Trash is piling high in cities across the U.S. as collections were disrupted by a workers’ strike demanding better pay and benefits.
Over 400 workers for Republic Services in Massachusetts refused to go to work on Tuesday, leaving at least 14 cities and towns without trash pick-up as heatwaves roll across the country. In Massachusetts, temperatures will climb to the upper 80s Friday as the July Fourth holiday gets underway.
Their union, Teamsters Local 25, said in a press release that “hundreds of additional Teamsters across the country” are having similar contract disputes — and may soon also go on strike.
"If your rubbish is piling up on the Fourth of July, remember who's responsible for it: the white-collar criminals who run Republic Services," Teamsters General President Sean O'Brien said in a statement. "Republic Teamsters didn't start this fight, but we will finish it. Our members will do whatever it takes to finally get the respect they're owed."
Meanwhile, Republic Services said in a statement that it was “disappointing that the union called a work stoppage rather than continue negotiating,” WBZ News reported.
“A work stoppage does not benefit our employees or the communities we serve,” the company said. “We planned for the possibility of a work stoppage and have taken several steps to continue providing service, including securing Republic Service employees from other areas, prioritizing routes and optimizing routing efficiency.”
The union explained to CBS News that the incident was not isolated in the state.
In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the largest city workers' strike in 40 years is underway after a deal couldn't be reached with city officials. AFSCME District Council 33, which represents thousands of workers, including trash collectors, walked off the job Tuesday after negotiations failed to result in a deal. The union last held a strike in 1986, CBS News reports.
Videos show street dumpsters overflowing with heaps of rubbish.
