Strike Talks Held as Garbage Piles Up

A federal mediator held exploratory talks Wednesday with striking trash haulers and three of four waste-hauling companies in an attempt to end a 3-day-old walkout that has left tons of trash piling up across much of Orange County.

Both sides characterized the talks as preliminary, saying they were sounding each other out on whether reopening formal negotiations could resolve the dispute, which has left 700 to 800 drivers, mechanics and maintenance workers walking picket lines at landfills and trash drop-off stations throughout the county.

“The goal is to maintain some open lines of communications so we can get the parties to agree to a settlement as soon as possible,” said Juan Carlos Gonzalez, the U.S. mediator who helped orchestrate the contract rejected last week by Teamsters Local 396 members.

Workers went on strike Monday against four companies--CR&R;, Rainbow Disposal, Taormina Industries and Waste Management Inc. The action has halted or delayed service for about 400,000 residential households and about 35,000 commercial and industrial customers in about 20 Orange County cities and unincorporated areas. Also affected is Chino Hills in San Bernardino County.

The walkout began three days after union members--against the advice of their leadership--voted down a contract that would have increased their pay from $12.90 an hour to $16 an hour over five years. Some drivers say they deserve an initial raise of $6 an hour in the first year, plus subsequent increases.

As management and labor struggled to move forward Wednesday, CR&R; tried to head off a strike by 85 workers at Solag Disposal, a subsidiary that serves six cities in south Orange County. Solag employees authorized a walkout, but had not acted as of late Wednesday.

David Fahrion, a CR&R; vice president, said the firm and union officials signed an agreement proposed by Local 396 guaranteeing workers any contract improvements achieved by the strike.

“It’s the best of both worlds. They can continue to work and get whatever the strikers get,” Fahrion said. “This provides stability for us and our employees. I hope it works.”

Meanwhile, an apparent sickout against Waste Management in Irvine and other south county cities entered its second day. Company officials said 27 of 123 workers called in sick despite pleas by union leaders to stay on the job.

On Tuesday, 47 workers did not report to work at the firm’s Irvine station, which serves five cities. Normally, five or six employees call in sick on a workday, company officials said.

The federal mediator convened one meeting at 4 p.m. Wednesday involving officials from CR&R;, Taormina and the union’s bargaining committee. A second meeting was set for 7 p.m. involving Rainbow Disposal and union negotiators. All met at Local 396’s offices in Covina.

Waste Management is scheduled to attend a similar meeting this afternoon.

For contract talks to resume, union officials said, the companies must offer wage increases greater than those contained in their last offer. “The guys want more money,” said Danny Bruno, secretary-treasurer of Local 396.

Company representatives said the increase some union members have been discussing--$6 an hour the first year with additional raises after that--is unrealistic.

“I’m not at all optimistic that this will be resolved soon,” said Bob Coyle, a vice president at Waste Management. “It is going to be difficult to offer anything near our last offer. The $6 an hour figure is a crazy number.”

Though company and union negotiators planned for the series of meetings, uncollected garbage began to pile up in alleys, yards and garages for about 40% of Orange County’s 935,000 households.