Republic Services, a Fortune 500 private waste-management company with municipal contracts across America, has been facing a labor dispute with the Teamsters union. The union claims that workers are being paid far below other sanitation workers and receive worse benefits. The strike began on July 1st in Boston and spread to several other cities in the US, impacting millions of Americans. At peak, over 2,000 garbage collectors across the country were not on the job, impacting millions of Americans.
Republic Services has sued the Teamsters, accusing it of engaging in illegal behavior. The union denies the accusations. Garbage collectors in major cities like New York and Philadelphia are public employees, but smaller metropolises have long outsourced to private companies like Republic. The company took in $16bn in revenue in 2024 and frequently appears on the Fortune 500 list.
In Massachusetts, there appears to be no sign of a quick resolution. Both Republic Services and the Teamsters union are farther away than ever on pay and health-care benefits. Both accuse the other of misrepresenting the conflict.
Towns and cities are having to get creative and dig into their own pockets to keep the trash under control. Several towns have created dump sites where residents can bring their own refuse, while others have had to outsource to different private contractors. The additional cost has been cited in the lawsuit against Republic.
In Boston, where many local businesses rely on the company for private collection, Mayor Michelle Wu said she would start fining Republic for failure to clear trash. Negotiations broke off last Friday, and the two parties have no date scheduled to head back to the bargaining table.
