OAKLAND, Calif., June 30 (PRNewswire) -- Negotiators for 500 Teamsters at Waste Management walked out of a futile round of negotiations with the company as the solid waste giant refused to honor its promise to not make any demands that diminish the current contract which expires Saturday, June 30, 2007.
In a letter dated July 17, 2001, Waste Management promised Teamsters Local 70 in Oakland, California that it would make no attempts to seek concessions from the 500 workers represented by the union in future negotiations. Despite this very clear and indisputable promise, the company has done nothing but make demands for takeaways in every negotiation session to date.
Waste Management locks out workers - Replacements will pick up trash, not recycling; no negotiations planned.
By Chris Metinko, MEDIANEWS STAFF Article Last Updated: 07/04/2007 02:54:13 AM PDT
East Bay garbage workers and Waste Management of Alameda County have no set plans to continue talks despite the company's lockout of the union's nearly 500 members late Monday.
The contract between the company and Teamsters Union Local 70 — which represents drivers and equipment operators — expired Sunday after what both called "fruitless" talks. On Monday, Waste Management locked out the union, and brought in more than 200 replacement workers.
Teamsters Local 70 Secretary-Treasurer Chuck Mack said members will not strike, but he called the lockout "irresponsible" and said members will picket at Waste Management facilities. "It's unfair to the workers and the people of Oakland, Hayward and the other areas we serve," Mack said Tuesday.
Monica Devincenzi, a Waste Management spokeswoman, said the company decided on the lockout because it needed to protect itself in case the union was planning a strike. Mack stressed the Local 70 picket lines are not a strike. The union had pledged not to strike during contract talks, he said. Representatives of two other unions at a press conference Tuesday, Machinists Local 1546 and WarehouseUnion Local 6, said they will honor Local70 picket lines, but Waste Management said everyone reported to work Tuesday.
Waste Management serves Albany, Emeryville, Oakland, Hayward, Newark, Livermore, the Castro Valley Sanitary District, the Oro Loma Sanitary District, parts of unincorporated Alameda County and San Ramon Advertisement in Contra Costa County. It has about 200,000 customers.
Waste Management said replacement workers are now collecting garbage in those communities but in most they aren't collecting recyclables.
Waste Management plans on normal trash collection Bay City News Service
Article Last Updated: 07/07/2007 06:00:21 PM PDT
Waste Management of Alameda County notified customers today that regular weekly trash collection will return on Monday, but union and worker representatives are doubtful that service will be business as usual.
Waste Management spokeswoman Monica Devincenzi reported today that an advertisement in the Oakland Tribune and pre-recorded phone messages notified customers today of the planned return of normal service.
Beginning Monday, Devincenzi said Waste Management is "going back to regular weekly trash collection, regular commercial trash collection (and) weekly residential yard waste for most communities." Devincenzi noted they will also pick up any extra trash that has accumulated.
But Chuck Mack, secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local 70, is unconvinced that Waste Management will be able to deliver on their promise. "They keep making these statements and we sit here scratching our heads because it's so far off from reality," Mack said today. "For them to suggest that garbage service is going to return to normal next week is stunning when you look at what's happened in their pick-up areas."
MY TAKE:
WMI is a for-profit, stockholder-driven waste hauling company with $3+ billion dollars in revenue and a recommended stock by Standard and Poor's. It earns money by contracting for trash removal, by manipulating landfill costs, and driving smaller competitors out of business. Despite being hugely profitable, this company is failing to live up to its promises to its workers, especially regarding healthcare benefits.
ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP
WMI has a record of claiming to be environmentally friendly. However, documented actions and strategies of the company show it to be interested more in profit than in reducing or recycling waste. One of WMI's greatest lies is the claim that waste is "turned into power." They do this through incineration of garbage. This simply spews toxic chemicals over a greater distance than the original landfill.
Despite being 10 years old, the following site is useful as a counter to WMI (formerly WMX)'s promise of environmental stewardship:
http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=4370
Also see the following more recent example of WMI's landfill politics in Wisconsin:
http://www.stopwmx.org/pheas.html
It's time to consider an alternative for Oakland!
