After a short strike that came to an end last week when the union and management agreed to return to the bargaining table an agreement has been reached between Waste Management (covering trash removal in King and Snohomish counties, Washington) and the Teamsters Local 174. The major issue for the two sides was health care with management maintaining that the offer was more than generous in this economic climate and the union saying it was less than what most other waste removal companies in the area provide. The new contract covers five years but specific details have not yet been released. Many were surprised at the announcement of a tentative agreement, as the union had accused the company of threatening to lock them out only hours before.
See "Teamsters, Waste Management reach tentative agreement", Seattle Post Intelligencer, April 27, 2010