Las Vegas Sun
A Republic Services recycling truck makes the rounds in Las Vegas in December 2013.
Tuesday, May 17, 2022 | 11:18 a.m.
Las Vegas trash collectors could go on strike unless a new contract is reached by the end of this month, union officials said.
Tommy Blitsch, secretary-treasurer for Teamsters Local 631 in Las Vegas, said union negotiators and representatives of Republic Services, which operates garbage collection services in Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Henderson and Clark County — remain “far off” from an agreement.
The existing five-year contract is set to expire at the end of this month.
On May 10, more than 1,200 Republic Services union employees — close to 95% of participating members — voted to authorize a strike, according to a news release from the union.
The vote came after “weeks of contentious contract negotiations” with Republic Services, union leaders said.
Republic Services said in a statement that it hopes to “make progress toward a competitive contract that is fair for all.”
The statement referred to the union vote as a “formality often pushed by unions to put pressure on an employer.”
The company said it is willing to temporarily extend the current contract to allow more time for negotiations.
Blitsch said talks are scheduled to resume Saturday.
“There are lots of issues outstanding,” Blitsch said. “The union hasn’t even gotten to the financials yet. We’re concerned about disrespect and the treatment of employees by management individuals. A strike would be unfortunate. We’ll continue to work to try to get a deal done.”
In December, more than 400 sanitation workers employed by Republic Services in Orange County, Calif., went on strike, though it lasted only about a week before a new contract was agreed upon.
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents over 7,000 Republic Services workers in the United States.
