City clarifies: No trash pickup next two Mondays
Homes with regular trash pickup on Mondays will not get their garbage picked up on that day for the next two weeks, on official city holidays.
The city originally said trash would be picked up.
But Department of Environmental Services Director Eric Takamura said refuse workers represented by the United Public Workers union will take Monday off, as allowed by their collective-bargaining agreement.
Refuse workers take off each Christmas and New Year's Day, and trash is not picked up. Some homes go without regular trash collection for a week.
This year, the holidays fall on Sunday. In this case, the union's collective-bargaining agreement with the city allows refuse workers to observe the two holidays on Monday, Takamura said.
He said the last time those holidays fell on Sunday was in 1994, and workers took Monday off.
Takamura said his deputy went to the different base yards to find out if workers would consider working on Monday.
"When we approached each base yard, they said they would," Takamura said.
But when union representatives met, they decided to invoke the contract provision for refuse workers and take the day off, Takamura said.
He said the city found out from the union Thursday morning that its members were going to observe the holiday on Monday, and tried until yesterday to get it to reconsider.
Customers who will not have their trash picked up on Monday will have to wait until Thursday, their other regular trash day.
The United Public Workers office voice-mail said the office was closed for the holiday weekend, and union head Dayton Nakanelua could not be reached for comment.