No ‘back to normal,’ but Malden trash pickups improving despite continuing strike by Republic Services workers

Republic trucks & replacement workers clear up trash and recycle waste overflows, assuming original routes

By Steve Freker

The ongoing strike by Republic Services workers entered a fifth consecutive week and now, a second calendar month, with no end in sight. There is no “back to normal”; however, there has been a dramatic improvement over just the past seven or eight days in Malden and other communities in the 17 North Shore and Greater Boston cities and towns affected by the trash pickup disruption. There has been a marked decrease in overflowing plastic green and blue (recycling) barrels around the city as Republic Services trucks and replacement workers have been circuiting around Malden making pickups according to the original routes.

Malden Mayor Gary Christenson said earlier this week that he and his team have been working in concert with other city officials as well as Malden City Councillors to continue to address this unprecedented logistical and health emergency. “We have steered as many municipal resources, including personnel to meet the needs and concerns of our residents as possible since the very first day of this emergency,” Mayor Christenson said, “and we will continue to do so until we get a satisfactory resolution of this major situation.”

The Mayor encouraged residents to continue to check the daily update available on the city website, www.cityofmalden.org, which details the schedules and resources available regarding trash and recycling waste removal. For example, Wednesday’s message reported that the Republic trucks were indeed picking up regular trash on the regular Wednesday pickup route, for one of the first instances since the strike began on July 1. Recycling trucks were removing Thursday and Friday recycling waste on Wednesday.

Because the “regular” household trash is now being picked up by trucks on the sidewalk at a near normal rate, there is now a pause on dropping off that type of trash at the Malden DPW yards. Recycling waste can still be dropped off at the following locations and times:

Recycling Drop-Off – DPW Yard (356 Commercial St.); Mondays & Wednesdays: 3 p.m.–8 p.m.

Recycling Drop-Off – Ferryway School (150 Cross St.); Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays: 8 a.m.–2 p.m.; Saturdays: 7 a.m.–3 p.m.

SIDEBAR

Judge denies injunction request by Malden, 5 other communities to end labor dispute between Republic, Teamsters Local 25

Mass. Congressional delegation urges union, Republic Services to negotiate end to trash workers’ strike

By Steve Freker

An Essex County judge refused to intervene in the Republic Services trash workers strike as it now enters in fifth week. Meanwhile, Congresswoman Katherine Clark, D-5th District, who represents Malden and several other affected communities, called on Republic and Teamsters Local 25 to work toward an agreement to end the 32-day-old strike.

Essex County Superior Court Judge Kathleen McCarthy-Neyman on Monday denied a request for an injunction filed by Malden, Gloucester, Beverly, Peabody, Danvers and Canton. According to reports, Judge McCarthy-Neyman wrote that it is beyond the court’s power to resolve the labor dispute and that “any order issued in response to the request would be too vague to be enforceable.”

“We believe that Judge McCarthy-Neyman got it right,” Republic Services said in a statement. “We again call for an end to Teamsters Local 25’s continued unlawful conduct, including the repeated blocking of our trucks out on the road and at service stops, which is causing service delays for our customers. We will continue to work with all communities impacted by Teamsters Local 25.”

Also on Monday, nine Massachusetts members of the U.S. House of Representatives, including U.S. Rep. Clark, joined in a letter urging the company to “return to the bargaining table in good faith.”

“Every community deserves high-quality municipal services, including waste management, but not at the expense of a competitive wage and comprehensive benefits, especially affordable accessible healthcare coverage, that supports your workers, their families, and the communities they serve and contribute to on and off the clock,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter.