SALEM — An Essex Superior Court judge said yesterday she will look closer at the facts involving trash collector Republic Services and six communities who claim the company is not abiding by terms of the contact Republic has with them.
Republic employees, who are members of Teamsters Local 25, walked off the job July 1 over a bargaining dispute. Collection of trash and recyclables has been affected in all communities served by Republic, including in Wakefield.
Beverly, Malden, Gloucester, Peabody, Danvers and Canton sued Republic Services seeking an injunction to compel the company to fulfill their contracts and address the mounting trash and recycling backlog caused by the ongoing strike.
Yesterday in Salem, Judge Kathleen McCarthy-Neyman heard arguments regarding the injunction request. However, no immediate ruling was issued following the hearing. The judge took the lawsuit under advisement, indicating that an order would be issued at some point in the near future.
Republic Services has stated it is doing its best to maintain service during the strike, while the municipalities argue that the situation constitutes a public health nuisance and breach of contract.
Republic’s unionized workers are seeking the same fair wages, quality affordable health care, and improved working conditions provided by other union trash companies in Greater Boston.
Today, area firefighters planned to join Teamsters on the picket line on Route 1 in Peabody, site of a Republic Services facility.
In a separate matter, Republic took the Teamsters to federal court on Monday, seeking a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to end a strike that has left some Massachusetts residents without trash service. A judge denied them.
The strike is in its third week.
In Wakefield, DPW Director Joseph Conway and then-Town Administrator Stephen P. Maio had a pre-strike plan that included using existing and rental trucks to collect trash, with the DPW picking up the slack left by Republic Services’ scrambling to find drivers and others to replace striking workers.
The local collection plan was always meant to be temporary.