Waste Management Settles With Strikers

3,300 Chicago waste haulers settled an eight day strike by gaining a 4 ½% wage increase each year for five years. They also were able to maintain their health benefits and protect against subcontracting. The Teamsters located their strike center at Waste Management, the largest Chicago private hauler.

"Hauling trash is worth just as much as the same work in New York," said Bill Woldman, Teamster Local 731 President. "These companies are extremely profitable and our members have earned their fair share of those profits."

Chicago Mayor Richard Daley announced that the city would would collect trash at Wrigley Field, the home of the Chicago Cubs baseball team. The Cubs were in the National League championship series. The city would also pick up trash at hospitals and some public areas.

"We hope that both the companies and the unions come to some form of agreement now," he said. "We have tried to be patient ... no matter how important those issues are to the two sides, nothing is more important that health and well-being of the people of the city of Chicago."

The mayor also said that the city would even sue to recover the expenses in picking up the extra garbage. "We're going to sue people in the end, you know that," the mayor said. "Someone is going to pay for this. The taxpayers are not going to pick this up. I mean these are two sides, they have responsibilities, they have money in their pockets, so I'm sorry."

On the following Tuesday, October 7^th, the parties met, having welcomed a Federal mediator. "The association welcomes any effort to end the strike," said Bill Plunkett, a spokesman for the Chicago Area Refuse Haulers Association, which represents 16 major waste haulers.

"The Teamsters welcome the federal mediator," said Rob Black, a Teamsters' spokesman, adding that the labor group first sought on Saturday to bring a mediator into the bargaining process.