Picking up after the trash strike in San Mateo County

But in the Bay Area, picket lines are being taken down after the Local 439 union, located in Stockton, reached and ratified a new contract agreement, Republic Services media relations said in an email. 

“Our goal was to reach an agreement that was fair and competitive, and we accomplished that for our Forward Landfill employees,” the statement read. “We intend to be fully caught up this week in all areas.” 

Now that the strike is over, union members in San Mateo, San Francisco and Santa Clara counties — who were not on strike, but were not crossing picket lines in solidarity — will be going back to work.

In Half Moon Bay, for example, trash will be collected on scheduled pickup days, City Manager Matthew Chidester said. Overflow dumpsters, located at the wastewater treatment plant, train depot and downtown behind City Hall, will remain in place. 

Neither Republic Services or the Teamsters responded to requests for comment on the details of the new contract, but union members said previously that they were demanding fair contracts and better benefits, including more comprehensive health care for what is a dangerous and physically demanding job. 

In San Mateo County — where cities including Half Moon Bay, Daly City, Colma and unincorporated Broadmoor experienced service delays and garbage piling up in public spaces — attention is now turning to getting ratepayers the reimbursement they deserve, David Canepa, president of the Board of Supervisors, said. 

“I’m very, very happy that this got resolved — [now] let’s see how much we can get for the ratepayer,” he said. 

The amount refunded to ratepayers who did not receive service has yet to be decided, Canepa said, but negotiations have begun. 

“The issue is it can go either way — there’s nothing that is binding, but there is some language that we think there may be a little bit of wiggle room,” he said. 

Half Moon Bay initiated reimbursement conversations with Republic Services last week, Chidester said, with a goal of implementing prorated next bills, though refunds are also possibly on the table. The city will be pursuing liquidated damages fines with the company, he said. 

With Half Moon Bay’s Republic Services contract up for renewal in 2027, all options are on the table — and lessons have been learned from the strike, Chidester said. 

“This was not a scenario anyone really contemplated,” he said.