From our personal experience, if your pickup was missed this week you’ll be able to leave out double the amount next week.

For more information, visit WM’s website: http://www.wmnorthwest.com/weatherboard.html

According to a flier:

For residents of Burien, the solution is simple: Recycle it for free at a local drop- off station.

From Nov. 17 to Jan. 19, Waste Management and General Biodiesel, along with the City of Burien, are offering free, cooking oil drop off stations at two convenient Burien locations:

• Burien Municipal Parking Lot – 634 SW 151st Street, 8am to 5pm, M-F
• City Hall North – 11846 Des Moines Memorial Drive South, 8am to 5pm, M-F

Tips for transporting used cooking oil:

• Please store your cool, used cooking oil in a clear, plastic jug with a secure lid
• You will pour used cooking oil into a large collection container at the drop-off site, so please use a container that will allow for easy pouring
• Only used cooking oil will be accepted at the collection containers

For more information on how to recycle other liquids, like paint and motor oil, please visit: www.kingcounty.gov/whatdoIdowith.

Striking garbage workers decided Thursday to throw out their picket signs (at least for now) and return to their jobs as early as Friday morning, but since Burien’s trash pickup days are Mondays and Tuesdays no garbage had piled up here yet.

The Teamsters #174 union says that there’s been no resolution to the disagreement with Waste Management, but the garbage haulers are heading back to work to “prevent a public health crisis and to minimize service disruptions.”

Reports are that around 700 workers will be back on the job, but union leaders are not ruling out another strike.

A spokesman for the Teamsters says that plans are to re-open negotiations with Waste Management on Monday, April 26, to “see if they’re serious about fulfilling their legal obligations they have.”

Waste Management released a statement, saying that the new bargaining session will include a federal mediator. The company claims it delivered a letter to the union on Thursday, renewing an offer made last week to negotiate.

The company says their final offer to each driver was an annual pay and benefits package worth $110,000.

Here’s a video report from our friends at KING5.com:

Wednesday morning (April 21) at 10:30am, garbage hauling members of Teamsters #174 decided to finally haul out their pickets and strike against Waste Management.

The strike affects trash and yard waste pickup for about one million homes in King and Snohomish counties, including the Burien area, which has pickups on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Waste Management presented to the union what it called its “best, last, final offer,” and has so far refused to budge or resume negotiations with the Teamsters.

In early April, more than 1,600 job applicants applied to work as replacement drivers in case of a strike, but Waste Management has not yet announced whether it will use them to pick up trash while union drivers are on the picket lines.

To check the status of garbage pickup or service delays, WM has created a website here: www.wmnorthwest.com/servicedelays.html; as of Wednesday, it implied that it will continue “regular service” for customers with Thursday pickup:

Service Interruption for Wednesday Customers; Regular Service Expected Thursday.

Collection is not being provided for some King and Snohomish county customers today due to a strike announced at 10:30 this morning by Teamsters Local 174.

If your garbage, yard waste or recycling container was not emptied, please keep the uncollected material until your next regular collection day for each container, when the extra material will be collected at no extra charge.

We regret this inconvenience, and appreciate your cooperation.

We expect to resume regular collection on Thursday morning, April 22. However, please check this website for regular updates as negotiations proceed.

Thank you, Waste Management

Tips for Managing Extra Garbage & Recycling.

The Teamsters have also set up a website with news on the strike: www.seattletrashwatch.com, with the following statement:

Waste Management is the most profitable waste company in the U.S., provides trash collection services for King County and souther Snohomish Count. The company, however, is attempting to lock out its employees or force a strike.

Sanitation work is the fifth most dangerous job in the country. Although sanitation workers expose themselves daily to hazardous substances and perform backbreaking physical labor, the company is refusing to provide workers with the same health care protections provided by all other sate companies in our area.

When Waste Management locked out its workers in Oakland, California many residents did not get their trash picked up for one month.

Union garbage collectors who work for Allied Waste reached a tentative agreement in March, so anyone served by that company will not see any service interruptions.

Waste Management serves the Burien area, and, far as we know, the cityfolk here have no contingency plan. On the other hand, the City of Normandy Park’s leaders had a plan where, if Allied Waste workers went on strike, they would lease equipment back and have their own public works staff go out and collect garbage.

Here’s a video report on the strike from KING5.com:

As this story progresses, we’ll continue posting updates.

