Trash Haulers Threaten to Spread Strike

As many Orange County residents grappled with uncollected trash Tuesday on Day Two of a refuse haulers’ strike, sympathetic drivers in Irvine called in sick and others threatened to expand the walkout to much of South County.

City and county officials advised householders to bag and store their trash until next week when they hoped residential collections would resume. County health workers also advised that garbage be double-bagged and barrels tightly covered to keep out disease-carrying insects and animals.

With virtually all residential service discontinued for at least 40% of county households, some people took matters into their own hands Tuesday.

“I understand why they are picketing,” said Steve Stram of Tustin who waited about 15 minutes in line at an Anaheim trash drop-off station. “I got no problems with that. I just want to dump my trash, and if it takes a little longer, that’s OK.”

More than 700 drivers, mechanics and maintenance workers from Teamsters Local 396 walked picket lines Tuesday, the second day of a strike against four refuse companies serving at least 15 cities and unincorporated areas in Orange County and Chino Hills in San Bernardino County.

The firms are Waste Management Inc., Rainbow Disposal, CR&R; and Taormina Industries. Late Tuesday, a spokesman for the companies said they were seeking to meet with union leaders and a federal mediator.

Last Friday, members of Local 396--against the advice of their leadership--voted down a proposal that would have given them a 33.5% raise over five years, plus increases in benefits.

With their usual 15 hours of overtime weekly, average pay would increase from about $42,000 a year to $53,700 a year. But rank-and-file workers said they would hold out for higher hourly wages.

An additional 100 sanitation workers were preparing to strike Thursday at Solag Disposal, a CR&R; subsidiary that serves Aliso Viejo, Dana Point, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano.

“We want to be on strike right now,” said Jose Polanco, a shop steward for Solag workers. “The union promised us we could walk out by Thursday. . . . We can’t wait. We want to support our brothers.”

Solag workers voted overwhelmingly to strike last Friday, joining workers from the other companies. But union leaders said more notice had to be given to management before their walkout would be legal.

Solag drivers were picking up trash Tuesday, but they refused to cross picket lines at local transfer stations and landfills. Outside the landfill in San Juan Capistrano, they parked refuse trucks and waited for company supervisors to drive the rigs past picket lines.

In Irvine, which has a no-strike contract with Waste Management, company officials said 47 of 123 drivers called in sick Tuesday, delaying pickups for recycling and green waste, such as grass clippings. Also affected were Laguna Beach, Lake Forest, Mission Viejo and Rancho Santa Margarita, which are served by Waste Management’s Irvine station.

“We are trying to minimize the inconvenience to our residents and make sure the trash gets picked up,” said Sheri Vander Dussen, Irvine’s director of community development. “We hope this only lasts a day or two.”

Waste Management Vice President Bob Coyle contends that the drivers are conducting an improper sickout in sympathy with striking union members. The company estimated that typically five or six drivers call in sick at its Irvine station. Coyle added that Waste Management will tell the drivers to return to work or be fired.

“It’s not a good sign,” Coyle said.

At commercial establishments across much of north and central Orange County, garbage began piling up as management drivers scrambled to keep up. Management and city officials estimated that 30% to 50% of commercial and industrial customers were being served Tuesday.

In many residential areas, trash cans remained on the streets or in garages. Santa Ana officials asked residents to ignore their collection day this week and plan ahead for next, said Jim Ross, the city’s public works director.

“Most of the bin service was handled yesterday, apartments are being handled today and residential service should be back next week,” Ross said.

Many of those trucks would likely be driven by replacement workers--some drawn from waste company operations out of state--and that was expected to increase tensions on picket lines, where the mood already was souring Tuesday.

Two pickets said they were slightly injured late Monday morning when they were struck by a sport utility vehicle that slipped through the picket line behind a truck the strikers had allowed to enter the Taormina Industries transfer station in Anaheim.

Neither man had filed a police report by early Tuesday afternoon, and Anaheim and Taormina officials said they knew nothing about the incident. Both men said they were seeking medical attention Tuesday.

