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Trash strike continues: Republic Services sues Teamsters, alleges criminal acts
The waste management company said that a truck was stolen, vehicles were damaged, and that non-union workers are being harassed.
Waste management company Republic Services sued Teamsters Local 25 members this week, as negotiations between the two sides failed to result in a breakthrough that would end the ongoing strike.
Republic accused union members of vandalizing vehicles, using racially-charged and homophobic language to harass employees not participating in the strike, and violently blocking Republic vehicles from accessing company facilities.
The lawsuit was filed in Boston federal court Monday. Republic is asking a judge to issue a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to stop the “unlawful conduct.”
Teamsters have been on strike for weeks, as workers demand improved wages, benefits, and stronger labor protections. Thousands of union members are striking in multiple parts of the country: this week picket lines extended to Los Angeles and Ohio.
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Fourteen Massachusetts communities, mostly on the North Shore, rely on Republic for municipal trash pickup. Commercial customers, including many restaurants throughout the state, also contract with Republic. All told, some 130,000 residential and 270,000 commercial customers in Massachusetts are impacted.
Republic is still picking up waste, but the lack of union members appears to be hampering its operational capacity. Reports of missed trash pickups and overflowing, stinking dumpsters appear to be growing more frequent.
Spokespeople for the union did not return a request for comment about the lawsuit Wednesday.
‘Sitting ducks’
In its complaint, the company outlines a number of accusations against Teamsters. Republic even implies that a striking union member briefly stole a company truck from a facility in Roxbury early on the morning of July 10.
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The truck was located in an adjacent parking lot and none of its contents were stolen. But operating it required special knowledge that only an “experienced driver” would have, and the route it took indicates that the thief was someone familiar with the layout of the facility, according to Republic’s complaint.
A Boston police spokesperson confirmed that officers responded to reports of the stolen vehicle. The victim’s phone was still in the truck, so he used his watch to “ping” the phone and therefore locate the vehicle. It was found with damage to its back-up camera. An investigation is ongoing and no arrests have been made.
Republic accused Teamsters of engaging in “violent conduct.” One notable interaction occurred on July 1, when picketers allegedly swarmed a rental car and three vans that were attempting to enter a Revere facility.
Around 40 replacement workers and members of Republic’s management team were trapped in the vehicles for up to three hours, the company said. Teamsters allegedly rocked the vehicles, keyed them, hit them with their hands and flashlights, screamed threats, and one of them used a knife to flatten some tires.
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Revere police have been “unable or unwilling to control the mob” around the facility there, Republic said in the lawsuit, and the company has opted to stop running routes out of that location. Between the Revere facility and one in Peabody, Republic normally runs 190 trucks daily. Since July 1, the company is averaging 43 trucks a day.
Republic says that Teamsters and local police in Revere and Roxbury have agreed that Republic trucks have to wait for close to 15 minutes when entering and exiting facilities there. This leaves trucks as “sitting ducks” susceptible to violence from the striking workers, according to the company.
Representatives from the Revere Police Department did not return a request for comment Wednesday.
Republic’s security manager contacted a Boston police official by phone earlier this month, and was told that the department does not have the resources to prevent harassment at the Roxbury facility, according to the complaint.
In the document, Republic details numerous other instances of striking workers impeding vehicles being driven by non-striking workers. In some instances, cars filled with Teamsters have allegedly maneuvered in front of Republic trucks going full speed on highways. The cars containing Teamsters have slammed on their brakes, causing Republic drivers to “stop suddenly and creating extremely unsafe and potentially deadly situations.”
Negotiations stall
Another bargaining session was held on Tuesday with the assistance of a federal mediator. Teamsters Local 25 President Tom Mari said in a statement that Republic “rejected every proposal” offered by the union. The company refused to commit to any future negotiating sessions, according to the union.
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“Republic’s disdain for its employees and the thousands of citizens of the cities and towns it services by refusing to bargain in good faith is obvious but not surprising. We haven’t been given a legitimate offer that recognizes our needs in two weeks,” Mari said.
In a release of its own, Republic said that “little progress” was made Tuesday and accused Teamsters of dragging out negotiations while engaging in criminal behavior. Republic maintains that its wage offer is higher than that of its competitors, but that Teamsters are unwilling to compromise.
Republic said that it ended negotiations on the recommendation of the mediator and offered to resume negotiations on Friday. The union, however, refused.
“Enough is enough,” Republic said in a statement. “The community is ready for our employees to get back to work and resume normal operations. The Teamsters are dragging this out for their benefit and continuing their criminal behavior, putting our employees and the community at risk.”
Republic customers look for help
Customers who rely on Republic are starting to show their frustration, as evidenced by another new lawsuit. The Atlas Group of Allston, which manages an apartment building in Brookline, filed a complaint in Suffolk Superior Court alleging that Republic has breached the terms of its contract by not providing waste removal services at the building.
Garbage is piling up, and the situation is growing worse, according to the complaint.
“The property now has rodents and a terrible stench because of the garbage. Neighbors have begun to complain to the residents and Atlas about the rodents and stench. Certain tenants have now threatened to withhold rent because of the trash piling up, rodents and stench. Atlas’ reputation is now becoming impacted because of the negative publicity regarding its management of [the building],” a lawyer for Atlas wrote in the complaint.
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To manage the waste, Atlas signed a contract with another trash removal company, Star Waste Systems. But Atlas says that Republic sent a cease-and-desist letter threatening to sue Star for “intentionally interfering with Republic’s contractual relations.” Star joined Atlas in the lawsuit as a plaintiff.
“Apparently, Republic believes that it can materially breach the Republic Contract, allow unsanitary and dangerous conditions to exist and, when its customers seek to rectify the terrible situation through hiring alternative waste removal services, Republic can assess significant liquidated damages against its customers,” the complaint reads.
Officials in Peabody, which contracts with Republic for municipal trash pickup, are taking a unique approach: appealing to one of the world’s richest men. The Peabody City Council sent a letter to Bill Gates on Monday urging him to pressure Republic to strike a deal with the Teamsters.
Gates is the principal of Cascade Investment, LLC, a major shareholder of Republic Services.
“As you know, Cascade Investment’s stated goals include long-term sustainability, responsible governance, and a commitment to ethical investing. These values ring hollow if the companies under its stewardship engage in or allow prolonged labor disputes that jeopardize both community well-being and worker rights,” the councilors wrote.
The lawsuit filed by Republic Services against the Teamsters can be read below:
Republic Lawsuit by Ross Cristantiello on Scribd
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