Sanitation workers may strike

[eridani]

Teamsters in King County raise pickets at Waste Management, Allied Waste
The following press release is being distributed today by Teamsters Locals 117 and 174, which are both affiliated with the Washington State Labor Council:

KING COUNTY SANITATION WORKERS RAISE PICKETS

Workers Warn Companies: Safety Problems, Management Harassment
and Decline in Working Conditions Could Provoke Strike

SEATTLE -- Hundreds of sanitation workers from the ten main hubs of Waste Management (WMI) and Allied Waste in King County raised informational pickets this morning to call on WMI and Allied Waste to end hazardous practices before they provoke a strike.

The workers at Allied Waste, nationally known as Republic Services (RSG), and WMI are raising awareness in the community about the their companies’ attempts to squeeze workers during contract negotiations with Teamsters Local 174 and Local 117 in Tukwila, Wash.

Both WMI and RSG enjoy healthy profit margins thanks to the hard work of their employees, but have made unreasonable demands at the bargaining table. WMI has demanded that the contract include language that would allow the company to make unspecified wage cuts at any time. Republic has made a similar demand for workers to accept unlimited pay cuts to fund their own retirement.

Workers at WMI have also reported to Local 174 that the company has been consistently shorting their paychecks.

"I don't think it’s too much to ask an $11 billion corporation to stop shorting our paychecks, to put a little extra money into safety devices that protect us and the public and to stop retaliating against workers that get injured on the job," said Jeff Anderson a 27-year roll-off driver at WMI.

WMI, which is the largest trash collection and disposal company in the U.S., also refuses to put an end to workplace harassment and change safety practices that push workers to cover up public safety hazards and workplace accidents.

"We are doing everything we can to negotiate a fair settlement," said Rick Hicks, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 174. "But we will not compromise over our members' safety."

Waste collection and disposal ranks as the fifth most dangerous job in the U.S. and sanitation workers are more likely to die on the job than firefighters or police officers.

"These workers put their bodies on the line everyday to protect the public health," said Tracey Thompson, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 117. "All we are asking is that these companies put safety before profits and that they take care of these workers after they've spent a lifetime sacrificing their health and their bodies to protect the public."

Teamster Locals 117 and 174 represent more than 700 sanitation workers at WMI and Allied Waste across King County. The Teamsters Union represents more than 32,000 sanitation workers nationwide with 7,000 members at WMI and 8,000 at Allied Waste/Republic Services.

For more information, contact Paul Zilly of Teamsters Local 117 at 206-794-6673 or Michael Gonzales of Teamsters Local 174 at 206-852-8986.