The following announcement was provided by Teamsters Local 25:
Following a strike vote that passed by more than 90 percent on Monday, members of Teamsters Local 25 at Republic Services are about to conclude their first week of the work stoppage without a fair offer from the company.
The overwhelming vote to strike was caused by Republic‘s refusal to agree to pay the same wages and benefits that have been negotiated by Local 25 at Capitol Waste and Star Waste Systems, the trash behemoth’s major competitors in Eastern Massachusetts.
“This strike is all about fairness, equity, and maintaining the area standards established by Local 25,” said Thomas G. Mari, President of Local 25. “I have never seen a group of workers who are so united and committed to making certain they are able to enjoy the same pay and benefits as people who are doing the exact same job at another employer.”
Republic has never indicated in any negotiating sessions that it cannot afford to pay the wages and health insurance provided by its competitors. In fact, Republic Services — the second-largest sanitation company in North America — enjoyed total revenue of $16 billion in 2024, a nearly six percent increase over the year prior. The firm also returned $1.18 billion to shareholders and close to $13 million to its CEO.
Republic acknowledges its wage schedule is several dollars below its competitors, as well as the fact that its health insurance plan is not as comprehensive as the Teamsters Plan enjoyed by Local 25 members at other sanitation employers throughout the region. Yet the company still refuses to agree to provide the same wages or health care.
“The strike will take as long as necessary to make certain that Republic Teamsters get what they’ve rightfully earned,” Mari said. “We’re not looking for Republic to pay more than others. We just want them to meet the standards we’ve already established in Greater Boston.”
Republic faces the same issues almost everywhere. Teamsters at the company’s operation in Ottawa, Ill. went on strike a day after members of Local 25, and the union could extend picket lines nationwide, resulting in a work stoppage for over 3,500 Teamsters.
“Republic has to realize that our members are fully committed to this effort,” Mari said. “This strike will end when Republic comes to its senses and agrees to bring pay and benefits up to the industry standard. We know they can afford it.”
Teamsters Local 25 represents more than 13,000 members and their families in greater Boston and southern New England. For more information, visit teamsterslocal25.com.
How long is our contract with Republic? Seems like Watertown got into bed with the wrong company!
Hello Capitol Waste and Star Waste Systems. Our City manager should give you a call, as this is not coming back to normal anytime soon.
In view of these (presumably verifiable) facts, I support this strike.
I stand behind the workers. They should not have to struggle to make ends meet while the CEO takes home $13, 000,000. It is obscene and disgusting. Maybe the CEO could have fewer vacation homes, and cars, and Cartier watches. Pay fair and comparable wages that others doing the same job for your competitors are getting. CEOs don’t have to deal with rats in the trash. The workers do.
And now the Watertown residents do as well [deal with the rats].
For clarity, the CEO’s $13M comes from vested stock awards tied to the Company’s performance, not payroll wages. He doesn’t take that home; 50% of it most likely; taxes, you know? He got his JD from Harvard, which should explain a couple of things here.
The CEO most likely wears Rolexes. (Cartier is so 70s – and quartz now; the horror).
Maybe the CEO could take a few million less. Is managing any company worth 13 million? Especially now that they will get the biggest tax break.
Nope. It’s not going to happen, particularly when under this CEO’s tenure Republic’s stock went from $90.00 to $240.00.
Right! So the CEO makes an obscene amount of money, the shareholders make a windfall and the workers and citizens of Watertown get hosed. What’s wrong with that? Yikes.
Is this how we provide a vital and basic civic service?
Well, at least the CEO creates value for shareholders and the strike will be over soon. Were you complaining about Hillary Clinton back then when she made all this money and benefited no one but herself? Of course not. Plenty more examples about people you probably admire and just got rich producing nothing. Nothing. Pelosi anyone?
2004 = $20,264,179
2005 = $18,056,395
2006 = $16,063, 908
2007 = $21,199,212
2008 = $5,573,351
2009 = $10,223,318
2010 = $13,244,484
2011 = $14,899,484
2012 = $19,993,299
2013 = $27,093,859
2014 = $28,336,212
$13M doesn’t look that obscene now. Does it?
