PEABODY, MASS. (WHDH) - Thursday marks day 10 in the Republic Services sanitation workers strike.
While trash has started to be collected in some affected residential communities, that hasn’t appeared to be the case for local businesses.
Since the start of the strike, trash has continued to pile up outside businesses, overflowing from dumpsters as negotiations between the two sides stall.
On Wednesday, Boston City Councilors unanimously passed a resolution supporting the workers in their strike, saying it is becoming a public health crisis.
“Their work directly impacts public health and quality of this isn’t just a labor issue it’s a community issue,” said councilor Erin Murphy. “Every time I was out there with them and we saw the trucks that have been holding tons and tons of trash, it tied directly into the rat issue we’re talking about now. It’s a public health issue to all of our residents in the city of Boston.”
At the heart of the strike, workers are calling for increased wages, better benefits, and paid time off. They say they don’t want Republic Services to pay more than others, but to meet the standards set by other companies in the area.
In a Wednesday statement regarding negotiations, Teamsters Local 25 said “Republic Services was told on Thursday, July 3, if they did not begin negotiations by Monday, July 7, we were prepared to extend picket lines across the country. Local 25 has not been contacted by Republic since then.”
Republic Services responded Wednesday night, saying in part, “We stand ready to meet at any time with the Teamsters when they are ready to re-engage. We will continue to focus on providing service and doing right by our employees. We call on Teamsters’ leadership to immediately stop the instigation, intimidation, and criminal acts, and resolve this situation.”
The strike is impacting more than 400,000 people and businesses across more than 12 communities.
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