Trash strike remains for some cities in San Mateo County

Responses from community members as the city attempts to manage the pickup delays have varied widely, Chidester said. 

“We have people that were livid last Tuesday afternoon after missing one service … [but] a lot of really understanding community members also. A lot of people are supportive of unions and workers’ rights,” he said. “The response to what the city has done in mitigating some of these impacts have also been mixed.” 

The Teamsters Local 439 union, situated in Stockton, is a part of the ongoing work stoppage strike against Republic Services as it demands fair contracts and better benefits, including more comprehensive health care for what is a dangerous and physically demanding job, Local 439 rank-and-file member Jose Zepeda said. 

“We’ve been underpaid for quite a while. We’ve had some pretty bad medical and insurance and it’s just unfair,” he said. “Like any other dangerous job, you want to make sure you and your family are protected.” 

In a statement, Republic Services media relations said a deal was not reached during July 15 negotiations and accused union representatives of threatening those who crossed picket lines.

“These negotiations do not involve the majority of our employees in Northern California, but union representatives have intimidated and threatened them if they cross the picket line. This tactic does not benefit our employees or the community,” the statement read.

The union representing San Mateo, San Francisco and Santa Clara counties, Local 350, is not on strike but will not be crossing picket lines in service areas in solidarity. Picket lines have also formed at some local Republic Services-owned facilities, including Half Moon Bay’s Ox Landfill. 

Currently, around 2,000 union members are on strike or not crossing picket lines in solidarity across the nation, including upwards of 500 in the Bay Area, Teamsters International spokesperson Matthew McQuaid said.

In Half Moon Bay, the city has attempted to mitigate the impacts and health hazards of not having a trash pickup service by instituting dumpsters for waste drop-off throughout the city, including the Historic Train Depot, the SAM Plant and a location behind City Hall. These dumpsters are restricted to affected residential and businesses customers only. 

In addition, Republic Services has managed to provide sporadic services beginning Saturday and is using its nonunion employees, like supervisors, to collect waste, Chidester said. The company’s goal is to provide trash pickup for everyone in the city, particularly in high-need areas, by the middle of this week, he said. 

Nonunion city staff have also been continuing to service city-run public trash receptacles, Chidester said. Even with the mitigating services the city and Republic Services are offering, Chidester acknowledged that a serious impact to the community remains. 

“That’s what makes a strike like this really effective,” he said. “You’re left without a lot of options.”  

Cinthia Rangel, a manager at local Half Moon Bay coffee shop Cafe Society, said while the trash piling up in the alley by the cafe “doesn’t look good” to customers, community members understand the impetus behind the strike. 

“I think people are supportive of the strike. I totally understand, you know. So I’m not too crazy about it or mad about it,” she said. “It doesn’t look good to customers, right? Thankfully, ours is in the alley.” 

Their business has had one trash pickup over the weekend, but none this week. 

Leaders are taking note of the frustration and distress that the lack of trash pickups across the county are causing. David Canepa, president of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, for example, is demanding that Republic Services resume trash pickup in the county and refund ratepayers for the time that their garbage has not been collected. 

“Republic’s got to move forward and negotiate, work with labor to find a solution,” Canepa said. “It’s not the contracts we have here in place in the Bay Area that’s an issue.” 

Chidester agreed that residents not receiving garbage pickup should not have to pay. 

“Ratepayers should not pay for services they are not receiving,” he said. “What that looks like remains to be seen — obviously [right now] our focus is public health and safety.”