Two hundred Local 6 members went on strike at three Waste Management facilities during the early morning hours of March 15, shutting-down the company’s East Bay operations for six hours. Members organized multiple picket lines beginning at 2am in three locations: the company’s headquarters in Oakland, a recycling facility in San Leandro, and the massive regional landfill in Livermore/Altamont. The picket lines were honored by nearly all Teamster drivers and many mechanics from the Machinists Union who also work at Waste Management.
The company’s blatant violation of federal labor laws sparked the action, including Waste Management’s retaliation against many ILWU members who are immigrants. Waste Management has been trampling on the rights of ILWU-represented workers who are organizing to solve problems and resolve open union contracts that have languished for years. Local 6 and the ILWU International have joined forces to help workers organize for more respect, win improvements and protect their rights.
Diverse workforce
The ILWU workforce at Waste Management has been represented for several decades and is divided into three units, each with separate contracts. About 65 workers operate the company’s landfill operations, and several dozen provide clerical and customer service assistance.
Many are low-paid
The largest group of ILWU members are the company’s lowest-paid who operate Waste Management’s East Bay recycling operation. The predominantly-immigrant employees are paid roughly half what recycling workers earn in San Francisco and San Jose for doing the same work, while residents in those cities pay roughly the same rates for their garbage and recycling services as do East Bay residents.
Community campaign
Efforts to improve the low-pay and dangerous working conditions for recycling workers are being supported by a coalition of community groups known as the Campaign for Sustainable Recycling, which includes the East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy (EBASE), religious leaders, environmental organizations and recycling experts who are committed to winning better recycling services for the public along with better working conditions for employees. EBASE members were on the picket lines early Friday morning to support the striking workers.
Building support
Several days before the strike, community leaders convened a meeting at the Bay Area Christian Connection church in Oakland, where workers explained Waste Management’s retaliation against immigrant employees. And a month before the strike in early February, 200 workers convened a historic “Recycling Workers Convention” with employees from four major recycling operators in the East Bay. Much of that meeting was conducted in Spanish, and was chaired by workers who are taking a leadership role in their campaign to improve industry conditions in Alameda County. Supporters at the Convention included a host of elected officials, church leaders, environmental groups, industry experts and community organizations. The convention concluded with workers ratifying a plan to improve industry conditions. Political leaders signed a statement calling for better jobs and improved recycling services in the East Bay.
Legal action
In the days leading up to the strike, workers filed formal charges against Waste Management with the National Labor Relations Board that included:
• Threatening and intimidating employees;
• Implementing workplace policies without bargaining with the Union;
• Mistreating immigrant workers.
Using E-Verify against immigrant workers
One nasty charge involved the company’s improper and illegal use of the federal “E-Verify” system to retaliate against immigrant recycling workers who were organizing to protect their rights on the job. The company began by bypassing a legal obligation to first negotiate with the union before using the E-Verify system. Waste Management also improperly used the E-Verify system against long-term employees instead of new-hires or applicants. And Waste Management also used E-Verify in a retaliatory manner by deploying it immediately after workers planned to take collective action – a serious violation of federal labor law. The company spokesman claimed that their timing was merely a coincidence, or as he told the San Francisco Chronicle, “an unfortunate chain of events that overlain one another.”
In addition abusing the E-Verify system, Waste Management also engaged in other violations of the National Labor Relations Act, including unlawful surveillance and interrogation of employees.
“America won’t work if big companies like Waste Management can break the law with impunity and violate workers’ rights,” said Fred Pecker, Secretary-Treasurer of ILWU Local 6. “All workers deserve respect on the job and the right to be free from illegal threats.”
Positive media coverage
The strike generated intense media coverage that was sympathetic towards workers. Five television stations carried the story, beginning with early morning reports that ran throughout the day, including live coverage from reporters on the picket lines and in helicopters overhead. Some of the interviews were conducted by workers themselves, including Manuel Christy, a 23-year Waste Management veteran who told Channel 5 news that the strike was about “respect and fairness.” More than 60 TV and radio reports aired on Friday that reached over 1.5 million residents. The San Francisco Chronicle published an article the following day that provided details about the company’s illegal retaliation against immigrant workers.
History of abuse
Waste Management has a history of mistreating Bay Area workers. In 2007, the company was engaged in contract negotiations with Teamsters and Machinists when they issued a demand for cutbacks. When workers refused, the company “locked-out” the drivers and mechanics. The 200 ILWU workers respected the picket lines during the 28-day lockout, going without pay and putting a heavy burden on their families who made a dramatic show of solidarity. During the lockout, the company mobilized their professional team of in-house strike breakers from around the country, known as “the green team,” but many East Bay customers had little or no garbage service for the month, triggering heavy fines and sanctions against the company. When the lockout ended, Waste Management retaliated by suing the ILWU and outsourcing 38 customer service positions in November of 2009.
Deep pockets
Waste Management is the nation’s largest waste and recycling operator. The company is highly profitable. In 2012, Waste Management reported profits of $817 million and paid stockholders another $658 million in dividends. While the company demands concessions from workers, Waste Management’s CEO has been collecting $7.4 million in compensation.
Waste Management workers in the East Bay shut the company down for six hours on March 15 to protest abuse.
Workers and supporters, including the East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy (EBASE), went to the Oakland City Council on February 5, to warn officials about Waste Management unlawful retaliation against immigrant workers.
Striking worker Manuel Christy, a 23-year union member and Waste Management veteran, told Channel 5 news that the company should obey the law and respect all workers.