How to support Waste Management strikers

UPDATE (July 30) — With Waste Management bringing in out-of-town strikebreakers who are unfamiliar with our roads, Teamsters Local 117 has said you can support the striking workers by:

1. Reporting all Accidents: Call the police and your local politicians to report accidents caused by strikebreakers in your neighborhood. Send us a photo of the accident and we will post it at www.seattletrashwatch.org.
2. Reporting Missed Pickups:  If you live in a Waste Management service area, and your garbage, yard waste or recycle isn’t picked up, call 1-800-230-7418.  Send us a photo of garbage piling up, and we will post it on the Trash Watch website.
3. Strike Line Support: Recycle drivers need your support on the strike line!  Visit them in Seattle (8111 1st Ave. S.), Woodinville (6211 234th St. SE), Marysville (13019 41st Ave. NE), or Auburn (702 2nd St. NW).  Critical times are between 5am – 8am and 3pm – 6pm.

SEATTLE (July 25) — Waste Management forced recycle and yard waste drivers who service King and Snohomish counties to strike Wednesday by violating federal labor law, according to Teamsters Local 117.  Picket lines were established at several Waste Management facilities at 10 A.M. Wednesday morning.

The National Labor Relations Board is investigating a number of violations committed by the company, including bad-faith bargaining, coercing and direct dealing with its employees, threatening to retaliate against workers, and unilaterally changing working conditions.

“Waste Management has forced this labor dispute through its blatant disregard of U.S. law,” said Local 117 Secretary-Treasurer, Tracey A. Thompson. “Now they are on the verge of provoking a public health crisis. Waste Management needs to realize that this community will not sit idly by while they put our families at risk.  We call on Waste Management to return to the bargaining table immediately and bargain a fair contract in good faith that recognizes the health and safety hazards its drivers face on the job.”

The 153 recycle and yard waste drivers employed by Waste Management have been working without a contract since May 31, 2012. On June 2, the drivers unanimously voted to authorize a strike after Waste Management committed a series of labor law violations.

HERE’S WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP:

• Visit www.SeattleTrashWatch.org and sign up.
• Text TRASH to 206-535-1859 for updates and information.
• Call 1-800-230-7418 to report trash, yard waste, or recycle service disruptions.
• Email Theo Galoozis, Waste Management’s VP of Labor Relations, and tell him to bargain in good faith.

Sanitation workers perform one of the most dangerous jobs in the country, putting their lives on the line every day to protect the public health. Since 2005, four Local 117 members in the industry have been killed on the job.

“With the health and safety hazards we face every day, we deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.  The last thing we want is a strike, but Waste Management is using illegal bullying tactics to threaten our livelihood,” said Brent Barrett, a Waste Management yard waste driver who works out of the company’s Seattle facility.

Teamsters Local 117 calls on Waste Management to prevent a public health crisis and return to the bargaining table immediately and bargain a fair contract in good faith that recognizes the health and safety hazards its drivers face on the job.

For more information, visit www.Teamsters117.org.