As cities sue Republic Services, Healey pressures company to end trash strike

As the ongoing strike involving waste management company Republic Services and Teamsters

grows more contentious

in Massachusetts, Gov. Maura Healey is stepping in.

In a statement released Thursday, Healey called on Republic to swiftly negotiate a deal that would end the strike locally.

“It has now been three weeks of no trash pick up in several Massachusetts communities, and this has gone beyond a headache for residents, businesses and municipalities — it is a public health concern and it’s expensive for everyone. Sanitation workers do essential work to keep our neighborhoods clean and healthy, and they deserve fair wages, benefits and protections,” Healey said. “Republic Services needs to come to the table and reach a fair deal — it’s time to get people back to work and resume services to our communities as soon as possible.”

Thousands

of Teamsters are striking nationally, arguing that Republic is unwilling to offer improved wages, benefits, and worker protections.

With the involvement of Teamsters Local 25, communities across Massachusetts

are being impacted

. Fourteen cities and towns, mostly on the North Shore, contract with the Phoenix-based company to handle municipal waste removal. Simultaneously, commercial customers like restaurants in many other Massachusetts communities also use Republic to pick up their trash.

The strike has resulted in weeks of delayed and missed trash pickups, overflowing dumpsters, and allegations of criminality.

Republic sued

Teamsters Local 25 this week, writing in court documents that union members have been aggressively harassing nonunion employees attempting to enter and exit Republic facilities. The company implied that Teamsters helped steal a truck, while also saying that they slashed the tires of a Republic vehicle and have been hurling racially charged and homophobic language at nonunion workers.

Republic also took aim at some local authorities. Revere police have been “unable or unwilling to control the mob” surrounding a facility there, forcing the company to stop running routes from the location and worsening the situation for customers, Republic alleged.

“The Revere Police Department’s role is to ensure public safety for all,” Capt. Thomas Malone of the Revere Police Department responded in a statement. “The contractual disputes between Republic Services and the Teamsters are a private business matter. On the morning of July 1, detail officers assigned to the Republic Services site called in additional resources to support vastly outnumbered officers in their efforts to keep peace and prevent property damage. Unfortunately, this ongoing contractual dispute is infringing on the resources and safety of the City of Revere.”

Negotiations are ongoing, but so far no deal has been reached. A

federal mediator

got involved last week, but talks broke down last Friday and again on Tuesday. Each side blamed the other for not being willing to compromise.

Teamsters Local 25 President Tom Mari said in a statement that Republic “rejected every proposal” offered by the union earlier this week and refused to commit to any future negotiating sessions.

Republic said that, at the end of negotiations Tuesday, the company offered to meet on Friday to continue talks. Teamsters initially refused to meet, but apparently changed their minds Wednesday, according to the company. A session is now scheduled for Friday, according to the company.

Impacted communities are going to court. Beverly, Canton, Danvers, Gloucester, Malden, and Peabody filed a complaint for injunctive relief against Republic Thursday, saying that the company had failed to adequately collect and dispose of waste over the last few weeks.

Officials in Peabody also took a unique approach:

calling on billionaire Bill Gates

to help pressure Republic into agreeing to a deal with the Teamsters. Gates is the principal of Cascade Investment, LLC, a major shareholder of Republic.

Ross Cristantiello, a general assignment news reporter for Boston.com since 2022, covers local politics, crime, the environment, and more.