Waste Management trash haulers strike; 1 million customers affected

Garbage was left uncollected Thursday morning, the second day into a trash haulers strike. Union garbage haulers said they would strike as long as needed to win a better contract. Waste Management showed equal resolve, calling in replacement workers who could be on the job within days.

The drivers walked off the job at 10:30 a.m., jeopardizing trash pickup over the coming days for an estimated 1 million customers in King and Snohomish counties.

Members of Teamsters Local 174, which represents 450 garbage-truck drivers, traded blame on Wednesday with the company for the breakdown in contract negotiations. Waste Management presented what it said was its final offer April 2 and while it has since said it was willing to clarify the proposal, the union said the company hasn't offered substantive changes. The garbage haulers have been working without a contract since April 1.

"This strike could go one day, one month or three months. If they go back to the bargaining table, we would go back to work, no question about it," said Rick Hicks, secretary-treasurer of Local 174, who rallied with striking workers outside Waste Management's South Seattle headquarters.

The strike seemed to take both the union drivers and the company by surprise. Waste Management had flown in replacement workers on the eve of the contract expiration March 31, but sent them back home when no strike materialized.

The company said that its most recent communication with the union had suggested that members would be asked to vote on the contract proposal. There was no vote, and the two sides have no plans to resume negotiations.

"We're very disappointed," said Waste Management spokeswoman Jackie Lang. She said replacement workers were being brought into the Seattle area but it would likely be several days before the company's strike contingency plan was fully operational.

Lang said customers whose garbage isn't collected should put it out again on their next scheduled collection day for double pickup. Two other regional garbage haulers, Allied Waste and CleanScapes, said they expected minimal disruptions to service.

At union headquarters in Tukwila on Wednesday, one garbage hauler said he was "shocked" by the strike announcement.

"It's the last thing we want to do. I have kids, I have a mortgage, I have car payments," said driver Langinue Shipp. But he added, "We're at a standstill. We want Waste Management to show up to the [bargaining] table."

Regional leaders urged a quick resolution to the labor dispute. King County Executive Dow Constantine, Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn and Federal Way Mayor Linda Kochmar issued a joint statement calling for the two sides to return to the bargaining table.

"While the city of Seattle is not a part of these negotiations, we are holding Waste Management to its contractual obligation to collect and minimize any interruptions of service in Seattle," McGinn said.

Waste Management's contract with cities and counties requires it to pick up garbage regardless of a strike. In Seattle, the company has a week to put contingency plans into place, said Andy Ryan, spokesman for Seattle Public Utilities. After that, steep penalties kick in against the company if garbage isn't collected, he said.

King County, which runs eight transfer stations and the Cedar Hills landfill near Maple Valley, said it was unaware of any work stoppages Wednesday. About 170 county employees are members of the striking Teamsters Local 174 and have the right to honor a picket line, said Doug Williams, spokesman for King County Solid Waste.

Picket lines went up around Waste Management facilities Wednesday morning. More than two dozen drivers waved signs that said "UNFAIR" at the company's headquarters on First Avenue South. Within the company's fenced truck yard, four managers and a security guard kept watch.

Waste Management has repeatedly described its final offer as a reasonable one, particularly during a recession. It proposed increasing hourly pay over five years to $29.09 an hour. Currently, drivers make $26.29 an hour, or about $55,000 per year. The contract offer would increase that to $60,500 by 2015. With an average of six hours overtime per week, the company says, the top salary would be $74,121.

The total value of the contract including medical benefits and pension contributions comes to $109,553 annually, according to the company.

The company also is asking union members to increase their monthly medical payments from $30 to $50.

The Teamsters say the offer doesn't provide the same level of medical benefits to employees and retirees as those won in contracts with CleanScapes and Allied Waste.

The four-year contract with Allied Waste, ratified earlier this month, puts a 12 percent cap on health-care cost increases. Waste Management's final offer proposed an 8 percent cap.

The company spokeswoman said that over the past few years, the Teamsters health coverage hasn't risen by more than 4 percent annually.

"We think 8 percent is entirely adequate. [Teamster] leadership is telling membership they need something they don't need," Lang said.

In Seattle's Greenwood neighborhood, where garbage was supposed to be collected Wednesday, but wasn't, residents expressed concern about the strike.

"I don't know how I feel about it. I want my garbage picked up," said Janet Saunderson.

Jeff Kopec, another Greenwood resident, said he does not support the striking garbage workers.

"I think these guys are getting paid plenty. I mean, it's a hard job but with the economy and all they should be happy to have jobs."

Lynn Thompson: 206-464-8305 or lthompson@seattletimes.com. Information from Seattle Times reporter Emily Heffter and from Seattle Times archives is included in this report.