Latest news with #trashstrike
CBS News
2 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Trash mountains, "unbelievable" stench take over Philadelphia as municipal workers' strike continues
Philadelphia's trash strike continues as city begins to smell with piles as tall as people Philadelphia's trash strike continues as city begins to smell with piles as tall as people Philadelphia's trash strike continues as city begins to smell with piles as tall as people As the Philadelphia municipal workers' strike continues without an agreement, mountains of trash continue to pile, and the city is starting to smell. Many city streets are lined with piles of garbage, some so big that they're taller than people. At Princeton and Hawthorne in the city's Mayfair neighborhood, a heaping mound of trash has grown so large it has forced the city to put up tape and direct people to a sanitation convenience center at State and Ashburner for them to drop off their garbage. A trash pile-up in Philadelphia's Mayfair section at Princeton Avenue and Hawthorne Street as the city's municipal workers' strike continued into its third day Thursday. CBS News Philadelphia "The stench is unbelievable," Felix Romelien of Mayfair said. "Wasn't nice in the car because of the smell," Dave Kennedy, of Mayfair, said. "It's not fun." Trash continued to pile up Thursday at the corner of Princeton and Hawthorne in Mayfair. Most people who stopped by abandoned the dumpster or were unwilling to navigate their way around the growing mounds of garbage to get there. "No, actually it's grown," Romelien said. "In the past couple of days, it's grown so much." CBS News Philadelphia "It's just going to keep piling up, piling up," Patrick Glynn of Mayfair said. "We're going to have rats here tonight like this." Glynn lives near one of the 63 temporary drop-off sites set up throughout the city. "This is what you see," Glynn said. "It's only going to get worse and worse." CBS News Philadelphia Frank Copley lives across the street. "It's frustrating what they're doing to the city," Copley said. The two men said one of their biggest frustrations as they've watched the trash pile mount is seeing people dump seemingly anything and everything. "People are leaving furniture, beds, TVs," Copley said. CBS News Philadelphia "They're just coming here and dumping," Glynn said. "Contractors. I've seen people doing lawn, landscaping stuff thrown out here. I've seen the whole nine yards." Neighbors also pointed out that this city drop-off site is located about 50 yards from Mayfair Elementary, a school that is still hosting children in summer programs. People in the area questioned the placement of the dumpster. "They've got two football fields, parking lot," Copley said. "Why did they have to put it in the middle of the sidewalk?" A school security officer came out after 1 p.m. and placed caution tape around the entire site. A spokesperson for the School District of Philadelphia said they cannot comment on the drop-off sites. We've reached out to the city for a statement and are waiting to hear back.
CBS News
3 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Communities work to clear out garbage as trash collectors' strike continues in Massachusetts
With a garbage collectors' strike now in its second day, some Massachusetts communities are coming up with temporary solutions to clear out the trash. It's a pretty stinky problem for the city of Malden, how to get rid of trash when the trash collector isn't coming. "I just close my door, keep the apartment closed with my AC on because of the smell," said Malden resident Luz Rodriguez. Garbage piling up in Malden Bags and bags of trash are lining the sidewalks along with trash barrels and recycling bins as far as the eye can see. It's all in the midst of a strike that's impacting more than a dozen communities. "We'll end up with a lot of truckloads," said Tommy Ruddock with the Malden Housing Authority, which is now forced to remove all the trash from its properties and take it to a disposal location, especially before the long holiday weekend since pickup won't resume until at least Monday. "It's a tough one. We have eight developments throughout the city, we've got four high rises where we've got a lot of trash in the high rises." Teamsters Local 25 said it's on the picket line fighting Republic Services for better wages and benefits, which the company claims it is offering. But as workers stand on the line, the trash stands on the streets in the communities they service. Danvers offering trash drop-off for residents Danvers is letting residents bring their trash and recyclables to the DPW yard with trash removal also not expected until Monday. "Dirty diapers, stinky dirty diapers in July," said Danvers resident Carlo Leone. Cars were lining up as residents took advantage Wednesday, the town knowing it's a help but not an answer. "Unfortunately, this is the solution we have right now. We realize the impact this has on residents and this is not a perfect solution, but it's one we're able to offer for the temporary week," said Danvers Assistant Town Manager Jen Breaker. A lot of trash can pile up in a temporary week. "Hopefully inot a rat problem given that it's the summertime. It's pretty frustrating but like I said, I'm glad that at least the neighborhood and Danvers got this together pretty quickly or else I think we'd be in a big issue," said Danvers resident Cassandra Grzybinski.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Trash is piling up in U.S. cities as thousands of workers go on strike
