While NYC trash-taker-outers have reached an agreement, garbage truck drivers in Seattle have had no such luck. A strike began at 10:30am Wednesday morning by drivers employed by Waste Management. The drivers' union, represented by the Teamsters, issued what they called their final and best offer on April 1, and no negotiations have taken place since. The union says they have tried three times to return to the bargaining table and Waste Management has refused, thus forcing them to take action. The strike will affect about 1 million people in King and Snohomish counties, Washington, and 18,000 homes in Seattle. Earlier this month, Waste Management took applications for replacement drivers in case of a strike, but as of yet no mention has been made of putting those replacements to work.
See "Garbage truck drivers go on strike against Waste Management", Seattle Post Intelligencer, April 20, 2010