[DISCLOSURE: Scott Schaefer, the Publisher/Editor of The B-Town Blog, is an active member of the Directors Guild of America, a film/video workers union based in Los Angeles, CA.]

On Sunday, April 11th, hundreds of supporters and garbage haulers rallied at the Teamsters Local #174 Union Hall in Tukwila to remind folks that their contract negotiations with Waste Management (WMI) have stalled, and that they should be prepared for service disruptions if the workers decide to strike.

On the other hand, Waste Management announced that they have the right to lockout workers, as they’re apparently preparing to hire replacements.

Far as we know, garbage service will not be disrupted this week in the Burien area, so leave your cans out as usual; to check WMI’s status of the strike, click here.

“Waste Management is spending millions of dollars to demonize its own employees,” said Longinue Shipp, a five-year WMI sanitation worker. “I bust my hump every day and if I get sick or get injured on the job, I would expect to have health care. We’re not asking for anything outrageous, we’re asking to be treated fairly.”

According to the Teamsters, after weeks of bargaining, WMI is seeking to eliminate retiree health care and refusing to provide the same employee health care protections provided by every major waste companies in the area.

Waste Management claims that’s because they’ve already made their “best and final offer” which they claim addresses the issues of wages, retirement and health care.

“Sanitation workers often can’t work past the age of 50,” said Tracey Thompson, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 117. “They break down from being exposed to hazardous materials like feces and medical waste and fatigue associated with performing backbreaking physical labor 11 hours a day. Why can’t the most profitable waste company in the world offer the same health care protections that their major competitors, Allied Waste and CleanScapes, do?”

Armed with yard signs that read “Waste Management Stop Trashing Our Neighborhood,” community members from across King County spent the afternoon setting up Neighborhood Trash Watches to support local sanitation workers and stop trash from pilling up in front of their houses.

“We won’t let Waste Management hold our community hostage,” said Paul Benz, a Lutheran minister. “These workers aren’t asking for anything outrageous. Its clear to us that Waste Management has an ulterior motive.”

WMI may be trying to provoke a strike or lockout in a move to break an agreement between areas cities and King County. The move would allow WMI to gain a foothold in the lucrative waste disposal/landfill market that is currently run almost exclusively by the county.

“Over the next two days we will release a website and an 800 number for King County residents and businesses who want to report trash pick-up problems and avoid service disruptions,” said Rick Hicks, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 174. “We are going to do everything we can to make sure Waste Management doesn’t trash its workers or our neighborhoods.”

If you’re inclined to show your support of your garbage haulers, you can sign up to assist here.

Here’s a video story on the latest courtesy KING-TV:

UPDATE 4/1/10: Our news partners at The Seattle Times update us that a 1am agreement Thursday morning has averted a garbage strike, at least for now.

Here’s what The Times said:

Jackie Lang, the spokeswoman for Waste Management, said early Thursday morning that the company and garbage collectors had agreed at about 1 a.m. to continue negotiating and, in the meantime, to avoid a work stoppage.

That means people should continue putting out their trash on scheduled days, because it’s work as usual for garbage collectors.

PREVIOUSLY (3/31/10):

Our news partners at The Seattle Times report that union negotiators reached a tentative agreement with Allied Waste, one of the two garbage collection companies whose labor agreements were set to expire at midnight Wednesday, March 31.

Unfortunately, Allied doesn’t serve Burien, which means that, pending a last-second deal, a garbage strike will begin at midnight here.

However, there will be no garbage strike in Normandy Park, since Allied is the provider there.

According to The Times:

Allied Waste Services, which provides trash collection for about 123,000 homes in King and Snohomish counties, confirmed Wednesday evening that a labor pact had been reached.

But the region’s biggest garbage company, Waste Management, which services more than 1 million customers, said its negotiations with 500 union garbage haulers have stalled, increasing the possibility of a garbage-collection strike for its customers across much of King and Snohomish counties starting Thursday.

Waste Management serves the Burien area, and, far as we know, the cityfolk here have no contingency plan. Normandy Park’s leaders had a plan where they would lease equipment back from Allied Waste, and, if necessary, have their own public works staff go out and collect garbage.

According to an email we received from Katherine Salinas of Waste Management:

“Waste Management collects from Burien residential customer on Mondays and Tuesdays. Therefore, we do not have any residential collection scheduled for Thursday or Friday.

