Teamsters, WM reach agreement in Chicago

Members of the Chicago-based Local 731 chapter of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters union employed in regional operations of Houston-based Waste Management Inc. (WM) have voted 2-1 in favor of a new contract.

Teamsters says the five-year agreement is favorable to the 450 workers covered and contains “numerous improvements to benefits, contract language and working conditions.”

“We were successful in these negotiations because we were united and determined at the table,” says Glenda Schaller, a WM driver. “We worked together and made a good contract better. As Teamsters, we’re always building, always gaining.”

Local 731 remains in negotiations on behalf of more than 2,500 waste and recycling workers with several other employers, including Republic Services, Waste Connections, Lakeshore Recycling Systems and several other firms in and around Chicago.

“I want to applaud Chicago workers and thank the leadership team at the International [office],” says Chuck Stiles, director of the Teamsters Solid Waste and Recycling Division. “Had it not been for our General President Sean M. O’Brien, we may never have secured a contract like this. We will keep the momentum going as we continue our fight at the table with the other haulers.”

The Teamsters lists higher wages, improved working conditions and language guaranteeing workers the right to honor picket lines in the new contracts as points of its negotiations.