CHULA VISTA, Calif. (KGTV) – As garbage bins continue to line Chula Vista neighborhoods amid a work stoppage, the city on Monday stopped short of declaring a state of emergency over the ongoing trash pickup situation.
At a special City Council meeting called by Mayor John McCann, many residents dealing with trash pickup delays spoke out, sounding just as frustrated as the union workers.
Any they all wanted the same thing: To know what happens next.
“If the community wants to be upset at somebody, it should be Republic Services,” said Jaime Vasquez, Secretary Treasurer of Teamsters Local 542.
A trash service strike in Boston, impacting neighbors 3,000 miles away, as local workers stand in solidarity with them.
Republic Services, Chula Vista's trash service company, trying to calm the community by calling in additional workers.
But the picket lines expanding far past the East Coast. Tuesday, Teamsters announced they're expanding their picket lines into Los Angeles County, which could impact trash pickup for residents there.
“I think that they can try,” said Vasquez. “I don't think that that Republic Services have 8000 drivers to go out and cover all those routes.”
A state of emergency is still on the horizon for Chula Vista.
But not in effect just yet.
“I think if it goes past Thursday we will have a state of emergency. Right now, Republic Services is barely keeping up a little bit, but we don't want to get more than a couple days behind,” said McCann.
In 2022, when workers went on a 30-day strike, and an emergency declaration was put in place.
The city contracted other workers and sent the bill to Republic Services after a nearly a month of picketing.
Now in the meantime, Republic Services said landfills will be open to customers.
McCann saying fees will be waived for residents wanting to be their own drivers.
“We have nothing to do with what's going on in Boston; we love our worker, and we would love to have them to get back to work, but until they do, we have to make sure that we keep the public safety of our residents as a priority,” said McCann.
Negotiations with Republic Services in Boston are set to start up again on Tuesday.