Next week, we encourage customers to check our website www.wmnorthwest.com/burien for collection schedule updates.”

Also, according to WM’s strike-related portion of their website, here’s what Burien residents should do with their garbage:

Please put your garbage, recyclables and yardwaste at the curb as usual. If we do not pick up your material on Thursday up to twice as much material will be collected on your next regularly scheduled collection day for each container*.

We will provide priority collection for locations where public health is a high priority, such hospitals, nursing homes, day care facilities and grocery stores.

Please check our website daily for updates and changes as negotiations proceed.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work towards resolution of this situation.

WM also says that their contingency plan is to bring in replacement workers to drive the routes of striking haulers. The company also placed help wanted ads for replacement workers in area newspapers and Craigslist on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Read the full story here.

Our news partners at The Seattle Times are reporting that members of Teamsters Local 174 voted Sunday (march 28) to authorize a strike once their contract runs out this coming Wednesday at midnight.

A strike would mean that garbage haulers in Burien would not pick up trash once a strike went into effect, which could be as early as Wednesday, March 31st at midnight.

So if your garbage gets picked up anytime after that…it might not get picked up.

Here’s an excerpt from The Times:

The authorization means a strike could be called as soon as midnight on Wednesday, when contracts covering garbage haulers for more than 1 million local homes and businesses expire.

“We do not believe a strike would be good for the Local or members of the community,” said Michael Gonzales, spokesman for Teamsters Local 174, which represents more than 450 garbage haulers for Waste Management and an additional 100 or so for Allied Waste.

Read the full story here.

According to our news partners at The Seattle Times, garbage, recycling and yard-waste haulers for more than one million homes and businesses in King and Snohomish counties, including Burien, are threatening to go on strike next week.

According to The Times:

About 500 workers for Waste Management and Allied Waste — members of Teamsters Local 174 — will vote Sunday (March 28) whether to strike if they can’t settle a contract dispute before the deal expires March 31.

The strike would affect about half the homes in Seattle — those that are served by Waste Management. The company also serves unincorporated King and Snohomish counties, and the cities of Auburn, Bothell, Burien, Federal Way, Kent, Newcastle, Maple Valley, Renton, Issaquah, Kirkland, Redmond, Carnation, Duvall, Mill Creek, Monroe, Arlington, Marysville, Granite Falls and Darrington.

Read the full story here.

Here are the revised details:

WHAT: Sustainable Burien will have two speakers for the January 10th gathering:

Susan Robinson from Waste Management will be our first speaker. Susan is the Pacific Northwest Director of Public Sector Services for Waste Management. Among other things she produces some of the Sustainable Solutions newsletters and is involved with planning Waste Management’s potential responses in the event of flooding caused by the Howard Hanson Dam. She is also involved in rolling out Solar Powered trash compactors for public spaces.

Our second speaker will be Sharon Nelson, 34th District Washington State Representative, serving West Seattle, White Center, Burien, and Vashon and Maury Islands. Her top priorities in Olympia include: Restoring and protecting Puget Sound, Making education work for each student, and Reducing congestion on our roads and highways.

Dave Upthegrove, 33rd District Washington State Representative has had to cancel due to a last minute conflict.

For more information about Sustainable Burien, go to www.sustainableburien.org

WHEN: Sunday, Jan. 10th from 2pm to 4pm; doors open at 1:30pm.

WHERE: Main floor conference room of the new Burien Library, located at 400 SW 152nd.

INFO: “Come join us for learning, exploring and more…”

From their website:

Sustainable Burien is an organization started in January of 2008. We recognize the need to promote and participate in the creation of a sustainable community in Burien. We invite all residents and businesses to participate in creating a sustainable local community by sharing their ideas, passions, knowledge and talents.

At our meetings we will be collecting burned out CFL (Compact Fluorescent Light) bulbs and dead rechargable batteries. People are welcome to bring any extra food items [produce from your garden, fruit from your trees, etc.] that they have and barter with others. Also bring any coupons for food that you get in the mail or from the newspaper, we’ll pass them on to the food bank, who can make good use of them.

Gatherings are held on the second Sunday of each month, – from 2:00 – 4:00PM at the (new) KCLS Burien Library (doors open at 1:30PM). For more information, go to: http://www.sustainableburien.org.

Please call Rebecca or Bill at 243-9366 if there are questions.