And so's my garbage bag. Yep! The bag under the sink has been festering, and fruit flies have appeared as if by nagic, in my kitchen! Shit! This ain't good.
Originally published July 29, 2012 at 8:23 PM | Page modified July 29, 2012 at 8:34 PM
City warns Waste Management of big fines if strike drags on
Seattle Public Utilities has told Waste Management that beginning Wednesday, it could face contractually imposed fines of up to $1.25 million a day if the strike by trash haulers keeps disrupting service. If all King and South Snohomish County cities with similar contracts impose fines, the sum could reach $3 million a day.
Jose Diaz, who works at The Rusty Pelican restaurant in Seattle's Wallingford neighborhood, loads cardboard into a recycling bin Sunday. Many places have trash piling up due to the haulers strike.
Garbage strike
Affected cities for residential service: Algona, Auburn, Bothell, Burien, Federal Way, Kirkland, Maple Valley, Marysville, Mill Creek, Mountlake Terrace, Newcastle, Redmond, Renton and parts of Seattle. Also these areas regulated by the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission: Fairwood, Federal Way / Auburn, Index, Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace/Brier, Snohomish and Woodinville.
What do to: Put your collection bins out as normal. If refuse is not collected by 6 p.m., bring them back in and put them out on the next normal collection day. You won't be charged for additional waste.
Source: Waste Management
Seattle Public Utilities has strongly warned Waste Management that it could face contractually imposed fines of up to $1.25 million a day beginning Wednesday if the strike by trash haulers keeps disrupting service.
But with about 30 other cities in King and Snohomish counties also being hit with the strike, those fines could grow as large as $3 million a day. The striking Teamsters Local 117 said other cities have similar contractual penalties as Seattle's.
SPU has 90,000 customers serviced by Waste Management. The other cities including Kirkland and Federal Way have an additional 130,000 customers with the company.
Last Wednesday, 153 recycling-route drivers walked off the job over what they claim are unfair labor practices over the company's failure to bargain.
They were joined by Teamsters Local 174, the garbage-truck drivers, who signed a contract with Waste Management a few months ago.
In a strongly worded letter emailed Friday afternoon, SPU said the fines would reach the $1.25 million amount if the Seattle customers had their three trash services recycling, garbage and yard waste affected and if a particular block had at least three containers on a single side of the street not collected.
In italics, the letter signed by Ray Hoffman, SPU director, stressed to Waste Management: "The company should know that Seattle Public Utilities will dedicate considerable resources and use all available sources of information to document these whole block misses and assess these Performance Fees."
Voice mails and emails left Sunday for Waste Management spokeswomen were not returned.
John Marchione, mayor of Redmond, said Sunday that his city has 22,000 residential customers with Waste Management and that it also had a contract with similar language imposing fines.
"We had a verbal conversation. They're very aware of the clause," said Marchione. "They said they're going to do their best that it doesn't apply."
Meanwhile, affected customers were left in a smelly lurch.
"It's a disaster," said Johanna Limberopoulos, manager of The Rusty Pelican restaurant in Wallingford, which her parents own.
The restaurant's trash bin, in the back parking lot, is beginning to overflow, she said.
"After today, there's going to be garbage all over the parking lot. What are we going to do? It's a mess."
Hoffman's letter said the 124-page contract with Waste Management has a seven-day grace period for "labor disruptions." The letter said, "We expect full service to be restored by Wednesday, August 1, if not before."
"At dawn Thursday, we'll be looking for missed connections" from Wednesday, Hoffman said.
Already, SPU has been using another portion of the contract to make daily deductions in their payments of $15,000 to $20,000 for interruption of garbage service.
Brenda Wiest, spokeswoman for Local 117, said that she hoped the threat of fines would bring Waste Management to the bargaining table.
Although the two sides talked Saturday, Waste Management has said it won't negotiate with picketing employees.
Wiest said that "we offered to take down the pickets if there was bargaining in good faith."
She said union members met Sunday afternoon to figure out picketing plans.
On Friday, replacement workers from throughout the country began collecting trash from hospitals, day cares and nursing homes.
A spokeswoman from Waste Management then said the drivers are picking up refuse from critical sites but there are no immediate plans to have the replacement workers, called the "Green Team," take over collections on residential routes.
But Sunday, with no negotiations scheduled, said Wiest, "folks are mentally assuming the employer will bring in a ton of replacement workers. That's scary for our members."
