Republic Services Strike Enters Second Month With No Agreement in Sight

A month after the strike began, waste collection workers employed by Republic Services remain off the job, with minimal progress reported in negotiations. The labor dispute continues to disrupt services across multiple communities.

Negotiations between Republic Services and the Teamsters Local 25 union are ongoing, with union members pushing for improved compensation and benefits. Despite the involvement of a federal mediator and pressure from elected officials urging both parties to reach a resolution, no agreement has been reached.

The work stoppage, which began on July 1, has affected waste and recycling pickup in over a dozen municipalities that rely on Republic Services. The backlog of uncollected materials has grown significantly, with commercial waste services also impacted. In response, the city of Boston has issued fines against the company.

Legal action has been pursued by the municipalities, with a petition filed in court requesting a judicial order requiring Republic Services to resume waste collection operations.

Republic has filed its own legal complaint, accusing the Teamsters of engaging in unlawful activity aimed at stopping replacement workers from completing pickups. On Thursday, the company shared a video it says shows striking workers obstructing company trucks. The footage, dated July 5, does not include a specific location. Republic also stated on Thursday that union members “continue” to block vehicles, although no additional examples were provided.

In a statement, the company said, “We prioritize service and the safety of our employees and communities. Teamsters Local 25 clearly does not share this same commitment. The union’s actions are putting our communities at risk.”

Later the same day, Teamsters Local 25 released a statement countering those claims.

“Republic’s continued bogus claims of unlawful conduct are nothing but lies. There have been no arrests, and the federal court judge has twice refused to issue an injunction because of the lack of any unlawful conduct. Republic’s inability to provide adequate service is because they don’t have enough non-union drivers and the ones that they have are not capable of operating their trucks in an efficient manner.”

The union characterized the company’s legal maneuvers as “stalling tactics” and noted that both the initial injunction request and a follow-up motion for reconsideration were denied by the court.

“Teamsters employed at Republic are more united than ever,” said Tom Mari, Teamsters Local 25 President and Principal Officer, in a statement released earlier Thursday. “All the Massachusetts politicians have spoken in one voice telling Republic to negotiate in good faith with Local 25. Even with the risk of losing millions of dollars of business and not having met for 12 days, and with the public outcry screaming for a settlement, Republic still won’t agree to meet.”