THURSTON COUNTY, Wash. — A union representing trash collectors will begin their strike early this morning, disrupting trash services for “tens of thousands of residents” in Thurston County, the union wrote in a press memo.
Teamsters Local 252, representing employees at Republic trash and garbage services, announced the strike on Tuesday night.
The union says they are striking to protest “unfair labor practices” and are rallying for improved wages, better benefits, and stronger labor protections.
With the strike, Republic customers in Lacey, Olympia, Tumwater, and Yelm will be impacted. It’s unclear which neighborhoods are facing an impact.
The strike is part of a national movement from the union against Republic, and Teamsters 252 joins unions around Massachusetts, Illinois, Georgia, and California.
Workers could extend picket lines to potentially 3,500 Teamsters nationwide, the union said.
It’s unclear how long the strike could last or how many customers will be impacted.
According to a representative with Teamsters, Republic employees in Seattle, Lynnwood, Bellevue, and Kent plan on standing in solidarity with Thurston County Republic Teamsters on Wednesday by not picking up trash, as well. They will be “honoring the picket line,” but are not striking themselves.
We’ll update this story with any new developments.
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