Almost 4,000 workers who pick up trash and keep the streets clean from Los Angeles to San Diego are working without a contract. The agreement between Teamsters Local 396 and the sanitation companies expired Wednesday at midnight, setting the stage for a possible strike.
“The corporate greed is loud in these negotiations,” Victor Mineros, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 396, tells KFI. He says they’re at the table, ready for a deal, but “we’re also ready to go on strike. There has been preparations for the members to take that action if need be.”
Mineros says they’re fighting for better health care and safer working conditions. “This job has more death and injury than firefighters and cops put together, so safety is a very huge important issue that is at the table now.” He also says that, like many workers these days, they want guarantees against AI taking their jobs. “There’s technology now, driverless vehicles…these vehicles [are] being put on the street and putting communities at harm,” Mineros claims, “instead of their local trash guy who’s been part of their local community for a very long time.”
Negotiations are ongoing, and there’s no timetable for when a strike might happen or how long it could last. Republic Services, one of the companies involved in the negotiations, said in a statement that talks started August 14th, and while progress has been made towards a new agreement, there’s more work to do. “We will continue to negotiate in good faith with Local 396 to reach agreements that benefit our employees and customers, and the long-term success of our company,” the company wrote.