Strike Cancels Trash Pickup for 400,000

A strike by Teamsters’ garbage collectors over wage demands has disrupted trash collection for almost 400,000 residents in 14 Los Angeles County cities, where garbage has been left on some streets since Monday.

City officials said the uncollected garbage, though unsightly, does not pose an immediate health hazard.

Jay Kapalkoss, part-owner of Metropolitan Waste Disposal Inc., warned, however: “The dogs are going to get to it. There are maggots all over the place.”

Two of the four struck companies are flying in employees from other parts of the country and a third is hiring replacements.

The cities affected range from exclusive Rolling Hills on the Palos Verdes Peninsula to the industrial inland City of Commerce. Others include Bell, Cudahy, El Segundo, Gardena, Hermosa Beach, Huntington Park, Lawndale, Maywood, Paramount, Pico Rivera, Rolling Hills Estates and West Hollywood. The strike has also halted trash removal for thousands of commer

cial customers.

The four companies struck by Teamsters Local 396 are Browning-Ferris Industries, based in Houston; GSX Corp., Boston; Metropolitan, Montebello; and Waste Management, Sun Valley.

A federal mediator is attempting to settle the dispute.

Charles Leonard, district manager for Browning-Ferris, said he could not disclose details of contract demands or his company’s response because of negotiations.

Kapalkoss, whose firm contracts with Pico Rivera, Commerce and Paramount, said the union seeks a 20% increase. His drivers make between $7.70 and $8.50 an hour.

Cost-Cutting Blamed

On Tuesday, a skeleton crew of foremen, supervisors and a secretary went out to service hospitals, restaurants and doctors’ offices, Kapalkoss said. He blamed cost-cutting by city officials for his inability to hike the pay of “deserving” drivers.

“I wish I could pay them $15 an hour,” he said.

Art Abrahamian, another part-owner of Metropolitan, said replacements for his striking drivers are expected today.

Browning-Ferris and GSX officials said that they have promised cities that pickups will be made and that they are flying in company employees from other areas.

Joseph L. Boren, a GSX vice president, said the company had not ruled out hiring permanent replacements if the strike is prolonged.

A Teamsters secretary said no one was available to answer questions Tuesday.

“Our concern is to take care of our residential rubbish pickup,” said Peter Feenstra, contracts administrator for West Hollywood, served by Browning-Ferris. “If everything goes as we were told, Monday’s pickup will be tomorrow and we will be playing catch-up.”

Contract Provisions

Lawndale City Manager Paul Philips said he was ready to invoke contract provisions to force Browning-Ferris to pick up trash today.

“If they don’t, we bring in another company or do it with city forces and bill them for it,” he said.

In El Segundo and Gardena, city officials were talking about possible help from officials of Torrance, where city employees collect garbage, if Browning-Ferris cannot pick up trash today.

Times staff writer Virginia Escalante contributed to this article.