Update as 4pm Friday, March 31: Waste Management spokesperson Talia Wise issued a statement confirming that more "volunteer drivers and technicians" have been secured to pickup customers' waste—trash, recycling, compost—on April 1 for those who missed their regular Wednesday pickup, and regular service for all customers will resume April 3, despite the ongoing strike among union members who normally service the routes.
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Residents of unincorporated Monterey County will see their waste pickups resume Thursday, March 30, Waste Management said in a statement.
This comes after the labor union for Waste Management's local drivers went on strike on Monday, March 27, leaving residents who rely on the drivers to haul away their waste in the lurch.
Talia Wise, a spokesperson for Waste Management, said in the statement that "volunteer" drivers and technicians have agreed to travel to the area to help the company resume its local service while negotiations continue with the union.
For customers who regularly get pickups Wednesday, there will be a Saturday, April 1 pickup this coming weekend.
Pickups will then continue as regularly scheduled pending the number of volunteer drivers, the statement says.
"The union’s claim that they are engaged in an unfair labor practice strike is unfounded," the statement says. "Although the union has recently filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board, the agency is only now beginning their investigation—no determination has been made."
Carmel Marina Corporation, Waste Management's local subsidiary, "denies that there is any merit to these claims and believes that these charges will ultimately be dismissed," the statement reads.
"CMC is incredibly disappointed that during a natural disaster the Union chose to strike rather than continue with the negotiation process. We view this action as an attempt to leverage the misfortune of the community to obtain their objective. This was done without regard to the negative impact on the community despite that the parties had scheduled negotiation sessions with a federal mediator’s assistance, which could have resolved this situation without disruption to a community that is already suffering."
The union says will strike until April 10.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect the following correction. Extra service this Saturday, April 1 will be for those who missed regular trash service on Wednesday, not Monday-Wednesday.
(1) comment
So there's no disposal service for Waste Management customers. WM would rather spend money photographing and rooting through our garbage than paying their employees, or lowering our rates. I wonder what we'd discover in the trash of Waste Managers and the politicians who accept their lobbyists' donations?
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