25-08 - Flipbook - Page 21
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Gloucester has diverted some municipal workers to pickup duty, while other cities have had
to outsource to different private contractors. The additional cost has been cited in the
lawsuit against Republic.
But even cities that don't work with Republic are struggling to deal with the stalemate.
In Boston, where many local businesses rely on the company for private collection, Mayor
Michelle Wu said she would start fining Republic for failure to clear trash: "Your inability to
collect trash from your customers due to the ongoing labor dispute at Republic Services is
taking an unacceptable toll on Boston's residents, businesses, and neighborhoods."
At a coffee shop in Malden, a few miles north of Boston, a garbage dumpster was
overflowing on Wednesday, attracting a cloud of buzzing insects.
"It's been horrible, terrible, really. I don't know how to explain how frustrating it is," said
business-owner Glaicy Santos. "We need the trash to be picked up every week because we
have a lot of trash. When that doesn't happen, then that creates a big problem for us. And
then it also becomes mosquitoes out there, or other rodents could be out there."
She's not sure how much more she can take, but she may have a while to wait.
Negotiations broke off last Friday, and the two parties have no date scheduled to head
back to the bargaining table.
