The strike by union employees working at Republic Services has ended as the two sides announced an agreement on Friday.
The strike began on July 1, and lasted more than 11 weeks. A five-year deal was signed by the two sides, according to a joint announcement.
Republic Services and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 25 have reached a five-year collective bargaining agreement.
We appreciate the community’s patience during this service interruption and apologize for the inconvenience it has caused. We worked hard to reach a mutual agreement that restores the high-level of service expected by customers in Greater Boston.
“We look forward to our employees returning to work on Monday and quickly resuming normal operations,” said Kurt Lavery, Market Vice President for Republic Services. “We will work tirelessly to restore our customers’ trust.”
Tom Mari, President of Local 25 said “During the strike we never lost hope that we would reach an agreement that would benefit our members. We are now ready to return to work and provide the best service possible to Republic’s customers.”
The City of Watertown sent out an update on Friday afternoon.
“We are pleased to announce that Republic Services and its unionized workers have reached an agreement, officially bringing the strike to an end,” the announcement said.
The announcement also included the following information:
- Curbside trash collection and B-week recycling will resume tomorrow, Saturday, September 20, 2025. Please note, there will be no yard waste pickup on Saturday.
- If your scheduled pickup was missed this week, please continue to leave your bins at the curb. If your trash and/or recycling has already been collected, remember to bring your bins back in.
- Next Week: Regular services will resume. Trash, A-week recycling, and yard waste collection are scheduled as normal.
Emergency Drop-Off Site:
The emergency trash, recycling, and yard waste drop-off site at 148 Waltham Street will be closed this weekend and will not reopen next week, as the strike has ended.
Recycling Center:
The Recycling Center at 76 Stanley Avenue will reopen on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, and resume its regular business hours: Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
We sincerely thank all residents for your patience and understanding during the strike. Your support has been greatly appreciated as services return to normal.
Republic has proven that they are not willing or able to meet their obligations. Watertown should look elsewhere for a vendor once the current contract is up, if not sooner.
I almost share the feeling, but not quite. Five years of labor peace is the least we deserve after these 11 weeks. Plus the clawback of money the city spent doing Republic’s job. Let’s take the win we have.
I agree. I know the city has to take the lowest bidder and maybe we should change that. You get what you pay for. Maybe the city can add a process in which the vendor is analyzed on factors like how they treat workers. One, providing a good solid wage is just the right thing to do, but two, it may avert strikes which hurts the bottom line and reputation.