'Tentative Agreement' Reached In Orange County Sanitation Workers Strike
ANAHEIM (CBSLA) — Republic Services says they have reached a tentative labor agreement with their sanitation workers, who have been on strike since last week, according to the cities of Anaheim, Huntington Beach, and Fullerton.
"Republic Services is pleased that we were able to reach agreements for new contracts with the union that represents our Orange County employees," the company said in a statement. "We take pride in providing all of our employees a total rewards package that includes competitive wages and comprehensive benefits."
City officials of all three cities say they are hopeful that trash pickup will resume quickly and reliably.
"The need for regular trash service in our city is of critical importance," Huntington Beach Mayor Barbara Delgleize said in a statement. Huntington Beach city officials say Republic Services has committed to increasing staffing as the result of the agreement.
Teamsters Local 396 had been negotiating for a new contract with Republic Services, after the old contract expired on Sept. 30.
"After several bargaining sessions with Republic Services, Teamsters Local 396 has now reached a tentative agreement with the company which includes a commitment to cease engaging in unfair labor practices and a fair contract for workers at Anaheim and Huntington Beach,'' the union said. It's more than 450 members who work as Republic Services' sanitation workers ratified the new collective bargaining agreements, which will cover workers through 2025 and include significant wage increases.
Anaheim said Republic Services workers who are members of Teamsters Local 396 were off the picket line this morning, after being on strike since last week. The job action sent several Orange County cities scrambling to keep the streets clear of trash.
In Anaheim, officials say residents could start seeing "limited but expanding services for scheduled pickup areas and priority sites" on Thursday, with services starting to normalize into next week. Residents whose trash is regularly scheduled for Thursday and Friday should put their bins out normally, but may not see them picked up until Saturday. People were encouraged to consider double bagging their trash if collection lags, and citations won't be issued for bins or bags on the street on street sweeping days.
"We look forward to resuming regular service in our communities as soon as tomorrow, and we are grateful to our municipal partners for their patience during this work stoppage," Republic Services said.
On Tuesday, the City of Huntington Beach had declared a local emergency declaration in order to implement a "trash disruption mitigation response plan."
Republic Services provides trash service to some of Orange County's biggest cities and the county's major tourist attractions, like Disneyland. Anaheim and Fullerton say they are working on crediting residents whose service was disrupted during the strike.