Hmmm. . .I suppose that value is in the eye of the beholder.
$13M a year for running garbage? Sounds like organized crime to me.
Value is not “in the eye of the beholder”. It is a fact.
For fiscal 2025, analysts expect RSG to report a profit of $6.90 per share, up 6.8% from $6.46 per share in fiscal 2024. Its EPS is expected to further grow 10% year-over-year to $7.59 in fiscal 2026. Its adjusted EBITDA advanced 8.8% from the same period last year, reaching $1.3 billion, with a 140 basis-point expansion in its adjusted EBITDA margin. Pricing ahead of cost inflation, combined with effective cost management by the company, supported its profitability.
Of course, spewing baseless accusations is easy whereas real, good numbers are hard to achieve and maintain.
Do you want to talk about “organized crime”? Here you go.
As Speaker of the House, Pelosi earned $223,500 annually and now earns $174,000 a year as a member of Congress.
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-California) raked in between $7.8 and $42.5 million in 2024 — meaning her estimated net worth with venture capitalist hubby Paul Pelosi could now top out at $413 million, new financial disclosures showed.
Not bad, uh?
Not baseless accusations at all. The profit per share comes at the expense of those who use the service, that is, your townsfolk and neighbors as well as those in other locales. If executive compensation and shareholder value is so high then certainly worker compensation should keep pace.
There is a legitimate debate about whether this executive compensation and increase in shareholder value creates negative impacts in the economy at large (your cue to call me a socialist!).
We know you hate Nancy Pelosi and Hilary Clinton. That’s old news. But there are examples of questionable accretions of wealth on both sides of the aisle. But if you are okay with Garbage Man making $13M then spare us the complaints about the Pelosis et. al.
I stand firmly in solidarity with IBT Local 25 and their striking workers. I call upon the City of Watertown officials to force Republic to the negotiation table and meet the fair demands of the union. Watertown must allow Republic to hire scabs.
Gabriel Camacho
Watertown Human Rights Commission ( for identification purposes)
As a Watertown resident and a former member of the AFL-CIO, I support Local 25 in their fight for fair wages. In the meantime, the City of Watertown needs to open the Recycling Center so residents can drop off their yard waste, recycling and household trash.
I’m a union girl all the way. Joined my first one when I was earning my way through college as a supermarket cashier. Later I union organized for District 65 at MIT where the mere scent of a union threw everyone into a tizzy and resulted in 6% salary increases. Unions are mainly responsible for obtaining the 40 hour work week (which you may have noticed no longer holds true for non-union employees) and better wages and benefits. Everyone benefits from what unions have fought for and won. Unions are not a panacea, but they tend to keep management from abusing their employees. Solidarity forever.
Why are people so vitriolic over a Teamsters’ announcement? Oh right, because it’s a Teamsters’ announcement. No word from Republic, which is no way to report or consume news. It was hard, but not impossible, to locate a statement from Republic denouncing harassment and vandalism against replacement workers, which we agree are necessary in a public health emergency such as this.
An article appeared here only two years ago reporting Watertown’s deal with Republic:
https://www.watertownmanews.com/2023/06/15/city-negotiating-trash-recycling-contract-in-topsy-turvy-solid-waste-market/
The Town Council allowed Mr. Proakis to negotiate a five-year deal with Republic at that time, with no reported objections over the CEO’s pay in the article or comments. If we are “shocked, shocked” to learn of an adversarial negotiation between Teamsters and management, we have not been paying attention. I hold the town in greater fault than either side in this dispute. I hope for and expect a mutually beneficial agreement in short order.
Mr Bill Gates controls 39% of Republic shares. Did anyone see him driving a scab truck in the monsoon this morning ….?
Full disclosure, I’m a retired Local 25 driver and stand strong with the rank and file workers I’m also informed by the union that Republican , sorry Republic , hasn’t even negotiated since last week despite their public comments to the contrary
Being on strike is not a walk in the park folks but if the Teamsters don’t stand up against Corporate Greed than who will ?