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Teamsters ratify Waste Management contract

TUKWILA (Aug. 2) — Recycle and yard waste drivers, represented by Teamsters Local 117, voted to ratify a 6-year contract agreement this morning. The contract vote was held after a 9 A.M. meeting at the Teamsters building in Tukwila.

The Local 117 leadership and bargaining committee fully recommended the proposal for ratification by the membership.

“This deal recognizes Seattle-area recycle and yard waste drivers for the tremendous job they do in performing difficult, dangerous work that protects the public health and the environment,” said Tracey A. Thompson, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 117. “Recycling is our future. We thank our drivers for their critical role in keeping our cities clean and for helping to make our region one of the leaders in the industry.”

Local 117 recycle and yard waste drivers said they would resume servicing their customers in King and Snohomish counties later today. Garbage drivers, represented by Teamsters Local 174, returned to work earlier this morning, while members of Teamsters 231 in Skagit County were also back on the job on Thursday to service their regular collection routes.

“We value our customers – they are our number one priority,” said Brent Barrett, a 11-year yard waste driver who works out of Waste Management’s facility in Seattle. “We look forward to getting back in our trucks, cleaning up our cities and neighborhoods, and continuing to provide the highest-quality service to our customers.”

Local 117 wished to thank their supporters for their role in arriving at this contract agreement.

“We want to thank our Teamster brothers and sisters, especially members of Teamsters Local 174 and Teamsters Local 231, for their unwavering solidarity during the strike. We are also grateful to the many unions, community organizations, municipalities, public officials, and members of our community for their tremendous support that made this outcome possible,” Thompson said.

“In the end, it was our area’s recycle and yard waste drivers who showed incredible courage, solidarity, and determination in their effort to achieve a fair contract that preserves their livelihood and their ability to provide for their families,” she said.


SEATTLE (Aug. 2) — News reports today indicate that Teamsters Local 117 and Waste Management have reached a tentative agreement to end the 8-day strike, with recycle and yard waste drivers who service King and Snohomish counties scheduled to vote on the contract proposal this morning at 9 a.m. (This post will be updated with news of the vote result.)

► In today’s Seattle Times — Trash pickup to resume after tentative deal to end strike — The agreement for a new six-year contract was reached during a confidential meeting between the two parties’ lead negotiators and is subject to a 9 a.m. ratification vote Thursday at the Union Hall in Tukwila. Because the 153 striking recycle drivers must vote on the contract, recycling and yard-waste collection will be limited on Thursday.

► From KING 5:

 

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