As for Seattle residents, who now have mandatory composting, and finally some hot weather, overripe bins are creating neighborhood aromas.
Said Andy Ryan, SPU spokesman, "We are talking very forcefully to both parties in this dispute, urging them to get back to the table and get this resolved."
Staff reporter Jonathan Martin contributed to this report. Erik Lacitis: 206-464-2237 or elacitis@seattletimes.com
Cy Valley said
5:57 PM, 07/30/12
Ah, it's easy, Uke, all you've got to do is put them in a bag and when you make one of your infrequent trips to the gas station, while you're standing there filling up, slip it in the trash can. I doubt that you are producing a lot of trash. Garbage gone, think of it this way, you've given the oil companies a lot of dough over the years, so now someone, the minimum wage person working behind the counter, gets to load it in a dumpster. Put it in a grocery sack, make like it's a bag of trash you've cleaned out of your (Ranger), stick it in.
As for the recycle places, around here, there's a couple of locations where they have an attendant, you go there and sort out your recyclables, glass here, newspaper there, junk mail back over there, styrofoam, plastics sorted by number, we do it about every ten days. They've got four semi-trailers there that the stuff goes in. Your location may differ.
-- Edited by Cy Valley on Monday 30th of July 2012 06:06:15 PM
Freddie Krueger said
6:18 PM, 07/30/12
Well Uke, just remember that you are suffering because of those greedy union Teamster guys. Us Teamsters here, would like to add to your suffering, not just under your sink, but across the internets....
Uke said
7:02 PM, 07/30/12
Nah, I support 'em 100%. They work their asses off! They're busy 7 days of the week, pickin' up shit all over the city, haulin' trucloads of trash, household garbage, and recyclables ta the tip...
The same outfit hauls 'yard' waste away ta recycle that stuff...mostly to a 'mulching' site where it's ground inta bio-degradeables.
The recycled stuff includes paper of every sort, glass, tin cans, aluminum cans, plastics, and metals. They're contract workers... Just like railroaders. Teamsters. Their contract was comin' to a close before the walk-out, and their leadership warned Waste Management (A publically-traded company-WM-NYSE) of these consequences ahead of the deadline... Midnight last Friday!
So here it is day seven (7), and the tennants in my building still don't get it! They continue overfilling the dumpsters... Asses!
Freddie Krueger said
7:38 PM, 07/30/12
Well, if you need some Teamster Union Thugs, Buckethead is available.
Calvin said
7:45 PM, 07/30/12
Better than storing trash in yer apt. Besides, overflowing dumpsters help feed Gawwds wild creatures. (Seagulls, cats, dogs, etc)
Uke said
7:56 PM, 07/30/12
Started dumping bags inta the bathtub... I never use it anyway!
Cy Valley said
8:47 PM, 07/30/12
Uke, have they got recycling centers in your fair city. Load up your stuff in your Ranger (Uke) and haul it to the recycling center. You'll be glad you did.
Uke said
12:06 AM, 07/31/12
Yep we do have recycling centers in Seattle. There's one about a mile or so from my place... I'm not really sure how it's operated. But it's recyclables only. Garbage goes elsewhere, and is trans-loaded inta rail containers owned by Waste Management. The well cars belong ta WM...and 2LARRCO moves 'em in unit trains ta Roosevelt, WA.
Been down thattaway... The containers are loaded onta trailers, then semis drive 'em up a great hill, at the top, they're emptied into a huge, endless pit! The empties are reloaded inta the wells, and 2LARRCO drags 'em back ta Seattle, and Everett, and other cities...
Eventually that hole's gonna fill up...
The Krink said
6:15 AM, 07/31/12
I've been instructed to put my can out like usual. If pick-up does not happen you can put 2 cans out next week and on and on. With MIR the strike could drag on or be settled before I hit the enter button.
Uke said
7:02 AM, 07/31/12
You live in another county right Krink? Do you have a 'burn barrel' in your back yard? Lotsa people do in rural areas of the state...and lots of people burn paper shit, and packaging crap in their barrels... How 'bout it Krink?
