Woo-hoo! Waste Management Teamsters ratify contract!

A beautiful sight: Getting ready to vote for a contract today.

Now that's what solidarity looks like!

Waste Management Teamsters from Local 117 ratified a new 6-year contract with Waste Management by a vote of 109-14 after striking for a week.

Here's the Local's statement:

...The Local 117 leadership and bargaining committee fully recommended the proposal for ratification by the membership. 

“This deal recognizes Seattle-area recycle and yard waste drivers for the tremendous job they do in performing difficult, dangerous work that protects the public health and the environment,” said Tracey A. Thompson, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 117. “Recycling is our future. We thank our drivers for their critical role in keeping our cities clean and for helping to make our region one of the leaders in the industry.” 

Local 117 recycle and yard waste drivers said they would resume servicing their customers in King and Snohomish counties later today. Garbage drivers, represented by Teamsters Local 174, returned to work earlier this morning, while members of Teamsters 231 in Skagit County were also back on the job on Thursday to service their regular collection routes. 

“We value our customers – they are our number one priority,” said Brent Barrett, a 11-year yard waste driver who works out of Waste Management’s facility in Seattle. “We look forward to getting back in our trucks, cleaning up our cities and neighborhoods, and continuing to provide the highest-quality service to our customers.” 

Local 117 wished to thank their supporters for their role in arriving at this contract agreement. 

“We want to thank our Teamster brothers and sisters, especially members of Teamsters Local 174 and Teamsters Local 231, for their unwavering solidarity during the strike. We are also grateful to the many unions, community organizations, municipalities, public officials, and members of our community for their tremendous support that made this outcome possible,” Thompson said. 

“In the end, it was our area’s recycle and yard waste drivers who showed incredible courage, solidarity, and determination in their effort to achieve a fair contract that preserves their livelihood and their ability to provide for their families,” she said.