Arizona Teamsters ratify Republic Services contract

Members of the Arizona-based Local 104 chapter of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters at Republic Services’ North and East Yards have ratified their first collective bargaining agreements with the Phoenix-based waste company.

The new four-year contracts include a 19 percent wage hike, enhanced training pay, a 135 percent hourly rate for vacation, sick leave, holidays and language protections for safety and seniority rights.

“These workers, in the face of an extreme antiunion campaign, demonstrated remarkable resilience throughout their organizing drive,” Local 104 Vice President Josh Graves says. “They stayed united and showed true solidarity until they reached their goal.”

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The chapter says Republic Services launched a union-busting campaign, which resulted in the Teamsters filing unfair labor practice charges.

Republic Services says it values its employees and respects their right to engage in collective bargaining.

“We have reached a contract agreement with the union representing employees at two of our facilities in the Phoenix area that is fair for our employees, our customers and our company,” representatives for Republic Services said in a statement to Waste Today.

In February 2023, the Arizona House of Representatives called on Republic Services to negotiate a contract with Local 104. The letter, addressed to Republic Services CEO Jon Vander Ark, urged the company to respect United States labor law as outlined in the National Labor Relations Act.

“After voting to become Teamsters, the company waited a full year to offer us a fair contract,” says Mark McCall, a driver at Republic Services’ North Yard and a member of the negotiating committee. “We ultimately persevered and won a great contract that increases wages, improves safety and protects our rights.”

Nationwide, the Teamsters represent more than 7,000 workers at Republic Services.