The Krink said
7:40 AM, 07/31/12
No Uke I'm south of SR92...which is the burn line. Those north of SR92 can burn old tires in their front lawn if they want. Those south of SR92 cannot burn that much...outside. I have my woodstove to take care of those "sensitive burnables". It's part of living in the "city" now. My huge blue recycling bin will hold a month or more of recyclables as I do not generate that much. Still I hope the strike doesn't last tuu long. When it comes to collecting recyclables, it's ok if have way more than your bins will hold. You could place a mountain of torn-up cardboard in front of your place and they will take it.
Uke said
3:33 PM, 07/31/12
Thanks anyway... Guess I'm still paranoid when it comes ta the documents with my signature, and/or SSN on 'em (lots) from waaaaay back in the '70s, and '80s when credit unions finally realized using other than SSns would be just as effective as any other unique number.
Signatures though...well, I'd still rather burn that shit!
Uke said
3:40 PM, 07/31/12
Diggin' through boxes brought in from a local storage, found crap from BN, credit union in Spokane, Peace Corps, a mortgage broker with 12 pages of crap signed by me! And more...
Peace Corps used nothing but your SSN for unique IDs. Early BN pay stubs. Burlington Northern later dropped the use of SSNs, and went with your employee number...
And so the chase continues. It'll be concluded soon. Perhaps.
And so's my garbage bag. Yep! The bag under the sink has been festering, and fruit flies have appeared as if by nagic, in my kitchen! Shit! This ain't good.
Originally published July 29, 2012 at 8:23 PM | Page modified July 29, 2012 at 8:34 PM
City warns Waste Management of big fines if strike drags on
Seattle Public Utilities has told Waste Management that beginning Wednesday, it could face contractually imposed fines of up to $1.25 million a day if the strike by trash haulers keeps disrupting service. If all King and South Snohomish County cities with similar contracts impose fines, the sum could reach $3 million a day.
By Erik Lacitis
Seattle Times staff reporter
BETTINA HANSEN / THE SEATTLE TIMES
Jose Diaz, who works at The Rusty Pelican restaurant in Seattle's Wallingford neighborhood, loads cardboard into a recycling bin Sunday. Many places have trash piling up due to the haulers strike.
Garbage strike
Affected cities for residential service: Algona, Auburn, Bothell, Burien, Federal Way, Kirkland, Maple Valley, Marysville, Mill Creek, Mountlake Terrace, Newcastle, Redmond, Renton and parts of Seattle. Also these areas regulated by the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission: Fairwood, Federal Way / Auburn, Index, Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace/Brier, Snohomish and Woodinville.
What do to: Put your collection bins out as normal. If refuse is not collected by 6 p.m., bring them back in and put them out on the next normal collection day. You won't be charged for additional waste.
Source: Waste Management
Seattle Public Utilities has strongly warned Waste Management that it could face contractually imposed fines of up to $1.25 million a day beginning Wednesday if the strike by trash haulers keeps disrupting service.
But with about 30 other cities in King and Snohomish counties also being hit with the strike, those fines could grow as large as $3 million a day. The striking Teamsters Local 117 said other cities have similar contractual penalties as Seattle's.
SPU has 90,000 customers serviced by Waste Management. The other cities including Kirkland and Federal Way have an additional 130,000 customers with the company.
Last Wednesday, 153 recycling-route drivers walked off the job over what they claim are unfair labor practices over the company's failure to bargain.
They were joined by Teamsters Local 174, the garbage-truck drivers, who signed a contract with Waste Management a few months ago.
In a strongly worded letter emailed Friday afternoon, SPU said the fines would reach the $1.25 million amount if the Seattle customers had their three trash services recycling, garbage and yard waste affected and if a particular block had at least three containers on a single side of the street not collected.
In italics, the letter signed by Ray Hoffman, SPU director, stressed to Waste Management: "The company should know that Seattle Public Utilities will dedicate considerable resources and use all available sources of information to document these whole block misses and assess these Performance Fees."
Voice mails and emails left Sunday for Waste Management spokeswomen were not returned.
John Marchione, mayor of Redmond, said Sunday that his city has 22,000 residential customers with Waste Management and that it also had a contract with similar language imposing fines.
"We had a verbal conversation. They're very aware of the clause," said Marchione. "They said they're going to do their best that it doesn't apply."
Meanwhile, affected customers were left in a smelly lurch.
"It's a disaster," said Johanna Limberopoulos, manager of The Rusty Pelican restaurant in Wallingford, which her parents own.
The restaurant's trash bin, in the back parking lot, is beginning to overflow, she said.
