The city of Oakland sued its garbage hauler, Waste Management of Alameda County, on Thursday in an attempt to force the company to pick up trash that has gone uncollected during its 11-day lockout of truck drivers. The accumulating waste has created a public nuisance, city officials said, and poses health and safety hazards for everyone who lives and works in Oakland. The company locked out union drivers July 2, saying it was a preemptive move against a possible strike, after the company's contract with the Teamsters expired June 30. Union officials deny their members intended to strike; they said haulers would have continued picking up trash while the union and company negotiated a new contract.
See "City sues garbage hauler seeking pick-up", Christopher Hereida, San Francisco Chronicle, July 12, 2007