REVERE, Mass. — Garbage is piling up in more than a dozen Massachusetts communities as a Teamsters strike involving waste collectors entered its second day on Wednesday.
As the Fourth of July approaches, residents in 14 towns and cities are bearing the brunt of the strike. Boston 25 News spotted overflowing trash cans, stuffed recycling bins, and untouched bags of rubbish at many homes awaiting disposal.
The Teamsters Local 25 union says they’re fighting for better wages and benefits in its contract with Republic Services. About three dozen union workers again lined up outside the waste management facility in Revere on Wednesday morning.
On Tuesday, the first day of the strike, Republic Services alleged some of the workers caused safety concerns near its Revere location.
“We condemn the dangerous actions today by the Teamsters and their outside agitators. They slashed tires on occupied vehicles, harassed drivers serving customers, threatened employees, and sabotaged trucks. This isn’t negotiating—it’s criminal behavior,” a Republic Services spokesperson said. “These reckless actions demonstrate a blatant disregard for safety and public welfare. True leadership would prioritize responsible dialogue over dangerous street tactics.”
Boston 25 News reached out to the Revere Police Department to verify Republic Services’ accusations of violence, but did not hear back.
The Teamsters union didn’t directly respond to these allegations Tuesday night, but earlier in the day, General President Sean O’Brien released a statement.
“If your rubbish is piling up on the Fourth of July, remember who’s responsible for it: the white-collar criminals who run Republic Services,” O’Brien said. “Republic Teamsters didn’t start this fight, but we will finish it. Our members will do whatever it takes to finally get the respect they’re owed.”
Meanwhile, the trash is piling up in towns like Peabody.
“It’s very upsetting actually, very upsetting,” said Katiuscia Freitis, a Peabody resident. “It’s really hot and everything, and we’re going to have a bad smell everywhere.”
First, it’s the smell, next it’s the rodents.
“The raccoons and all the animals, it’s going to be bad, like especially the flies, oh my God,” said Freitis.
It’s not just Peabody.
Trash barrels were left out on sidewalks with no workers to pick them up on Tuesday in more than a dozen towns outside Boston, from Peabody to Revere to Arlington and Canton, after 450 Republic Services workers walked off the job.
“I think everybody’s just hoping that it gets resolved soon,” said Joe Rosario, who lives in Peabody.
Homeowners are now trying to figure out what to do with the garbage, not knowing when this strike will end.
“It’s a little frustrating, hopefully we don’t make too much trash, so we can probably manage for a few days, you know, as long as you keep the trash covered,” said Rosario.
Republic Services says it remains committed to fair negotiations to come to an agreement on these contracts.
These local cities and towns affected are trying to figure out other ways to collect that trash while this strike continues:
- Peabody
- Manchester-by-the-Sea
- Gloucester
- Wakefield
- Marblehead
- Malden
- Beverly
- Danvers
- North Reading
- Lynnfield
- Swampscott
- Arlington
- Watertown
- Canton
Hundreds of additional Teamsters across the country are having similar contract disputes with Republic, and they could launch strikes of their own at any moment.
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