After several delays, Swampscott residents scheduled for Monday pickup will finally have their trash and recycling collected on July 7, according to interim Town Administrator Gino Cresta.
Swampscott is among the North Shore communities affected by union strikes against Republic Services, the nation’s second-largest waste and recycling company. The town was first notified of the strike on Tuesday and subsequently halted trash pickup for the remainder of the week, including into the holiday weekend. Waste collection workers are picketing across the North Shore, calling for higher wages, improved benefits, and stronger labor protections.
“The strike is still happening,” Teamsters spokesman Matt McQuaid told the Swampscott Tides.
McQuaid declined to comment on the status of negotiations or provide specific details about the union’s demands.
In a press release, the Teamsters claimed that Republic Services “acknowledges its wage schedule is several dollars below competitors” and that its health plan is less comprehensive than the Teamsters Plan used by Local 25 members at other regional sanitation companies.
Republic Services Media Relations told the Swampscott Tides that it provides “our Greater Boston employees with competitive wages, an industry-leading health care plan, pension plan and a generous time-off and holiday plan.”
The company also asserted that the Teamsters “did not match our willingness to achieve a new contract.”
The strike is impacting residents, businesses, and construction sites across 20 North Shore communities.
The strike has started to spread nationwide, with Teamsters in Ottawa, Illinois, joining the picket line just a day after their Massachusetts counterparts. Teamsters Local 396 in Southern California voted to authorize a strike on Thursday.
“This strike is all about fairness, equity, and maintaining the area standards established by Local 25,” said Thomas Mari, the president of Teamsters Local 25. “I have never seen a group of workers who are so united and committed to making certain they are able to enjoy the same pay and benefits as people who are doing the exact same job at another employer.”
Mari added that the strike “will take as long as necessary.”