"After today, there's going to be garbage all over the parking lot. What are we going to do? It's a mess."
Hoffman's letter said the 124-page contract with Waste Management has a seven-day grace period for "labor disruptions." The letter said, "We expect full service to be restored by Wednesday, August 1, if not before."
"At dawn Thursday, we'll be looking for missed connections" from Wednesday, Hoffman said.
Already, SPU has been using another portion of the contract to make daily deductions in their payments of $15,000 to $20,000 for interruption of garbage service.
Brenda Wiest, spokeswoman for Local 117, said that she hoped the threat of fines would bring Waste Management to the bargaining table.
Although the two sides talked Saturday, Waste Management has said it won't negotiate with picketing employees.
Wiest said that "we offered to take down the pickets if there was bargaining in good faith."
She said union members met Sunday afternoon to figure out picketing plans.
On Friday, replacement workers from throughout the country began collecting trash from hospitals, day cares and nursing homes.
A spokeswoman from Waste Management then said the drivers are picking up refuse from critical sites but there are no immediate plans to have the replacement workers, called the "Green Team," take over collections on residential routes.
But Sunday, with no negotiations scheduled, said Wiest, "folks are mentally assuming the employer will bring in a ton of replacement workers. That's scary for our members."
As for Seattle residents, who now have mandatory composting, and finally some hot weather, overripe bins are creating neighborhood aromas.
Said Andy Ryan, SPU spokesman, "We are talking very forcefully to both parties in this dispute, urging them to get back to the table and get this resolved."
Staff reporter Jonathan Martin contributed to this report. Erik Lacitis: 206-464-2237 or elacitis@seattletimes.com
Ah, it's easy, Uke, all you've got to do is put them in a bag and when you make one of your infrequent trips to the gas station, while you're standing there filling up, slip it in the trash can. I doubt that you are producing a lot of trash. Garbage gone, think of it this way, you've given the oil companies a lot of dough over the years, so now someone, the minimum wage person working behind the counter, gets to load it in a dumpster. Put it in a grocery sack, make like it's a bag of trash you've cleaned out of your (Ranger), stick it in.
As for the recycle places, around here, there's a couple of locations where they have an attendant, you go there and sort out your recyclables, glass here, newspaper there, junk mail back over there, styrofoam, plastics sorted by number, we do it about every ten days. They've got four semi-trailers there that the stuff goes in. Your location may differ.
-- Edited by Cy Valley on Monday 30th of July 2012 06:06:15 PM
The same outfit hauls 'yard' waste away ta recycle that stuff...mostly to a 'mulching' site where it's ground inta bio-degradeables.
The recycled stuff includes paper of every sort, glass, tin cans, aluminum cans, plastics, and metals. They're contract workers... Just like railroaders. Teamsters. Their contract was comin' to a close before the walk-out, and their leadership warned Waste Management (A publically-traded company-WM-NYSE) of these consequences ahead of the deadline... Midnight last Friday!
So here it is day seven (7), and the tennants in my building still don't get it! They continue overfilling the dumpsters... Asses!
Better than storing trash in yer apt. Besides, overflowing dumpsters help feed Gawwds wild creatures. (Seagulls, cats, dogs, etc)
Been down thattaway... The containers are loaded onta trailers, then semis drive 'em up a great hill, at the top, they're emptied into a huge, endless pit! The empties are reloaded inta the wells, and 2LARRCO drags 'em back ta Seattle, and Everett, and other cities...
Eventually that hole's gonna fill up...
not happen you can put 2 cans out next week and on and on.
With MIR the strike could drag on or be settled before I hit
the enter button.
can burn old tires in their front lawn if they want. Those south of SR92
cannot burn that much...outside. I have my woodstove to take care of
those "sensitive burnables". It's part of living in the "city" now. My
huge blue recycling bin will hold a month or more of recyclables as
I do not generate that much. Still I hope the strike doesn't last tuu
long. When it comes to collecting recyclables, it's ok if have way
more than your bins will hold. You could place a mountain of torn-up
cardboard in front of your place and they will take it.
Signatures though...well, I'd still rather burn that shit!
Peace Corps used nothing but your SSN for unique IDs. Early BN pay stubs. Burlington Northern later dropped the use of SSNs, and went with your employee number...
And so the chase continues. It'll be concluded soon. Perhaps.