Republic Services and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 25 have come to a five-year labor agreement, ending a monthslong strike in the Boston area. The deal is expected to restore full service to more than a dozen municipalities, some of which have taken Republic to court over missed pickups.
The union noted in a statement Friday that it secured a 46% wage increase over five years, a slight improvement over Republic’s last publicized offer of a 43% increase. The contract also improves wages, dental, audiology and vision benefits, as well as “many other terms of employment,” Local 25 leaders said.
Roughly 450 employees that are members of the union are expected to return to work next week, per an announcement from Republic Services.
The company thanked the Boston-area communities it serves for their patience in a statement.
“We look forward to our employees returning to work on Monday and quickly resuming normal operations,” Kurt Lavery, market vice president for Republic Services, said in the statement. “We will work tirelessly to restore our customers’ trust.”
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, who supported the workers during the strike and urged a resolution, hailed the agreement in a statement released by the union.
“I am glad that Republic and Teamsters Local 25 have been able to reach an agreement. This is welcome news for the people and communities served by Republic, and for the sanitation workers who can now return to work with the wages and benefits they deserve,” Healey said.
Local 25 began its strike on July 1. Local union leadership pushed for a range of changes to the employees' collective bargaining agreement, including stronger labor protections and a switch to the Teamsters' own health plan. They also wanted Republic Services' wages to match those of other haulers in the area whose employees are unionized.
After the Boston-area strike began, other Teamsters locals across the country either went on strike for their own contracts or halted work in solidarity. At the peak of the action in mid-July, more than 2,000 Republic Services workers represented by Teamsters were off the job.
Since then, three other local chapters have reached agreements with Republic Services and returned to work. Teamsters Local 728, which represents 32 Republic Services employees in Cumming, Georgia, remains on strike over alleged unfair labor practices, according to a union official. Republic workers represented by the local in Columbus, Ohio, walked out last week in solidarity with members already on strike.
Boston’s Local 25 was among the last holdouts, along with the Georgia chapter. Over the last two months, union membership in Boston rejected multiple offers from Republic Services to secure a better deal.
"During the strike we never lost hope that we would reach an agreement that would benefit our members," Tom Mari, president of Teamsters Local 25, said in a statement. "We are now ready to return to work and provide the best service possible to Republic’s customers.”
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with additional details about the new union contract and a statement from Gov. Healey.