Trash is piling high in cities across the U.S. as collections were disrupted by a workers' strike demanding better pay and benefits. Over 400 workers for Republic Services in Massachusetts refused to go to work on Tuesday, leaving at least 14 cities and towns without trash pick-up as heatwaves roll across the country. In Massachusetts, temperatures will climb to the upper 80s Friday as the July Fourth holiday gets underway. Their union, Teamsters Local 25, said in a press release that 'hundreds of additional Teamsters across the country' are having similar contract disputes — and may soon also go on strike. "If your rubbish is piling up on the Fourth of July, remember who's responsible for it: the white-collar criminals who run Republic Services," Teamsters General President Sean O'Brien said in a statement. "Republic Teamsters didn't start this fight, but we will finish it. Our members will do whatever it takes to finally get the respect they're owed." Meanwhile, Republic Services said in a statement that it was 'disappointing that the union called a work stoppage rather than continue negotiating,' WBZ News reported. 'A work stoppage does not benefit our employees or the communities we serve,' the company said. 'We planned for the possibility of a work stoppage and have taken several steps to continue providing service, including securing Republic Service employees from other areas, prioritizing routes and optimizing routing efficiency.' The union explained to CBS News that the incident was not isolated in the state. In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the largest city workers' strike in 40 years is underway after a deal couldn't be reached with city officials. AFSCME District Council 33, which represents thousands of workers, including trash collectors, walked off the job Tuesday after negotiations failed to result in a deal. The union last held a strike in 1986, CBS News reports. Videos show street dumpsters overflowing with heaps of rubbish.
CBS News
4 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Philadelphians say they support the union's demands to strike, but hope trash doesn't pile on city streets
Philadelphia residents already feeling effects of strike with trash pickup coming to a halt Philadelphia residents already feeling effects of strike with trash pickup coming to a halt Philadelphia residents already feeling effects of strike with trash pickup coming to a halt Trash is piling up across Philadelphia as the city's largest blue-collar union, District Council 33, begins a massive strike, bringing essential services like trash pickup to a grinding halt. The city is working quickly to ease the impact, rolling out 63 temporary drop-off sites to help residents manage waste while sanitation workers remain off the job. But as the standoff continues, so do growing frustrations among neighbors and business owners. In Graduate Hospital, garbage bags lined the sidewalks just hours after the strike began. "It's a shame, it's going to get very dirty very quick," Michael Showell said. "A lot of neighbors don't get that information. As you can see on this block, there's tons of trash out." More than 9,000 city employees walked off the job on Tuesday, demanding better wages and working conditions. For many residents, the disruption is already being felt. "It's going to be a tough problem," said Linda Fandino, who works at Barbermania. "We don't want the trash inside. It will smell bad. The customers will complain, and we don't want that." Others, like Ian Feldenzer, worry the city's temporary solutions may not hold up for long. "It's kind of flexible for the city to say 'OK, you have until 10 p.m. to drop it off,' but I think by Wednesday morning it's just going to be this big mountain," Feldenzer said. The city's 63 temporary drop-off locations, including one at 18th and Catharine streets, are open Monday through Saturday from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Residents are asked to use the sites only on their regular pickup days and limit themselves to eight bags of trash, with no loose waste. "It's a mess," said Evan Finch, a local resident. "But you know, the union's got to do what they've got to do. I just wish we had a little more notice." This isn't the first time Philadelphia has dealt with a sanitation strike. The last time District Council 33 walked off the job was in 1986, and it left a lasting mark on the city. Archival photos show trash piled along sidewalks and parking lots overflowing with garbage. The memory serves as a powerful reminder of what's at stake if a resolution isn't reached soon. A photo from the last District Council 33 strike in Philadelphia in 1986. Despite the inconvenience, many residents said they support the workers' demands. "All workers, whether in the private sector or city jobs, deserve fair pay, good wages and good working conditions," Chris Carr said. "I get that city workers want better pay and conditions," Feldenzer said, "but I also understand the frustration from residents. It's a real inconvenience." Still, there's hope on the streets that a deal is within reach. "I hope the city is happy, the workers are happy, we need them," Showell said. "They should be well paid. But at the same time, we do need their services." "I hope by the next pickup they have everything figured out," Finch said.
