Republic Services strike ends on 8th day, after drivers approve contract agreement
Republic Services sanitation workers in Huntington Beach and Anaheim went back to work Friday, ending an eight-day strike over unfair labor practices after members of Teamsters Local 396 voted to ratify a tentative agreement with the Phoenix-based company.
The move comes after council members in both cities took action to resume collection as trash piled up at homes and businesses during the work stoppage.
Anaheim officials approved a contingency plan early last week that allowed for the resumption of some services at homes and critical businesses, while the Huntington Beach City Council on Tuesday declared a local emergency, approving an alternative plan to mitigate disruption in service.
Huntington Beach Public Works Director Sean Crumby said Friday the city would have been able to seek service from another hauler during the strike and be compensated by Republic Services.
“The declaration of emergency was done to provide the highest number of options for the city manager and allow the city to respond quickly as the situation evolved,” he said. “We had contingency plans to step in and provide service, and we would have done that as soon as this weekend.”
Instead, drivers returned to their routes early Friday morning.
Adan Alvarez, communications director for Teamsters Local 396, said talks with Republic Services resumed Tuesday after bargaining sessions scheduled for last week were canceled due to the strike.
Employees in Teamsters Local 396 have been on strike for at least a week.
A tentative agreement was reached Wednesday, as some 420 waste haulers continued to march in picket lines at facilities in Huntington Beach and Anaheim.
“That tentative agreement was ratified by members in Anaheim and Huntington Beach yesterday evening,” Alvarez said Friday. “And workers are back to work today.”
Employees authorized a strike in a Nov. 23 vote, claiming the company failed to address issues such as excessive work hours, the use of temporary non-union workers and harassment by managers on the job.
After managers allegedly leveled threats at employees who spoke to the media or appeared in photos following the vote, and offered bonuses without consulting union representatives, a strike was called on Dec. 9.
Huntington Beach officials by Monday had set up five alternate sites where residents and businesses could drop off their refuse, including the city’s Public Works yard.
Employees were stationed at the Public Works yard, Edison and Murdy community centers, Greer Park and the parking lot of Meadowlark Golf Club, where they worked nine-hour shifts and used equipment loaders to help with bulky items.
Crumby said residents began calling into Public Works as soon as service stopped on Thursday.
“We had to bring in help from other departments to field calls because the call volume was extremely high,” he said. “It’s a difficult time, because a lot of people are receiving gifts for the holiday, so there’s an extreme amount of boxes and cardboard materials — it can pile up quickly.”
Talks between Huntington Beach and Republic Services were held twice a day throughout the strike, until the company alerted the city on Thursday afternoon that a tentative agreement had been reached.
In an announcement Thursday following the vote to ratify the new contracts, Republic Services media team said the company takes pride in offering employees competitive wages and comprehensive benefits.
“We look forward to resuming regular service in our communities as soon as tomorrow, and we are grateful to our municipal partners for their patience during this work stoppage,” the statement read, thanking the city of Anaheim for helping encourage a resolution.
Omar Ortiz, a Republic Services Huntington Beach driver, said in a release issued by Teamsters 396 Friday by standing together, sanitation workers had won respect on the job and a commitment from the company to stop engaging in unfair labor practices.
“I am happy that we are finally being recognized for essential work that ensured that communities were safe during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Ortiz said in the release.
Alvarez said he believed the adoption of contingency plans in Huntington Beach and Anaheim, for which Republic Services assumed financial responsibility, and a strong response from community played a role in ending the stalemate.
“That was definitely a factor, and the support we got from the community was great,” he said. “Our members are satisfied and happy to get back to work servicing the communities they work in.”
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