Overflowing dumpsters. Foul summer air. Mounting frustration. Cities across the United States are grappling with a wave of garbage worker strikes that have left communities buried under weeks of uncollected waste.

At the center of the chaos is Republic Services, a Fortune 500 waste-management giant contracted by municipalities across the country. Workers represented by the Teamsters Union have been on strike since 1 July, demanding better wages and benefits.

The labor action, which began in Greater Boston, has spread to cities across the country—including Manteca, California; Ottawa, Illinois; Cumming, Georgia; and Lacey, Washington—with over 2,000 workers walking off the job in solidarity. The consequences have been visible and pungent: garbage piling high, vermin multiplying, and residents left angry and helpless.

🧑‍🔧 Workers Say: Pay Doesn’t Match the Job

For sanitation workers like Mike Ortiz, a veteran truck driver from Malden, Massachusetts, the dispute is about fairness.

“The cost of living is high – what they’re offering, I couldn’t survive on it for a month,” Ortiz said.

Teamsters representatives argue that their members are paid significantly less than other sanitation workers in comparable roles and receive inferior benefits. But Republic Services contends that the union is unwilling to compromise and has engaged in disruptive tactics rather than dialogue.

📍 Widespread Impact: Trash and Tensions Spread

The strike’s effects are being felt coast to coast:

• Boston-area towns, including Gloucester, are suing Republic for breach of contract.
• Lacey, Washington, and Manteca, California, have reached local agreements and ended their strikes.
• However, cities like Ottawa, Cumming, and Greater Boston remain without collection services, with tens of thousands of garbage bins left untouched.

In Gloucester, Mayor Greg Vargas criticized Republic for failing to provide promised contingency support:

“They said they’d take care of everything. That has not been delivered since day one.”

🧼 Dirty Work and Dangerous Conditions

Beyond the overflowing bins, striking workers say they’re standing up to unsafe working conditions and unmaintained equipment.

In Lacey, sanitation worker Eric Fiel described wading through pools of waste—including blood vials and soiled diapers—due to broken pumps.

“You’re wading through this water… full of feces, diapers, animal waste,” he said.

Fiel, along with other workers, claimed that conditions deteriorated rapidly after Republic took over the Thurston County landfill two years ago.

⚖️ Legal Clashes and Public Outcry

The labor dispute has now entered the courtroom. Republic has filed lawsuits accusing the union of sabotage—allegations the Teamsters deny. Meanwhile, residents and small business owners are voicing anger over missed pickups and health hazards.

In Boston, Mayor Michelle Wu announced fines for Republic’s failure to fulfill service obligations, stating:

“This is taking an unacceptable toll on Boston’s residents, businesses, and neighborhoods.”

Businesses like Glaicy Santos’ coffee shop in Malden have been hit hard.

“It’s horrible, really,” she said. “We need trash picked up every week. Now we’re dealing with mosquitoes, flies, and who knows what else.”

🤝 Negotiations Stall, Garbage Mounts

Although Republic and the union have managed to resolve some local disputes, no nationwide agreement has been reached. Talks in Massachusetts collapsed last Friday, and no new bargaining sessions have been scheduled.

As cities scramble to contain the crisis—creating public dumping sites and hiring emergency contractors—residents are left to cope with a summer that stinks in more ways than one.