Hundreds of Teamsters members on strike against Republic Services, one of the largest trash-hauling companies in the U.S., are determined to continue to fight to win better wages and health insurance.
More than 400 workers in the Boston area, along with over 30 in Cumming, Georgia, have been on strike since early July. More than 1,500 other Teamsters at Republic have struck for several weeks in cities around the country, either over contracts or in solidarity. Members of Local 179 in Ottawa, Illinois, reached a tentative contract Aug. 11 and returned to work.
The company’s last offer to Local 728 in Cumming was “an insult and a slap in the face,” striker Phillip Jackson told the Militant. “The company is spending a lot of money on people from out of state doing our jobs but don’t want to pay us what we deserve.” He said that UPS workers support them and will not deliver packages to the facility. The sheriff’s department intervened to stop strikers trying to stop trucks from coming into the facility.
While inflation has gouged the wages of the workers, Republic Services has spent billions on repurchasing shares and boosting dividends to enrich shareholders. The company, which made $2 billion in profits last year, paid its CEO nearly $13 million in 2024.
In Boston, after failing in three attempts to get court injunctions against Local 25, the company walked out of negotiations Aug. 28 within minutes of receiving a new offer by the union.
“The only conclusion is that Republic doesn’t want a deal,” the union said the next day.
“We are fully prepared for a drawn-out battle with Republic to make certain their employees get the same wages and benefits” as other Boston-area companies, Tom Mari, president of Local 25, said. “Whether it takes two more weeks or two more months, we’re not going away.”
Spread the word about these strikes and build solidarity! Contact Teamsters Local 25 at 544 Main St., Boston, MA 02129; fax (617) 242-4284. Teamsters Local 728 at 2540 Lakewood Ave. SW, Atlanta, GA 30315; fax (404) 627-2045.
Marklyn Wilson in Atlanta contributed to this article.