Half of Seattle garbage truck drivers didn’t show up for work today, prompting Waste Management to call in replacement workers from across the nation, with the first drivers expected to land in Seattle at any minute.
“We are activating our contingency plan,” company spokesperson Jackie Lang said. “The first step is bringing in professional waste management drivers from other parts of the country. We’ll bring them in in waves.”
The strike began yesterday morning (check out the Seattle Times article), although the union voted to authorize a strike at the end of March. In response, Waste Management flew in replacement workers but sent them home again when no strike materialized. Now the process will begin again, with the first replacement, or “scab,” workers due to arrive today. Lang says that she expects it to take “a few days” for the company to get back up to its full capacity.
They’d better hope so. Waste Management’s contract with Seattle and other cities around the region requires the company to collect garbage strike or no strike. In Seattle, the company will be subject to heavy fines, and potentially a city takeover if they do not resume services in a week (although such occurrences are extremely rare). The Teamsters are counting on this pressure to use as leverage against the company, as I reported last week.
The garbage strike, which affects one million residents in King and Snohomish counties, is the culmination of a multi-week long labor dispute between the transnational trash company Waste Management and its Seattle King County area workforce, represented by Teamsters Local 174. The conflict centers around contentious contract negotiations: Management has offered an incremental five year wage hike coupled with weakened health and pension benefits, while the drivers insist that their contract should match those offered by other regional trash companies.
Both sides claim they are willing to negotiate again. “We are engaged and very much interested in going back to the bargaining table,” Lang said. “The last, best, final offer is where the conversation begins from our perspective.” Lang says that Waste Management has flooded the Teamsters with letters offering to meet in good faith, the latest sent this very morning, all to no avail.
Teamsters spokesperson Michael Gonzales disputes this account. “We offered to bargain with them on Tuesday of this week, but they declined the offer,” Gonzales said. “They said they already had ‘a previous engagement’. I don’t know what’s more important than providing service to a million people in King and Snohomish counties.” He says that the letters the Teamsters receive describe the company as willing to sit down and meet, not sit down and bargain “which is what they are required to do by law.”
King County Executive Dow Constantine and Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn issued a joint statement to the Teamsters and Waste Management yesterday, urging a swift resolution to the dispute.
“We believe a solution can best be reached at the bargaining table. We urge both parties to redouble their efforts to negotiate in good faith to achieve a fair, just, and sustainable contract so that service may recommence immediately while bargaining continues.”
Waste Management’s contract with the city covers northwest and south Seattle. Both sides have websites that offer updates on the action. The Teamsters have Seattle Trash Watch, while Waste Management a “strike information” page with details about service interruptions.
Unskilled laborers who make $100,000+ a year and want more?
Screw em. Bring on the scabs. There are thousands of people willing to take these jobs.
My trash was picked up bright and early this morning, somewhere around 4am.
Very loud, but at least the trash is gone.
Fun fact: One time the trash workers had a farting contest behind my building while loading up a dumpster.
Are they picking up? I didn’t bother to put my garbage out. Looks like I will have to visit the Target dumpster this weekend.
As a good liberal who makes less than the trash collectors in spite of a couple of degrees, it’s tough to figure out what to think of this. Obviously not every striking union is completely in the right–how do we tell what’s the case here?
I’m automatically suspicious of the “spoiled union members already make tons, they should be happy to have jobs!!1!” response, but it’s also tough to get fired up on the behalf of people getting a five-year wage hike.
Yeah the nerve of people asking for a 2% raise each year. That’s just unheard of.
I can say with confidence that I’ll be driving my garbage to the dump rather than cross a picket line. And if the company locks out the union permanently rather than bargain in good faith, I’ll be more than happy to cancel my service.
SPU best not be billing me when they don’t deliver the service.
About 1/3 of the 6 figure salary comes from benefits, and also assumes working 46 hrs/week.
Wage- $74,121, Pension – $15,101, Retiree Welfare Trust – $1,138, Health and Welfare – $19,193.
Total – $109,553
@4 – It’s called compensating differentials, but I’m sure your couple of degrees already taught you that.
Boy you’d think if the company can afford to fly scab workers in and out of town they could better spend that money on incremental wage increases and solidifying their workers fringe benefits.
@7– Thank you for doing that for me. I loved the WM spokesperson this morning I heard carefully crafting her sentence to say that “the average worker would receive a package of $109,000.” And I knew she was including all the benefits in that while simultaneously making sure to get that number out there knowing the majority of people who hear it will think that’s the salary and not the total package. In my experience, you generally add about 30-35% to an employees salary to come up with that employee’s actual cost.
Very clever, those PR people.
Maybe the strike is justified and maybe it isn’t, I don’t know. Trash collection is a shitty job that no one wants, but it’s gotta get done for all our sakes; so I reckon the folks that do it deserve substantial compensation. That’s a lot more than I make, though.
