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Bay Area Garbage Strike Ends Under Tentative Five-Year Deal

Waste collection resumed Saturday following a tentative five-year contract that still requires union approval.

A photo shared by Teamsters on social media shows trash piling up by the roadside. "Scenes like these will continue and escalate until our members secure fair contracts," the union said on July 15.
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Trash piles up Tuesday on Brookside Drive in Richmond during the weeks-long strike.
Unemptied trash bins line Brookside Drive in Richmond on Tuesday before the Teamsters reached a tentative pact with Republic Services.

Overview

  • Republic Services and Teamsters Local 439 reached a tentative agreement on July 18 covering employees at the Forward Landfill in Manteca.
  • The five-year pact promises higher wages and reduced health-care costs for union members, with final details pending member ratification.
  • Teamsters Local 439 workers returned to Bay Area routes on July 19, launching catch-up operations to clear weeks of uncollected refuse.
  • Fairfield and other municipalities had declared public health emergencies and threatened legal action during the stoppage but are now coordinating with Republic on service restoration.
  • The local strike was the Bay Area front of a nationwide wave of Teamsters actions that began July 1, prompting cities to consider rate relief and backup hauling plans.