Teamsters contract at Republic Services set to expire with no deal in sight

Los Angeles, CA – On Sunday, September 20, a group of 30 rank-and-file members of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) union met at Magic Johnson Park in South LA. The Teamsters work for Republic Services and met to discuss strike preparedness for their upcoming contract expiration.

On September 30, the union contracts of roughly 3000 Teamsters Local 396 sanitation employees across different companies and yards will expire. These Teamsters haul waste across a large geography of cities in LA County, Orange County and the Inland Empire.

Over the past year, the workers have participated in organizing boot camps to give people the training to organize and prepare to strike; shop floor Teamster Thursday union huddles to build unity at work; and Sunday morning meetings at the park to prepare for contract negotiations and the possibility of going on strike. At this last Sunday park meeting, the rank and file discussed the importance of remaining united and in solidarity.

Shop steward and negotiation committee member Marcus Ford stated, “I thought the meeting went well and I’m feeling good about where we at. The rank-and-file members are solid and are ready to keep pushing forward and fighting for change!”

Members were angered after finding out the company intentionally allowed two weeks to go by with no negotiation sessions scheduled. Instead, they chose the final few days before the old contract expires, with much of the new contract still not negotiated. Rank-and-file member Sammy Carrera said, “We understand very well that the company is hoping to use this as a tactic and strategy against us. They hope to pressure us into the first offer thrown at us, but they are very mistaken. The members are activated and ready to mobilize. If the company doesn’t pay up, the trash will pile up!”

In July 2025, over 400 Teamsters at Republic Services in Boston were on strike for 82 days. Trash piled up all around Boston for nearly three months until the company finally gave in to the workers’ demands, including a 46% pay increase over the five-year contract. There has been lots of talk about how the company, in the case of a strike, has already begun making preparations for bringing in the Blue Crew. The Blue Crew is a group of Republic Services’ professional scabs who are ready to fly around the country to act as strikebreakers. They are brought in from out of town or sometimes out of state. 

The members have been very clear with the company regarding an expired contract; no contract extension will be given, and members will only continue to work beyond the contract expiration date if negotiations continue in good faith. As of now, it is not looking too promising.

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