Working for Illinois Caucus

An Ottawa lawmaker continues to side with the Teamsters in their strike against Republic Services.

Democrat State Representative Amy “Murri” Briel visited with striking workers in Ottawa for the second time, saying she urges Republic Services to “negotiate fairly with Teamsters to protect over 8,000 waste collection workers and their families across the county.” Briel says striking Republic workers in the La Salle region make $10 less per hour than counterparts in surrounding areas. The lawmaker says the strike is well overdue with Republic Services workers being stretched thin and underpaid.

The national strike began more than two weeks ago. Since then, many towns have seen garbage pickup delayed and no recycling and yard waste taken at all by Republic Services.

Earlier this week, Republic Services sent out a statement saying that threatening actions by the Teamsters’ are hampering negotiation efforts.