(PASADENA, Md.) – Teamster drivers and helpers at Ecology Curbside Services have been forced on strike due to the company’s greed and refusal to address serious safety concerns. Workers at the company are responsible for trash collection in Anne Arundel County.
“This strike is a direct consequence of Ecology Curbside Services’ greed and blatant disregard for worker safety,” said Sean Cedenio, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 570. “This company’s reckless actions have not only disrupted trash collection but have also endangered our community. Our members provide an essential service to the citizens of Anne Arundel County and deserve nothing less than fair wages and safe working conditions. We refuse to allow this company to continue jeopardizing the health and safety of our members. Ecology must take our demands for safety seriously, or this strike will continue.”
Management at Ecology Curbside Services has insultingly offered a 38-cent wage increase while refusing to address critical safety issues. The company’s trucks are dangerously ill-equipped, lacking air conditioning, proper seating, and even seatbelts. This past summer, a worker suffered a severe head injury after falling from their truck due to heat exhaustion and a lack of water.
“We have the right to come to work without fearing for our safety or wondering if we’ll make it home to our families at the end of the day,” said Herman Young, a driver at Ecology Curbside Services and a Local 570 shop steward. “This strike is our last resort. None of us want to be out here, but the company has left us no choice. We refuse to continue working under these hazardous conditions.”
Ecology Curbside Services operates under a publicly funded contract with Anne Arundel County but has repeatedly ignored serious safety concerns. Local 570 has reached out to the county government multiple times to address these issues but has received no response.
“County governments have a duty to ensure that companies operating under publicly funded contracts provide safe working conditions,” said Chuck Stiles, Director of the Teamsters Solid Waste and Recycling Division. “We call on the Anne Arundel County government to step in and demand that Ecology Curbside Services present a fair contract that addresses and corrects its unsafe practices.”
Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.3 million hardworking people in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Visit Teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and “like” us on Facebook at Facebook.com/teamsters.
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