The International Brotherhood of Teamsters says more than 2,000 Republic Services workers represented by the union are either striking or honoring picket lines around the country, a rapid escalation of a dispute that kicked off in the Boston area last week.
The union is accusing Republic, the second largest waste company in the country, of mistreating and underpaying its workers. In a news release Wednesday, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters said it will "go to war against Republic Services."
"Republic Services has been threatening a war with American workers for years — and now, they’ve got one,” Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien said in a statement. "The Teamsters have had it with Republic. We will flood the streets and shut down garbage collection in state after state. Workers are uniting nationwide, and we will get the wages and benefits we’ve earned, come hell or high water.”
The escalation comes after Teamsters Local 25, which serves the greater Boston area, announced it would go on strike on July 1. Since then, other chapters in California, Illinois, Georgia and Washington have announced they are on strike, while picket lines have extended to Seattle and the Bay Area in California.
Twenty-two percent of Republic Services' workers are unionized, the highest rate among large, publicly traded waste companies. Republic has maintained in statements that it is offering workers competitive labor contracts. For the Boston area contract, the company said its most recent contract offer would have included a 39% increase over five years and a 14% increase in the first year.
The company has also claimed striking workers damaged trucks brought in to replace service in the Boston area, a claim the union denies. In a release published Wednesday night, Republic said it was "ready to meet at any time with the Teamsters."
"We call on Teamsters’ leadership to immediately stop the instigation, intimidation and criminal acts, and resolve this situation," the company said in a release.
Local 25 has said in statements that wages and benefits for the roughly 450 Republic Services workers it represents don't match those of other haulers in the Boston region, like Capitol Waste Services and Star Waste Systems. The union also claims that Republic has not offered to return to the table since the two sides' last meeting on July 3, nor has the company contacted the federal mediator both sides agreed to bring in to settle the dispute.
The two sides have had a series of disputes in recent years, though this is the largest conflict between Republic and the Teamsters, said Victor Mineros, Teamsters' director of the solid waste and recycling division and Western Region vice president.
"This is such a massive strike and the extensions are constantly growing and are going to continue to grow," Mineros said in an interview with Waste Dive.
Last year, Republic Services and Teamsters Local 104 in the Phoenix area — where the company's corporate headquarters is located — reached a contract agreement after a monthslong dispute. The chapter's members had authorized a strike there, though local leaders ultimately opted not to call one. Republic also paid nearly $300,000 last year to settle a separate dispute with workers represented by Teamsters in California.
The company reported revenue that topped $16 billion last year, up more than 7% year over year. It reported returning $1.18 billion in cash to shareholders in fiscal year 2024, including $490 million of share repurchases.
The Teamsters represent roughly 8,000 Republic Services workers nationwide, and have said the picket line could extend to about 3,500 workers if Republic does not agree to negotiate on the union’s terms.
“They’re fed up,” Mineros said. “This can all end if Republic comes to the table and negotiates.”
