Threat Of Sanitation Strike In San Diego County Looms As Worker Contracts Expire, Union Says – Patch

Threat Of Sanitation Strike In San Diego County Looms As Worker Contracts Expire, Union Says  Patch

The possibility of a strike comes as contracts covering nearly 4,000 sanitation workers expired without tentative agreements. SAN DIEGO, CA — Contracts covering nearly 4,000 sanitation workers across Southern California have expired without tentative agreements between waste-hauling companies and the union that represents the workers. Now, the potential for a trash strike impacting Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Diego counties is becoming a distinct possibility. "There's a possibility of a strike, because the contracts have expired," Teamsters Local 396 Director of Communications Adan Alvarez told Patch. "I'm not saying that it's happening or going to happen, but it's a possibility." The contracts expired at midnight Wednesday and cover workers in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties, according to the union.

According to Alvarez, as of Friday, Oct. 2, there were no plans to officially authorize a union-wide strike — but that could change. "The Teamsters are gonna continue bargaining, but at this point, the contracts are expired and a labor dispute could happen theoretically at any time now," Alvarez said. The companies involved include Republic Services, Waste Management, Athens Services, CR&R, WARE Disposal, Park Disposal and AAA Disposal, according to the union. Republic Services said in a statement that it is in contract negotiations with Teamsters Local 396, which represents many of its employees in