Boston Work Stoppage Information

August 11

We have been in contact with Gov. Healey’s office during this Teamsters-led work stoppage. In response to today’s letter, we are working to schedule a call with the Governor to provide an update on negotiations and our operations. As there are two sides to every negotiation, we would expect that Gov. Healey also sent a similar demand to Teamsters Local 25.

We remain ready to meet with Local 25 leadership when they are serious about reaching an agreement. We offered an immediate 16% wage increase, a 43% increase over five years and continued zero-premium healthcare. The total compensation we offered (hourly wage + hourly retirement contribution) far surpasses our local competitors, and if the Teamsters had accepted this offer, our drivers would make approximately $140,000 per year by the end of the contract.  

Any delays in service lie squarely at the feet of Teamsters Local 25. We currently have the ability to service all customers in Greater Boston, but the Teamsters continue to illegally block our trucks and access to many customer sites. Here’s an example of what we saw on the road today. 

We understand the importance of our role in the communities we serve and are working hard to continue providing service. 
 

August 3

We are disappointed in the vote to continue the work stoppage rather than encourage Teamsters Local 25 leadership to return to the bargaining table in good faith. Despite that decision, our non-union employees and support staff will continue servicing our customers in the greater Boston area.

We have proposed a strong package with industry-leading wage and health and welfare benefits including:

• 16% wage increase in year one
• 43% wage increase over the life of the contract
• Zero-premium healthcare plan with no deductible
• Generous retirement contributions.

Despite video evidence, Teamsters Local 25 continues to claim that it is not engaging in unlawful and disruptive tactics yet demands amnesty for its members. If no laws have been broken, why is amnesty for strike-related behavior one of the union’s primary goals? It is more clear than ever that the union relies on these unlawful and dangerous tactics with one goal in mind: disrupt service.

The union has informed us that it does not intend to agree to a deal unless every one of its demands are met, including amnesty. Any statements the union makes to the contrary are simply untrue.

We remain ready to meet with union leadership when they are serious about reaching an agreement.

July 31

We empathize with our customers and communities affected by Teamsters Local 25’s work stoppage. We are working hard to continue providing service, and our collection operations continue to improve.

Although we currently have the ability to service all customers in Greater Boston, Local 25’s illegal conduct is preventing this from occurring. The union continues its unlawful blocking of our trucks.  

A video of Local 25 blocking our trucks is available here.

We prioritize service and the safety of our employees and communities. Teamsters Local 25 clearly does not share this same commitment. The union’s actions are putting our communities at risk.

July 28

Republic Services responds to today’s Superior Court’s decision denying the Municipalities’ motion for a preliminary injunction.

We believe that Judge McCarthy-Neyman got it right.  We again call for an end to Teamsters Local 25’s continued unlawful conduct, including the repeated blocking of our trucks out on the road and at service stops, which is causing service delays for our customers.  We will continue to work with all communities impacted by Teamsters Local 25.

We continue working hard to provide service. Customers seeking service updates can visit www.republicservices.com/BostonUpdates.

July 18

Teamsters Want to Prolong Strike

Republic Services Committed to Resolution While Teamsters Choose Chaos and Conflict

We are 18 days into the Teamsters-led strike, and a stark contrast has emerged: Republic Services is focused on facts and reaching an agreement that provides our employees with market-leading pay and benefits, while Teamsters leadership is focused on disinformation and disruption.

Negotiations ended earlier than we wanted today, and the meeting revealed the Teamsters' true priorities – their work stoppage isn't about our Boston employees' welfare. It’s about demands that benefit the union and a desire to cause chaos and conflict.

While Republic Services has offered to:

• Pay industry-leading wages
• Maintain our zero-premium healthcare plan with no deductible
• Provide industry-leading retirement contributions

The Teamsters have:

• Rejected strong proposals without allowing members to review or vote
• Demanded the ability to force Boston employees to strike over disputes in other states, which would harm our communities
• Engaged in dangerous and unlawful intimidation tactics
• Vandalized equipment and physically assaulted our employees

Yet, during today’s meeting, Local 25 President Tom Mari claimed that “we are stonewalling them.” This could not be further from the truth. Our proposal to increase wages 16% immediately, and 43% over the life of the contract is far from “stonewalling.”

The Teamsters’ pattern of criminal behavior — including truck theft, tire slashing, spraying chemicals on drivers and hate speech — demonstrates the union's preference for chaos over compromise. The Teamsters have the audacity to demand – as one of their top priorities – amnesty for their threats, violence and criminal activity during this work stoppage. We believe everyone – even the Teamsters – should be held accountable for their actions.

Republic Services remains committed to our employees and the communities we serve. We want to welcome our team back to work with the industry-leading pay and benefits they deserve. The Teamsters appear willing to sacrifice employee paychecks and community

needs to advance their own agenda rather than supporting the employees they claim to support.

No negotiating sessions are scheduled at this time.

We continue working hard to provide service. Customers seeking service updates can visit www.republicservices.com/BostonUpdates.

