Allied Waste Teamsters Strike Over Unfair Labor Practices

500 Teamsters Honor Picket Line, Workers Call on Company to Negotiate in Good Faith

HALF MOON BAY, Calif., Aug. 26 - Today, hundreds of Teamsters at Allied Waste are honoring the picket line of scale house operators, sorters and drivers who went out on strike this morning to protest unfair labor practices by the solid waste giant during ongoing contract negotiations.

Twelve workers represented by Teamsters Local 350 in Daly City, Calif. have been in negotiations with Allied Waste for a new contract for more than eight months. The workers, who work at the Ox Mountain yard, are holding a 48-hour strike to protest Allied Waste's continued stall tactics and refusal to bargain in good faith.

"Our members feel that enough is enough," said Bob Morales, Teamsters Local 350 Secretary-Treasurer and Director of the Teamsters Solid Waste and Recycling Division. "We are sending a wake-up call to Allied Waste - we will not be bullied and intimidated during negotiations. We have negotiated in good faith and expect the same behavior from the company."

More than 500 Teamsters that work at Allied Waste are honoring the picket line at Ox Mountain. The 12 members on strike are not the only workers represented by Local 350 currently in negotiations with Allied Waste. Clerical workers, organized by the Teamsters earlier this year, are trying to negotiate a first contract with Allied Waste but have encountered similar tactics by the company.

The clerical workers, who are predominantly female, apparently do not rate the same health and welfare and pension benefits or wages as the male workers at the company. Allied Waste has refused to make an offer to the clerical workers with comparable benefits and wages to the male workers. The union has filed unfair labor practice charges against the company on behalf of the clerical workers.

"Gender should never be a factor when negotiating for wages and benefits," Morales said. "Female employees should be treated with equality and respect in the workplace, and we will not accept any agreement that discriminates on the basis of gender."

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents more than 1.4 million hardworking men and women in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.