Trashmen skip
some routes
The boycott follows a
By Gregg K. Kakesako
disagreement between the
mayor and the union
Star-BulletinLeeward Oahu residents went without trash pickup this morning, possibly a fallout of the dispute between Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris and United Public Workers head Gary Rodrigues which could last for several days.
"We have a disagreement," said city Managing Director Bob Fishman, "but this is not a strike."
Fishman said the city is still trying to assess how many homes -- mostly in Leeward Oahu areas -- were affected by this morning's labor dispute with unionized trash collectors and drivers.
Total trash pickup on Monday normally amounts to 24,000 homes, he said. Not affected by today's union action was the Aiea to Hawaii Kai area serviced by the Kakaako baseyard.
Fishman said UPW refuse collection workers refused to drive the routes assigned to the Pearl City, Kapaa and Waianae collection yards.
"Since the union told the drivers not to drive," he said, "we had no choice but to send them home."
UPW head Rodrigues was unavailable for comment.
Harris, who is in Japan on a baseball promotion trip, has maintained that the city does not have $14 million for UPW's pay raises and is having to lay off employees to balance the budget.
However, Rodrigues in the past has maintained that Harris is backing out of a 2 percent raise and the entire matter is tied to the city's plan to expand automated trash pickup service.
Ultimately, the matter will have to be resolved by the Hawaii Labor Relations Board.
About 40,000 Oahu homes have been converted from three-worker trash collections to the automated system, which involves only one driver and one truck. Plans called for converting eight more Oahu routes serving 22,700 homes by year's end, which the city said would save $1.1 million.
The current contract expires May 1.
The city recently announced an agreement with UPW covering 175 refuse workers under which eight more routes would be converted to automated garbage pickup this year and eight more next year. Half of Oahu's garbage routes are now automated.
However, UPW members this morning were told that because Harris refuses to approve the new 2 percent salary hike, none of the agreements with the city, including the new one covering more automated routes, are valid.
At the Pearl City baseyard, UPW member Michael Cordray said he was "very upset."
"I went to work this morning to go to work. I want to support my family."
The city started distributing the 96-gallon gray trash containers last week to new areas including West Loch, Ewa Beach, Waipahu, Waianae, Nanakuli, Maili, Kalaheo and Aikahi and portions of Kaneohe, Hawaii Loa Ridge and Palolo.
Call the city trash hotline
at 523-4381
Star-Bulletin reporter Lori Tighe contributed to this report. The city is establishing a hotline in the Office of Information
and Complaint at 523-4385 to keep the public informed
if the dispute is not resolved today.
