Teamsters denounce Republic Services

Alana Roberts

Friday, June 4, 2004 | 11:13 a.m.

Leaders of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, who are involved in a web of litigation over labor disputes with Republic Services Inc., announced at a news conference Thursday a campaign to expose what they call abuses of workers, safety violations and violations of the union's contract with the company.

"The only good thing is they keep people working," said Jim Santangelo, vice president of the western region of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and president of the Teamsters Joint Council 42.

The union has enlisted the help of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists and the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada (PLAN) to bring the union's disputes with the company to light.

Teamsters Local 631 represents about 1,000 Republic workers, including truck drivers, mechanics and landfill personnel. The union has a seven-year contract with the company, which is set to expire in 2007.

Santangelo said the union is going to begin coordinating with local church, environmental and labor leaders to form a public awareness campaign about the company's practices. He said that includes possible demonstrations outside of the company's facilities.

"This union is going to be on top of this company to make sure people, when they go to work, they're treated like people and not animals," Santangelo said.

Litigation between the Teamsters and Republic extends to U.S. District Court, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and the National Labor Relations Board. The union accuses the company of systematically ignoring or appealing arbitrator decisions in employment disputes and forcing the cases into more costly litigation. The union and the company are involved in five federal lawsuits, most of which center around the terminations of workers at the company.

Several of the terminations were of workers who had allegedly lost their drivers' licenses or had allegedly failed random drug tests.

Teamsters leaders and workers also allege the company discriminates against workers based on race, gender and age. Union officials say 85 percent of the workers at Republic Services are black.

Republic Services officials declined to comment specifically on the allegations regarding safety and discrimination on Thursday. However, in a statement issued last week, Stephen Kalish, area president of Republic Services, said the company stands behind the disputed terminations.

The union also alleges the company violates safety regulations. The Nevada Occupational Safety & Health Administration has investigated several complaints of safety violations at Republic Services' facilities, Tom Czehowski, chief administrative officer of Nevada OSHA, said. One of the complaints, filed in April, resulted in Nevada OSHA issuing a notice of violation for a minor safety infraction.