Republic Services is suing Teamsters Local 25, its president Tom Mari, and other union officials, as Swampscott continues to grapple with widespread trash disruptions.

The company filed a complaint in U.S. District Court on Monday, alleging that the union and its officials engaged in unlawful acts including intimidation, vandalism, theft, and trespassing. The strike began Tuesday, July 1, leaving more than 400,000 Massachusetts residents—including those in Swampscott—facing widespread pick-up delays.

“Enough is enough,” the Republic Services Media Relations told the Swampscott Tides. “The community is ready for our employees to get back to work and resume normal operations. The Teamsters are dragging this out for their benefit and continuing their criminal behavior, putting our employees and the community at risk.”

Teamsters spokesperson Matt McQuaid did not respond to phone calls for comment.

Republic Services claims the strike has involved theft of a company garbage truck, slashed tires, chemicals sprayed in drivers’ eyes, blocked truck access, and hate speech directed at employees.

Republic Services and Teamsters Local 25 met with a federal mediator for the third time on July 15, but the company said “little progress was made.”

The trash company, however, did confirm in the meeting that “our wage offer is higher than our local competitors, but the Teamsters were unwilling to compromise on their demands.”

The company said 45% of its Greater Boston union drivers earned more than $100,000 last year, and that it covers 100% of their medical premiums.

Last week during negotiations with the federal mediator, Republic Services said it “made a formal proposal” including a nearly 16% immediate wage increase and an estimated 43% raise over five years for Greater Boston employees. If accepted, the company said, drivers would have earned around $140,000 annually by the contract’s end. 

McQuaid has not responded to questions about the details of the union’s demands.

Tuesday’s session was the twelfth negotiations, three of which have been with a federal mediator. 

Other unions nationwide are also striking against Republic Services. Teamsters in Ottawa, Illinois joined the picket line just a day after their Massachusetts counterparts. Teamsters Local 396 in Southern California voted to authorize a strike as well. And as of Tuesday, the strike has also extended to Los Angeles and Youngstown, Ohio, where trucks and trains carry 12 million pounds of trash each day from New York City and New Jersey. 

“It’s shocking, and increasingly disgusting, how far Republic Services is willing to push its workforce. Our members are everyday Americans performing essential services across our communities, but Republic is unwilling to offer workers good wages, decent benefits, or a fair contract,” said Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien. “The American public needs to understand that Republic Services and its overpaid, corrupt executives own this strike. Their greed is forcing trash collectors and waste haulers across the country out into the street. We don’t want this garbage piling up. We want to return to work. But we refuse to be exploited.”

For Swampscott, Wayne Spritz, the chair of the Solid Waste Advisory Committee, said that the strike “shows us that the entire solid waste system is fragile.”

“One thing that goes wrong can set off a tremendous chain reaction that can take a long time to correct,” Spritz told the Swampscott Tides. “Swampscott doesn’t have a transfer station so as a result, it’s a challenge for us to provide perfection when such a chain reaction occurs.”

Spritz and his committee have held multiple emergency meetings about the matter. He said the town is working to “create a better crisis plan.”

The Department of Public Works yard, at 200 Paradise Road, will be open Friday, July 18, from 3 to 7 p.m., and again on Saturday, July 19, and Sunday, July 20, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., to accept both trash and recycling.

Updated information is sent out through the town’s communication systems.“We empathize with customers who have been impacted by the Teamsters’ decision to stop work,” Republic Services Media Relations said. “We are working hard to continue providing service.”