Waste Management strike continues; substitute drivers will focus on commercial customers in Bothell

Garbage, recycling and yard-waste collection services will not be provided for residential customers today in Bothell. Teamsters’ Local 117, whose membership includes recycling and yard-waste truck drivers for Waste Management, Inc. (WMI), remain on strike and Teamsters’ Local 174, whose membership includes garbage truck drivers, are continuing to honor the Local 117 picket lines.

Bothell customers with Tuesday collection service are encouraged to remove their garbage, recycling and yard-waste carts from the street. A double load of garbage and recyclables will be collected at no additional cost on the next regularly scheduled service day.

Over the weekend, experienced WMI substitute drivers made significant progress servicing several commercial customer facilities across Puget Sound. Additional WMI substitute drivers have arrived and will focus on commercial collection on Tuesday. WMI has requested Tuesday commercial customers set out and/or unlock their containers as they normally would on a service day.

"Thank you to our valued customers for your continued patience. We are working diligently to provide service to our communities. Monday, we made headway servicing commercial routes. Additional experienced WMI substitute drivers continue to arrive. Our focus is to service our communities," read a statement on the Waste Management Web site on Tuesday.

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