Union trash workers agree to contract

Waste Management Inc. reached agreement with 470 drivers, welders and mechanics to end a two-week strike, but 40 of the workers won’t get their jobs back, officials on both sides said Thursday.

Workers accepted the same contract the company offered shortly before the workers went on strike Oct. 19, said Kit Cole, a company spokeswoman.

The contract was ratified Wednesday by a vote of 266-78.

“We did everything we could to get them a better deal,” said Jay Phillips, president of Teamsters Local 396, which represented the workers. “But the company threatened to hire all new employees in place of those on the strike, and that helped let the contract pass.”

The agreement covers drivers, mechanics and workers who repair metal trash bins, giving them over the next five years a 22.5% wage increase, a 19% increase in the company’s contribution to the workers’ pension fund and a 21% increase in its contribution to the health plan, Cole said.

But not all of the workers are back on the job, Phillips said.

During the strike, the company hired 40 replacements, in addition to bringing in temporary workers from other parts of the country.

“We didn’t know how long the strike would go, and given the sheer size of our customers and city of Los Angeles, we had to hire more people and plan to keep them,” Cole said.

Phillips said union representatives have met with the displaced workers and are lining up job offers for them.

“Sanitation workers are in demand in the region, and we’re optimistic that we’ll find them jobs,” Phillips said.

Drivers picketed several Waste Management facilities during the strike. The disruption of service was felt by about 225,000 customers, including 29,000 businesses, in cities such as Inglewood, Carson, Manhattan Beach, South Gate and Rancho Palos Verdes, Cole said.

Some residents have complained that their garbage and recyclables have not been picked up since the strike began and were still waiting late Thursday.

Cole said customers may experience up to two weeks of delays in service and recommended they visit www.wmlafacts.com for updates on their city or neighborhood service schedule. Customers in Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley can also call (800) 926-9693; for South Bay, call (800) 774-0222.

francisco.varaorta@ latimes.com