Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
Boston to fine trash giant Republic Services as strike continues, Wu says
Despite overflowing dumpsters and the new pressure from Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, the strike does not appear close to ending.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said Wednesday that the city would begin imposing fines on waste removal company Republic Services, adding on to pressure facing the company as its standoff with striking workers stretches on.
Members of Teamsters Local 25 who work for Republic initiated their work stoppage on July 1, demanding more competitive pay, benefits, and labor protections. The strike has since spread across the country, with around 2,000 Teamsters employed by Republic joining in.
Boston is not one of the 14 communities in Massachusetts that contracts with Republic for municipal waste removal. But Republic also has commercial customers, like restaurants, spread throughout the state that are being impacted. Non-union workers are still picking up trash, but reports of pickups being delayed or missed altogether are frequent. As such, dumpsters in Boston and elsewhere are overflowing and causing myriad problems, Republic’s customers say.
Advertisement:
The company’s “inability” to collect trash due to the ongoing strike is “taking an unacceptable toll” on residents and businesses in Boston, Wu wrote to Republic President John Vander Ark. Complaints are flooding into City Hall about dumpsters being packed to the brim and “severely” threatening public health.
“City health and safety code enforcement personnel have also reported interactions with businesses throughout the city that are struggling—paying for trash pickup service under contracts with Republic Services that they are not receiving, while also being assessed fines for trash violations on a daily basis that are making already tight margins unsustainable,” Wu wrote.
Advertisement:
During the first few days of the strike, from July 1 to July 6, Boston stopped issuing code enforcement fines for places where excess trash was harming public health. But the city began issuing fines again on July 7, and has continued since.
Boston expects Republic to pay the fines issued to businesses since July 7 that arose because the company was not adequately picking up trash, Wu wrote.
Starting Wednesday, Wu is directing city officials to issue fines directly to Republic, not to individual businesses, for uncollected trash.
“We expect Republic to fulfill its obligations to customers immediately,” the mayor wrote.
The company said it’s working to schedule a call with Wu to talk about the issue.
“We share Mayor Wu’s concerns and empathize with our customers’ frustrations,” a Republic spokesperson said in a statement. “Any delays in service lie squarely at the feet of Teamsters Local 25. We are working hard to provide service, but the Teamsters continue to prevent and block our access to many customer sites. The Teamsters also continue to harass, threaten and physically intimidate our employees, and vandalize our collection vehicles.”
Wu’s press office did not respond to inquiries about the fines or any potential call with Republic.
Advertisement:
Teamsters Local 25 President Tom Mari issued a statement accusing Republic of lying and not meeting the standards set by competitors in the Boston area.
“We will clean the streets when we achieve community standards in Boston,” he said.
The strike has been marked by vitriolic rhetoric from both Republic and the Teamsters, with each side accusing the other of lying and negotiating in bad faith. Last week, Republic sued union members, alleging a range of criminal conduct and blaming picketers for impacting their operational capacity.
On Monday, a federal judge denied the company’s motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against the Teamsters. Mari took a victory lap, saying that Republic “misled the court.”
Republic is facing legal action from municipal and commercial customers for allegedly failing to pick up trash in accordance with various contracts. Beverly, Canton, Danvers, Gloucester, Malden, and Peabody joined together on one complaint. In court documents, officials in those communities allege Republic has gone weeks without picking up trash in certain locations, leading to swarming pests and overwhelming odors. At the same time, customers attempting to contract with other companies to pick up their trash are being told that they cannot service Republic dumpsters.
Advertisement:
Despite the pressure from Wu and other leaders, including Gov. Maura Healey, the strike does not appear to be close to ending. More than 10 negotiating sessions have occurred over the past few weeks, sometimes with the help of a federal mediator. But after talks broke down last Friday, each side issued sharp rebukes of the other and no bargaining sessions have been scheduled since.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com