July 16

At the end of negotiations Tuesday, we offered to meet on Friday to continue our discussions. Teamsters officials refused to meet. Today, the mediator notified us that they changed their minds and are now willing to meet on Friday.  We hope the Teamsters come prepared to reach an agreement that’s good for everyone.

July 15

Enough is Enough: Greater Boston is Ready for Teamsters’ Strike to End

Teamsters once again show no interest in reaching an agreement for Republic Services employees 

Little progress was made today in negotiations. Enough is enough. The community is ready for our employees to get back to work and resume normal operations. The Teamsters are dragging this out for their benefit and continuing their criminal behavior, putting our employees and the community at risk.

Today, we confirmed that our wage offer is higher than our local competitors, but the Teamsters were unwilling to compromise on their demands.  

• Our wage offer is better than our competitors.
• Our employees’ currently enjoy a zero-premium healthcare plan with no deductible. The union’ plan is significantly more expensive and does not provide significantly greater benefit.
• Teamsters’ demand that our Greater Boston employees stop work over labor disputes in other parts of the country is harmful to this community.
• Safety is non-negotiable for Republic Services, but is not a priority for the Teamsters.

Due to the Teamsters unlawful and dangerous conduct, Republic Services filed a legal action in the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts against Teamsters Local 25, its President Tom Mari and several union officials seeking immediate injunctive relief. This action follows numerous incidents of harassment, threats, physical intimidation, vandalism, and blockades of Republic's trucks and employees throughout Greater Boston, including: 

• Theft of a Republic Services garbage truck
• Slashing of tires
• Spraying chemicals into the eyes of a Republic Services driver
• Blocking trucks at facilities and customer sites, delaying our ability to serve customers
• Threats of violence and hate speech directed at employees

On the mediator’s recommendation, we ended negotiations for the night.  We offered to resume negotiations on Friday, July 18, but the union refused.  

Enough is enough. It is time for the Teamsters to end this strike.

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 11

Republic Services Offers Nearly 43% Wage Increase, but Teamsters Again Not Taking Negotiations Seriously

Mediation to resume Tuesday; meanwhile, the Teamsters’ misguided strike continues  

Republic Services and Teamsters representatives met with a federal mediator today in an attempt to reach an agreement on a new contract for our Greater Boston employees. Unfortunately, the Teamsters did not take the negotiations seriously and refused to make any meaningful progress.

Today, we made a formal proposal that included a nearly 16% wage increase immediately and an approximate 43% pay increase over five years for our Greater Boston employees. Contrary to the many falsehoods the Teamsters are spreading, our offer outpaces competitors.

When a wage proposal this significant is combined with zero-premium healthcare and generous retirement contributions, there is no question who is responsible for this ongoing strike: Teamsters Local 25 and its president Tom Mari. It is time for the Teamsters to get serious about negotiations so our employees can return to work. Taking a page out of the Teamsters’ playbook, we encourage the public to call or text Tom Mari at (617) 686-5875 and demand he end this strike.

Continued Teamsters’ claims that Republic Services does not fairly compensate its employees should be put where they belong: in the trash.    

We continue to bargain in good faith, but the Teamsters are not taking negotiations seriously.

• We’ve met a total of 11 days with the Teamsters, twice with a federal mediator, which we requested.
• Today, it was clear that further negotiations would not be productive due to the Teamsters’ lack of interest in reaching an agreement.
• The mediator requested both sides return to mediation on Tuesday, July 15, and both parties agreed.
• We are confident that our most recent proposal meets all of our employees’ demands, and we expect the Teamsters to bargain in the best interest of our employees.

Republic Services employees in Greater Boston are among the best paid in the market with zero-premium healthcare plans. 

• Don’t believe the union’s false narrative – 45% of our Greater Boston drivers represented by the Teamsters earned more than $100,000 last year, based on W-2 data.
• If the Teamsters accepted the offer we made today, drivers would make approximately $140,000 per year, by the end of the contract.  
• In addition, we pay 100% of the health and welfare premiums for our Greater Boston employees, and they have a comprehensive health and welfare plan.  

Demands by Teamsters leaders are not in the best interest of our employees or customers. 

• Union 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 per year with this change because prevailing wages are offset by healthcare expenses, and the union’s plan is significantly more expensive than our current employee plan.
• In contrast, our proposal would result in wage increases for all of our employees.  
• Teamsters leaders continue to demand a provision that would allow them to frequently 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. The last thing anyone in Boston wants is more work stoppages by the Teamsters.

The Teamsters are a threat to our employees and our communities. 

• Teamsters leadership does not care about protecting our employees or communities.
• Their threats and assaults on our employees, and rampant vandalism, including theft of a truck, continue.
• It is time for the public to seek answers from the Teamsters about these criminal actions. 
   

We are working hard to provide service to our customers and empathize with those who have been impacted by the Teamsters’ decision to stop our employees from working. 
 

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.