But either way, strikebreaking is still dishonorable and scabs are shortsighted at best.
There’s an online map of where they pick up at the Times.
Guess I’ll be doing drive bys on the east side of I-5 up here to “drop off” my trash.
To all those brave and compassionate people who are anonymously bashing the people who pick up your fucking trash at 4am:
* Every day sanitation workers put their bodies in harm’s way to protect the public health.
* Sanitation workers are regularly exposed to hazardous substances such as rotting meat, used syringes, feces, and maggots.
* Waste Management intimidates workers who want to report safety hazards and retaliates against workers who report on-the-job injuries.
* Sanitation work is the fifth most dangerous job in America. In fact, sanitation workers are more likely to die on the job that firemen or police officers.
Here is what a couple of REAL Waste Management workers have to say: Monica Zebley, a garbage driver at a WMI facility in Kirkland, is one of countless sanitation workers in the region who have been hurt on the job.
“After getting injured, I was in so much pain that I couldn’t sleep at night,” Zebley said. “When I went to management to report the injury, they asked me to quit. I had to get a lawyer just to file a claim with L & I.”
“A lot of our drivers are working 50-60 hours a week, which is usually forced overtime – that increases our chances for accidents,” said garbage driver Roderick Holmes. “We just want to make it home each night, with 10 fingers and 10 toes, to our families.”
Think about what life would be like if these people, human beings just like you, didn’t show up every day and literally risk their lives to collect your garbage. What is that worth to you? What is their real value to our society?
11
Every job is, relatively, a shitty job that no one wants.
How much do the janitors at Lusty Lady make?
Even $70,000 is too much for the glorified truckers.
You basically have a truck driver who grabs a bin, shuffles it closer to a rig, pushes a button, moves the bin back, gets back in a truck, pulls a lever, drives a few feet, repeats.
OH BUT THEY’RE HEROES!
Give me a fucking break.
JftB: Nope, none of those degrees were in economics or labor relations. And FYI, I wasn’t trying to be an elitist snob about it. I was just thinking about the relative wages of different jobs and the notion in our society that it’s mostly education and training that gets you higher-income positions.
Thanks for being a bitch about it, tho.
14 can be directed at 13 also.
Thanks, bhowie… that’s useful information to know. And stuff like forced overtime and intimidation is definitely what unions should be there for.
By the way, I was using the 55k base figure when I talked about them making more than me–so I’m not focused on the six-figure number Waste Management is apparently misusing.
@ 14 and16–Like I said, brave and compassionate. Go do their job for a week and then come tell me about it.
Eh, is it wrong that I don’t really give a shit about this as long as my garbage is picked up? The workers of over paid and management is probably an ass. But you know, no matter what happens, little of that will change. I can’t say I care that much whether someone making 75k a year, or a 100k with the nice benefits, gets no raise or a 5% one. We are not really talking that big of a deal.
Seems like one of those fights I can not give a shit about.
$75k is a lot of fucking wages. Mrs. Fnarf and I don’t make that combined, not even with all I get from posting here.
@20 clearly you need to go on strike 😉
ghj
Was trying to say that I pick up dog shit, get pissed on every day and have problems sleeping due to back and other pain caused by my job. Yet I show up every day for my 25K a year and no benefits. Garbage folks need to quit their bitching and do their fucking jobs. I’m all for unions bargaining for benefits and fair working conditions but if these people are complaining about smelly garbage, maggots, and their inability to get L&I coverage it sounds like the union is doing nothing but inflating salaries. Way to go.
Leek: I am amazed to see someone with an econ degree thinking about wages in terms of justice rather than in terms of supply and demand. “How do we tell” you ask above, whether this “striking union is completely in the right”? How about by whether WM can find people to do the job for less than the teamsters will?
#24: “Was trying to say that I pick up dog shit, get pissed on every day and have problems sleeping due to back and other pain caused by my job. Yet I show up every day for my 25K a year and no benefits. “
Well, then get unionized. Build up your own world instead of tearing down other people for having more than you.
David Wright: I am amazed (not really) to see that you seem to have trouble reading my post; I specified that I DID NOT have any degrees in economics. Hopefully my humanities degrees are acceptable for my bleeding-heart concern with the amorphous concept of “justice”; those with ambitions in economics should get rid of those thoughts early on. I guess.
@25 – So, I take it you’re opposed to good-paying blue collar jobs? Do you really think that’s good for the overall economy? Or does that just help you?
@21, you are not the first person to make that suggestion!
This just in – the striking workers are offering to go back on the job at midnight tonight.
