Republic/Allied, Teamsters Trade 'Unfair' Charges
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Republic Services/Allied Waste Services and Teamsters Local 377 exchanged charges that the other has engaged in unfair labor practices as the Local 377's strike moved into its second day. Meanwhile the company says its operations are "normalizing" as it begins to put emergency resources into play to meet the needs of its customers.
The 110 sanitation workers represented by Local 377 went on strike at midnight Thursday; pickets, with instructions not to talk to the news media, have been stationed at the company's facilities in Lowellville and Youngstown. Workers have been without a new contract since their previous pact expired Oct. 31. Allied serves about 100,000 residential customers in the Mahoning Valley.
"Our operations team is doing a fine job of making sure critical needs are met while we normalize operations," said Doug Dunn, general manager. A "contingency crew" of nonunion drivers from other facilities throughout the country as well as supervisors and managers are handling operations, Dunn said this afternoon.
Meanwhile, garbage remains on the curbside in many neighborhoods, among them streets in Poland Township.
A news release issued by Republic Services earlier today said Local 377 commenced an "unlawful strike" against Republic and the Youngstown community, and that for weeks the union has refused to negotiate in good faith. The company said the union has not made a wage proposal, although Allied has "repeatedly requested one." The National Labor Relations Board is looking into whether to issue a complaint against the Teamsters for what the company terms "unfair labor practices" in the release.
The charge was filed over "what we felt was failure to negotiate," when the union did not respond to requests for additional bargaining sessions, Dunn said this afternoon.
The "key issue in the negotiations," Dunn said, is Republic's proposal to withdraw Youngstown employees from the "nearly insolvent" Central States Pension Fund. "The Teamsters have simply stonewalled us on pension issues," he remarked.
Ken Sabo, recording secretary and business agent with Local 377, counters his union has filed three unfair labor practices charges against the company, which has not provided information the local has requested and refuses to negotiate on work rules, he says.
"They have a list of 50 work rules that the people from Republic didn’t even have an idea what the actual work rules meant," Sabo remarked. "After weeks of us asking them, they finally sat down and explained them to us."
Sabo also disputes the charge that the union hasn't made a wage proposal -- an offer was made in November, he says. He argues the pension issue hasn't been discussed. Of the 15 meetings the union has had with Republic, all have concerned contract language and work rules and other items. "We haven't really gotten into the economical issues," he said.
In the company's news release, executives noted that three Republic business units in Michigan with more than 300 Teamster employees reached agreements on new contracts calling for withdrawal from the Central States Pension Fund, and all employees becoming part of the Teamster Western Conference Pension Plan.
"We have always been ready to do the right thing for our employees. The Michigan contracts show that the company is fair and flexible. It's time for the union to stop its unlawful acts and for all of us to get back to the bargaining table to hammer out a contract that's equitable and reasonable for employees and Youngstown. We will not let unlawful actions go without a proper response." Dunn said.
Talks are scheduled to resume April 9, a date that had been booked before the start of the strike. Both sides said they are prepared to meet at any time.
"We as a company are more than willing to sit down at any point prior to the 9th," Dunn said.
"We're ready to go to the table whenever they are. We want to get a contract," Sabo remarked.
Copyright 2013 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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