Latest Updates
July 10
The Teamsters reached out to us today, and we have agreed to mediation with the Teamsters and the federal mediator tomorrow.
July 9
Republic Services Reiterates Commitment to Employees and Communities — Will Not be Deterred by Teamsters Leadership’s Unlawful Actions and Instigation
Republic Services is committed to providing our front-line colleagues with wages and benefits that are market-competitive and sustainable, and maintaining reliable service in the communities we serve. The Teamsters’ dangerous acts have attempted to hamper both of these commitments. Teamsters leaders have instigated violent actions and threats to prevent our trucks from reaching customers. Despite these attempts to interfere, we are proudly continuing to service all 14 municipalities in Greater Boston.
As we’ve made clear, we stand ready to meet at any time with the Teamsters when they are ready to re-engage. We will continue to focus on providing service and doing right by our employees. We call on Teamsters’ leadership to immediately stop the instigation, intimidation and criminal acts, and resolve this situation. We agree with community leaders urging a resolution.
Here are the facts:
Republic Services employees in Greater Boston are among the best paid in the market with industry-leading, zero-premium healthcare plans.
- 45% of our Greater Boston drivers represented by the union earned more than $100,000 last year, based on W-2 data.
- We pay 100% of the medical premiums for our Greater Boston employees.
- Additionally, on June 30, we put a significant wage increase on the table, offering a 39% increase over five years and a 14% increase in year one alone. This offer outpaces competitors and industry standards.
Republic Services has the strongest safety performance in the industry.
- We are proud of our commitment to keeping safety at the core of everything we do. This commitment has resulted in our safety performance in Greater Boston exceeding the industry average.
- We prioritize the safety of our employees and communities, and are alarmed that the Teamsters do not share this same commitment. We are working hard to protect our employees amid Teamsters’ threats and attacks. They also have damaged our trucks, including tampering with gas tanks, disconnecting hoses and slashing tires. Police reports have been filed.
Demands by Teamsters leaders are not in the best interest of our employees or customers.
- Teamsters leaders demand that our employees join the Teamsters’ health and welfare plan, which offers no significant benefit at a substantially higher cost. Some employees working on prevailing wage jobs could lose more than $40,000 annually with this change.
- Teamsters leaders are demanding a provision that would allow them to pull our employees into work stoppages in Boston over disputes in other parts of the country that have nothing to do with our employees here. We don’t believe this serves the best interests of our employees, customers or the community.
We empathize with customers who have been impacted by the Teamsters’ decision to stop work. We are working hard to continue providing service. For the latest service information, customers can call 781.289.0500.
July 2
Teamsters Unwilling to Make Any Progress with Federal Mediator — Putting Own Self-Interests Ahead of Republic Services Employees
Republic Services and Teamsters Local 25 met with a federal mediator today, but the Teamsters did not match our willingness to achieve a new contract. The company presented terms that addressed the union’s stated interests and could have resolved the contract dispute. The Teamsters rejected them with without providing a counter. Republic Services believes the union is putting its own self-interests ahead of its union members and the communities they serve.
Republic Services currently offers its employees a competitive wage, industry-leading benefits plans and a generous holiday and paid time off program.
The company continues to strongly condemn the reckless behavior of the Teamsters, who, for the second consecutive day, harassed drivers out servicing customers, putting both employees and the public at risk.
"At Republic Services, safety is non-negotiable," said Market Vice President Kurt Lavery. “Teamsters’ actions are putting our drivers at risk as we serve customers. We are committed to good-faith negotiations, and we will not tolerate actions that endanger our employees or our communities."
The Teamsters have engaged in criminal behavior, including slashing tires on occupied vehicles, harassing drivers out servicing customers, threatening employees and sabotaging trucks. These actions slow Republic Services’ ability to safely and effectively service customers.
Despite the Teamsters’ actions, Republic Services has implemented contingency plans to minimize service disruptions, including deploying employees from other areas, prioritizing routes and optimizing routing efficiencies.
"We remain committed to reaching a fair agreement that benefits our employees and our customers," Lavery added. "We apologize to our customers for any inconvenience the Teamsters are causing.”
July 1
It is disappointing that the union called a work stoppage rather than continue negotiating in good faith toward a fair and competitive contract that benefits our employees and our customers. A work stoppage does not benefit our employees or the communities we serve.
We currently provide our Greater Boston employees with competitive wages, industry-leading benefits and a generous time-off and holiday plan. We value our employees and entered negotiations intending to raise wages.
We planned for the possibility of a work stoppage and have taken several steps to continue providing service, including securing Republic Services employees from other areas, prioritizing routes and optimizing routing efficiencies. Many customers may experience a modified service schedule as a result of the union’s work stoppage. We will communicate any schedule changes to customers.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. We are committed to continuing discussions with the union and remain hopeful that an agreement will be reached soon.
June 30
Republic Services is in contract negotiations with Teamsters Local 25. We respect the rights of our employees to engage in collective bargaining, and we will continue to meet with the union to reach a fair and competitive contract that is beneficial to our employees, our customers and our company. We are hopeful that the union will not call a work stoppage, but if it does, we have a contingency plan in place to continue serving the community.
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