night there is no question who is responsible for this ongoing strike Teamsters Local and its president Tom Mari It is time for the Teamsters to get serious about negotiations so our employees can return to work the company added Greater Boston is not the only region in the country dealing with heaping trash piles Mari has noted roughly Teamsters are refusing to review to work nationally until Republic Services bargains fair and equitable contracts Dozens of state lawmakers are also pressuring Republic Services to settle on a contract with Teamsters Local which represents more than members employed by the company As legislators we are disappointed to learn that despite multiple meetings Republic Services has failed to meet basic population standards they stated in a letter to the company on Friday Beverly Mayor Mike Cahill explained in a memo to residents in his North Shore city that leaders there had to direct Republic Services to a number of streets they had repeatedly missed noting we have seen good results particularly in the downtown The company is also running a day behind schedule the mayor added I together with Mayors and Town Administrators from the other communities impacted by this labor dispute between Republic and their drivers and collectors unions are working together and pushing for Republic to get more drivers into our communities Cahill mentioned because Republic is not fulfilling their contracts with any of our fourteen cities and towns or with their a great number of commercial customers in our communities Leaders from the affected communities explained Republic Services in their letter that they are dealing with more than just the mounting financial burden as they deploy urgency responses address overflow issues and fill operation gaps At the same time they added environmental conditions are deteriorating with uncollected trash affecting neighborhoods parks and waterways Society medical concerns are escalating particularly as restaurants struggle without a viable waste response during the peak of their busy season