Dive Brief:
- Waste employees at Unity Disposal & Recycling in Laurel, MD are on strike as they dispute their current pay rate.
- Approximately 60,000 households will be affected. But the Montgomery County Division of Solid Waste Services said trash and recyclables will be picked up regardless of the strike.
- Workers plan to strike until a satisfactory agreement is put in place.
Dive Insight:
The Human Resources Director at Unity Disposal & Recycling, London Bryson, said the hauler tried negotiating with its employees. Bryson said the company “recently put several new proposals on the table, but the union has ignored them and not responded in over a month.”
According to Damion West, an employee at Unity who is participating in the strike, the current pay for workers is “about $10.50 per hour.” He said the wages aren’t enough to support themselves. He said his job is tough and cited heavy lifting and inclement weather as examples.
Unity covers a total of 60,000 curbside collections in Montgomery and Howard counties. And this is essentially the time of year that yields the largest amount of curbside waste, due to the holiday season.
This is not the first time workers at Unity have gone on strike. In October of 2013, 70 employees took a stand against the firing of a co-worker who was allegedly let go due to not having immigration papers in order. Within two weeks, the strike ended as workers felt satisfied after the Laborers’ International filed complaints on behalf of the workers.
