Garbage haulers end strike, returning to work Friday

Striking garbage haulers who serve Arlington and parts of Marysville are coming back to their jobs.

SNOHOMISH COUNTY — Striking garbage haulers who serve Arlington and parts of Marysville are coming back to their jobs.

Drivers from Waste Management will return to work on Friday, April 22.

All collection services will resume as scheduled, and the union representing garbage haulers has agreed to return to the negotiating table with the garbage and recycling service provider on Monday, April 26.

“We are glad the Teamsters (Local 174) have announced that they will return to work tomorrow, but feel that this unfortunate situation could have been avoided entirely had the union simply responded to our earlier request to meet,” said Jackie Lang of Waste Management in a release issued Thursday, April 22.

According to Lang, Waste Management officials delivered a letter to the union Thursday morning stating that it would be willing to continue contract negotiations so long as the union “clarify its intentions regarding service for the remainder of the week.”

By noon Thursday, union officials replied to Waste Management’s letter, and said they would end their current strike on Friday.

Workers have been striking since Wednesday morning, and Arlington and Marysville Waste Management customers went without garbage pickup on Thursday morning.

The cities of Arlington and Marysville both contract with Waste Management. All residents who live within the cities of Arlington and Marysville are required to subscribe to recycling services provided by the company.

Garbage pickup is also provided by the company to those who live in all of Arlington. The city of Marysville collects garbage from all residents who live in the city limits with the exceptions of the Sunnyside and central annexation areas where the garbage is collected by Waste Management.

Drivers had been working without a contract since April 1 until Wednesday’s strike.