Garbage collection will continue today as scheduled after Allied Waste and members of the Teamsters Local 174 reached an agreement yesterday and members of the union and Waste Management continued to talk late into Wednesday night. While no formal agreement has yet been reached between the union and Waste Management, both sides have agreed to continue talking.
Allied Waste serves Mercer Island, as well as Bellevue, Kent, Edmonds and portions of Lynnwood.
The union that represents most King County garbage haulers, including Mercer Island’s Eastside Disposal Service, threatened to strike at midnight on March 31 unless an agreement on a new contract was reached.
Officials from Waste Management Northwest and Allied Waste are trying to settle a contract dispute with the union members, with negotiations ongoing.
Teamsters Local 174 represents about 500 workers in negotiations with Waste Management Northwest and Allied Waste. The companies serve about 1 million people in King and Snohomish counties.
If the union ultimately decides to strike, officials from both companies said that garbage pick-up would continue, albeit a bit off schedule. This includes Mercer Island service.
“Garbage service won’t stop. It will be done by others,” said Maintenance Director Glenn Boettcher. “The Eastside Disposal Service has been talking with Rich Conrad and I about what they’ve done to prepare for the possibility of a strike.”
Boettcher said that, if a strike does occur, Island residents’ whose garbage is picked up on Friday may have to wait until Saturday. The schedule should resume to normal pickup times on Monday.
“Hopefully, there will not be a lot of disruption. An auto dialing system will let people know that their service is a day late,” he said.
Union officials say workers are upset about rising health care premiums and possible cuts in wages to help fund retirement benefits.
Waste Management representatives retort that the cities they serve are experiencing deep budget cuts, which affects how much the company can pay.
As more information becomes available the Reporter will keep readers updated.
