AMERICANS living in five cities have been forced to shut their windows and cover their noses after an essential service was abruptly stopped.
Residents across the country fear their health could be at risk after the crucial practice ended, despite them paying for it.
Americans in five cities are being forced to drop off their trash[/caption]
Piles of trash are flooding communities because of a nationwide strike[/caption]
Union workers are warning residents to hold their noses during negotiations[/caption]
It has been one week since workers for waste management company Republic Services went on strike, and trash in many areas, including Western Washington, is starting to pile up.
Desperate people living in affected areas are having to wait in line and hand deliver trash at drop off sites after the bags baked in the sun for days.
Some people, like daycare director Brit Harris, refuse to touch feces-filled dumpsters and are praying for the union to come to an agreement before she has to do the unthinkable.
“This is the worst possible time for this,” Harris, who runs Lil People’s World in Bellevue, outside Seattle, told CBS affiliate KIRO.
“Mainly the feces, I’m super worried about. It is very hot out and we are going to overflow very quickly.”
Washington residents in Bellevue, Renton, Edmonds, Kent, and Lacey have all been warned that trash pickup will be paused for the foreseeable, despite taxpayers contributing to the services.
Union related work stoppages have also been reported in Boston, Massachusetts, Cumming, Georgia, Ottawa, Illinoi, and Manteca, California.
Republic Services still hasn’t struck a deal with garbage worker union Teamster, and the two aren’t scheduled to meet until the end of the month.
Plus, Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien threatened to stock collections across multiple states and declared a “war” against Republic Services last week, Fox News reported.
He said the union plans to “flood the streets and shut down garbage collection in state after state” if they can’t strike a deal.
“Republic Services has been threatening a war with American workers for years — and now, they’ve got one,” he said in a statement.
“Republic abuses and underpays workers across the country. They burn massive profits and funnel money to undeserving, corrupt executives.
“Workers are uniting nationwide, and we will get the wages and benefits we’ve earned, come hell or high water.”
Strikers say they are demanding basic needs like fair wages, health insurance and retirement benefits, but Republic Services claims the union isn’t taking negotiations seriously.
“Today, we made a formal proposal that included a nearly 16% wage increase immediately and an approximate 43% pay increase over five years for our Greater Boston employees,” the company told Fox News.
“Contrary to the many falsehoods the Teamsters are spreading, our offer outpaces competitors.”
Over 2,000 workers are striking nationwide, and some are attempting to barricade replacement workers from completing deliveries, KIRO reported.
Affected cities have established drop off areas for trash, and residents are being asked to deliver on days they were supposed to get pick up.
Thurston County transfer station heavy equipment operator Will Zekus called for a better deal and said “right now we’re just trying to make ends meet.”
He hopes that his team can get more workers as they’re working “400 hours of overtime a year.”
“It just causes a lot of stress,” he told ABC affiliate KOMO.
“They’re going to have to budge, because we’re not.”
The trash drama comes just weeks after strikes picked up in Philadelphia.
No end is in sight between workers and the company[/caption]