Striker Eusibio Cruz Ramirez said he suffered a leg injury, and Richard Galvan, a union United Parcel Service driver picketing in support of Local 396, said he suffered injuries to his arm and a finger.

The driver “didn’t even stop to see if anyone was hurt,” said striker Richard Corona. “He just barreled his way through.”

Teamster local leader Dan Kane vowed that strike activity would become more intense in the coming days in an effort to force employers to negotiate a more generous contract. Among other tactics, he said, Local 396 is preparing a door-to-door campaign across the county to pressure cities into renegotiating their trash contracts. Some union members contend that a 50-cent increase in monthly hauling bills would help pay for any future wage increases.

“We’re going to be stepping things up,” said Kane, while on the picket line outside Waste Management’s Santa Ana headquarters. “We’ll be closing down some landfills soon. . . . The trash is going to pile and pile up.”

Negotiations did not resume Tuesday. Union members had until midnight Tuesday to decide whether to accept the latest offer from Waste Management, which employs about 220 of the striking workers.

While the walkout appeared to be spreading Tuesday, there were indications that the strike might not last as long as the three to four weeks some union officials had predicted.

Coyle said the companies are planning to meet with the federal mediator and the union’s bargaining committee today and Thursday to discuss resuming negotiations. Striking workers at CR&R; in Stanton also were considering voting today on the offer they already rejected once.

“The reality is that the money they walked away from is substantial,” said Danny Bruno, secretary-treasurer of Local 396, who had advised workers to accept the contract. “The workers need the money. They make about $112 a day. How much can they afford to lose? They were concerned yesterday when I told them this could last three weeks.”

The decision to reject the recommendation of union leadership has caught the attention of labor analysts.

“Many people looking at the future direction of the Teamsters want to see how the leadership responds and how the membership responds,” said Kent Wong, director of UCLA’s Center for Labor Research and Education. “It’s a fascinating strike. They have gone directly against the local leadership, who thought this was a reasonable contract.”

Meanwhile, cities affected by the strike continued to work with waste haulers to pick up trash at high-priority locations, such as hospitals, schools, large apartments, markets, restaurants and other businesses with high volumes of trash.

In Fountain Valley, the city’s 56,000 residents will be allowed to dispose of their refuse at three municipal sites on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. City officials have contracted with a private hauler to truck the waste to a Rainbow Disposal transfer station.

“A 3- to 4-week strike is a concern,” said Bill Ault, the city’s director of public works. “We will try to make adjustments in our schedules for bringing in trash. Right now we are trying to take one step at a time.”

Two Fountain Valley officials, Mayor Larry Crandall and City Councilman John Collins, have offered to drive a trash truck. Rainbow Disposal said they would require 90 days of training, but company officials said they might reverse that decision.

“I’m deadly serious,” Crandall said. “I’m ready willing and able to do it.”

To help continue service, Waste Management already has brought in company workers and managers from places like Palm Desert and San Diego to replace the strikers. Soon, Coyle said, there will be more replacements from nonunion shops, perhaps from out of state.

These workers will be paid bonuses of about $100 per day plus living expenses in additional to their usual wages. “The company makes it worth their while,” said project manager Carlos Muniz.

Other companies, such as Taormina, which is owned by a national waste hauler, are considering similar steps to restore service.

City officials said they do not want to interfere in the dispute but will consider taking action if the strike becomes protracted.

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Staff writers Stan Allison, Evan Halper, Jerry Hicks and Jennifer Mena contributed to this report.

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Impact on Orange County

Affected areas:

All unincorporated areas of Orange County, plus Anaheim, Brea, Fountain Valley, Fullerton, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, La Habra, Orange, Placentia, Santa Ana, Stanton, Tustin, Villa Park, Westminster (1), Yorba Linda.

Cities that might be affected:

Aliso Viejo, Dana Point, Irvine, Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano

Cities not likely to be affected:

Buena Park, Costa Mesa, Cypress, La Palma, Los Alamitos, Newport Beach, Seal Beach.

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(1) Commercial customers of Rainbow Disposal affected; residential customers unaffected.

Source: Waste hauler companies and Times staff reports