Bay Area garbage collection workers stop pickups in solidarity with Stockton strike
Trash cans full of trash are still sitting at the curb in front of tens of thousands of homes across the Bay Area, with more trash collection service disruptions possible for the rest of the week.
Workers with Republic Services in Stockton are on strike, and a number of union workers in the Bay Area say working would be crossing the extended picket line.
There are no trash pickups in San Jose, Daly City, Half Moon Bay, Richmond, San Pablo, Union City, Newark or Fremont until the strike in Stockton is over, which could be a day or a week or more.
David Villarreal had no idea what was happening behind the scenes this morning and why he wasn't hearing the garbage trucks rumbling down the street in Fremont.
"We put our garbage out today thinking they were going to pick it up, but apparently they went on strike in support of Stockton," said Villarreal.
He's a mechanic by trade, and while he understands the unions wanting to stick together, he doesn't see how garbage piling up in the neighborhoods helps anyone.
"What can I do? At some point this garbage needs to get thrown away so it doesn't get piled in the street, so I either go to the dump, or I find somewhere to take it," said Villarreal.
A handful of protesters were at the Republic Services truck yard in Fremont including one holding a sign that said, "Hold your nose."
"Anytime you pick a fight with one teamster, you pick a fight with 1.3 million teamsters, and so I think Republic is figuring that out the hard way," said Matthew McQuaid, a representative from the Teamsters union.
Republic Services said in a statement said they are in contract negotiations and "anticipate temporary service delays for some recycling and waste collection customers…. We are making adjustments to our operations to ensure our ability to continue providing service during this situation."
"I support the union workers because as a union member of SEIU Local 1021, I want to show my solidarity to the union," said Alex Reyes.
He said he blames Republic Services for the lack of trash pickup. Reyes said they should pay their workers more, even if it means higher rates for customers.
"If we need to wait another week to pick up our garbage, then I can handle that. I have contingency plans," Reyes said.
There are union strikes going on in places across the country involving Republic Services, including a week-long strike in Massachusetts. All the strikes center around two basic demands – increased pay and better health care coverage.