Everybody talks about what a great job garbage collecting is, but how many of you telling the collectors to “shut up and get back to work” would ACTUALLY be willing to do this work? And how much would it take to GET you to do it? Hell, as it is, most of you can’t be bothered to haul your own trash to the dump, but of course that doesn’t stop you from declaring your expertise on just what a cushy job it really, is, now does it?
I’d give most of you two or three days at best hauling garbage as a vocation – and that’s being generous. The first time you smashed a finger or toe, sliced yourself open on a sharp piece of broken glass or rusted metal, got covered in someone else’s waste, or twisted your back pushing 500 lbs. of rotting, stinking garbage down a rutted, urine drenched alleyway, you’d be SCREAMING your bloody heads off.
Either put up or shut up, assholes – I can’t wait to hear how delightful your day on the route was.
31:
According to everybody who is reporting on this, there have been 1,000+ people who have applied to replace these individuals.
Your argument is invalid.
Leek: My apologies; I did indeed miss the “none” in your post @15. Humanities degrees do indeed excuse such errors.
@31- Yes.
@32 Those are Waste Management’s talking points, the same message that every boss everywhere uses in a strike. It is doubtful and unprovable, but even if it is true, how does that invalidate what Comte said? The point was, do their job for three days and then see how cushy it is. Why don’t you beef up your reading comprehension skills before analyzing the validity of arguments?
I am appalled by the number of people here who, from the comfort of their computers, are so quick to condemn working people because they actually fight for standards. Your job sucks? Fucking fight to improve it. That’s what these brave men and women are doing. How is lower standards for others going to help you? As Comte says, put up or shut up. Or, just keep making snarky, scornful comments because you are a coward. A fucking coward.
It’s the opposite of heartwarming to see the good people of Slog rushing to the aid of the owning class.
Just so we’re clear, Waste Management plans to deliver $1.3 billion to its shareholders this year. The company forked over $795 million to those guys last year. [1] Why exactly is it outrageous for sanitation workers to ask for more compensation for their hard work? Is it somehow more fair that the stockholders (who never touch a bag of someone else’s garbage) get that whole 63% raise?
You may recall that Dr. King was assassinated while he was in Memphis to support striking sanitation workers. He said, in his final speech: “Be concerned about your brother. You may not be on strike. But either we go up together, or we go down together.” [2]
[1] http://www.fool.com/investing/dividends-…
[2] http://www.afscme.org/about/1549.cfm
i work for wm and have for 8 years i am a non union worker and i now make 25 bucks a hour have trash and maggots dripping on me and love my job and my company and i hope thay stay strong enough to contunie to give back to the shareholders so we can stay in bussness and i can still have a good job with decent pay in the future the unions killed the car companys and i hope thay dont kill my company i love my job have a grate day joe
Somehow @36, I’m guessing that REAL employees of WM are actually much, much smarter than yourself.
You say you’re a non-union garbage hauler working under a union contract. Please, explain to the class exactly how you avoided the Union Shop Provision of the WM/Teamsters contract? ‘Cause I’ll bet dollars to donut holes there IS one.
@36 – regardless of your views you can still thank the union that you make 25 bucks an hour instead of 15 car companies had tough foreign competition which is unlikely in trash collection dont you think waste management is making money hand over fist dont be a management stooge never forget that your managements job is to get as much work out of you for the smallest amount of money possible in fact since wm is a publicly owned company they are required by law to try to maximize profits they are not thinking of your interests one iota
37 is u can read i never said i was a garbage hauler only that i work for wm am not a garbage hauler i am a tech.i work on post collitions site transfer station on the heavy iron love my job and my company none of us here r union thank god if the whole company was we would be laying off bye the thousands
u prob dont know this but all the salary big buck workers for the company r non union
Well, perhaps if you could WRITE coherently @39/40, READING wouldn’t be so much of a problem, now would it?
Since Moranese isn’t my native language, you’ll pardon me if I have difficulty translating your electronic version of imbecilic chicken-scratch into something resembling 5th grade level colloquial English.
And seriously, if your whole company was union, you probably wouldn’t meet the basic qualifications (such as rudimentary command of the English language) to work there in the first place.
Yes, @40 they’re called MANAGERS, one of which clearly you are not.
@37 even a fool (so i thought)could read the words non union
but it took you to turn that into quote;a non union garbage hauler working under a union contract slow down and get someone to help you read only the words on the post not read a bunch of crap into it have a grate day
@43: No. The point is that you can’t write.. Learn basic grammar and how to form a sentence and then perhaps we will debate you. If your writing is so awful that others cannot understand what you are trying to say then the onus is on you.
Pardon the extra period. I was editing my comment but I accidentally posted it before I was finished.
44 and 45 no one was talking to you so mind your own bisness
ps: mister perfect why would you have to edit your comments
and if u cant figger out what i am saying u need help