Both labor and management say they’re satisfied after settlement of a strike at Republic Services Inc. that was short but stretched from Buffalo, N.Y., to Seattle.
At Republic’s Mobile, Ala., facility 24 workers went on strike March 22 over a health care contract issue. Workers at Republic’s Brewton, Ala., facility were part of the negotiations with Teamsters Local 991 but did not strike.
The Alabama workers were subsequently supported by more than 400 Teamsters workers honoring picket lines in Columbus, Ohio; Buffalo, N.Y.; Seattle; and the Seattle-area cities of Bellevue, Lynnwood and Kent. The two sides eventually reached an agreement April 2.
Republic and the Teamsters had negotiated for nearly a year. Brewton workers approved a tentative agreement, but before the Mobile workers could ratify it as well, Republic said there was a health care surcharge waiver...
