The clock is ticking on two contracts that could affect garbage pickups for more than 1 million residences and businesses in the Puget Sound area, including those in Kent.
Contracts between garbage haulers Waste Management and Allied Services and Teamsters Local 174, which represents their workers, will run out midnight Wednesday.
On Sunday, March 28, union membership passed a vote authorizing Teamsters leadership to call a strike, if they cannot resolve their differences over new contracts.
Teamsters 174 spokesman Michael Gonzales said Tuesday that negotiations are continuing.
“To be honest, I think talks are progressing,” he said. “I have not gotten any calls or e-mails or any other messages telling me things are breaking down.”
Gonzales said union negotiators have been in talks with one hauler or another “every single day for the last two months.”
So while the talks continue, employees of both entities are continuing their daily tasks.
“It is business as usual,” Gonzales said, noting it would be illegal to have any kind of organized labor dispute until the clock officially runs out on the contracts.
Kent-area residents should be more than passingly familiar with the distinctly painted trucks from both companies: Allied Waste hauls garbage and recyclables from the unincorporated areas of Kent, while Waste Management provides the same services within the city proper.
The contracts for the employees of both are up at month’s end.
The biggest sore spot between the haulers and the union, as regards Waste Management’s contract, concerns pay and benefits.
The company is claiming it will increase wages as well as health and pension benefits, but the union is arguing the companies’ proposals would allow the employers to cut wages without employee recourse.
“We cannot agree to a collective bargaining agreement that allows the employer to cut the wages (in an unlimited way) without recourse,” Gonzales said.
Kent residents and businesses can expect garbage and recycling to be picked up even if haulers represented by Teamsters Local 174 at Allied Waste and Waste Management strike this week.
“Our understanding is that even if a strike occurs, service will not be interrupted,” said city of Kent spokeswoman Michelle Witham in a phone interview Tuesday.
If a strike starts Thursday, service to residents and businesses might be delayed by one day to Friday for those who normally get service Thursday, similar to a bad weather delay, according to e-mails from Allied Waste and Waste Management to city officials. Customers who get service on Friday would see pickups on Saturday.
Both companies expect to be back to normal pickup days starting Monday, if a strike starts Thursday and continues.
Under separate contracts with the city, Allied Waste currently provides residential service while Waste Management serves commercial customers.
Garbage haulers at Allied Waste and Waste Management voted March 28 to authorize a strike if a contract dispute about wages and benefits between the union and the two companies isn’t resolved by Thursday. The current contract between the union and the garbage companies expires at midnight Wednesday.
The strike would impact residents and businesses in numerous cities throughout King and Snohomish counties served by the two companies.
The city of Kent’s current contracts with Allied Waste and Waste Management require the companies to continue public service in the interest of public health and safety even if the contractor’s employees go on strike, according to an e-mail from Witham. City officials do plan to enforce the contract to have garbage picked up even if there is a strike.
Representatives from Allied Waste and Waste Management have said the companies plan to continue service with replacement workers if the haulers strike.
Chris Guimond, general manager of Allied Waste Services of South King County based in Kent, wrote in a Tuesday e-mail to city of Kent officials they “are still in negotiations with the union and making good progress, however, we want you to be assured we have been planning and we are ready” with a contingency plan.
Allied Waste has lined up what it calls a “Blue Crew” of non-union employees and management from the entire Allied Waste national organization, Guimond wrote. The workers can be on site within 24 hours. Hotels, transportation and meals have been prepare and reserved by Allied Waste for the workers who have made a two-week commitment. If necessary, a second crew would replace the initial crew for an additional two-week commitment.
The contingency plan might not be needed as talks between the union and companies are scheduled through Wednesday.
“Negotiations continue and we remain optimistic that a settlement can be reached,” Guimond wrote.
Waste Management officials wrote in a March 28 e-mail to city officials that they also plan to continue service if a strike occurs and expect to be back to normal schedules by Monday, if a strike starts Thursday.
Allied Waste, based in Phoenix, Ariz., and Waste Management, based in Houston, Texas, are large, multi-state companies that serve millions of customers nationwide.
Meanwhile, city and Allied Waste officials are in negotiation to determine the costs and details of a new seven-year contract to start in April 2011.
The City Council on March 16 selected Allied Waste for a new contract to provide residential and commercial service.
Mike Mactutis, a city environmental engineer involved in the contract talks, wrote in an e-mail that the strike “will not have an impact on negotiations on a new contact other than, if there is a strike, we will use any experience in that strike to improve the language in the new contract.”
The city’s current contracts with Allied Waste and Waste Management expire on March 31, 2011.
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