Waste management companies face crippling impact after union representing 87 employees announces strike

After persistent Reports of labor unrest the goods downplayed According to Waste Management Authority officials, the union representing the disgruntled employees has announced an impending strike.

A July 3 statement from the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) said members of the local IAM chapter “voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike at the VI Waste Management Authority.” The strike, the IAM said, is a “direct response to deadlocked negotiations and unsatisfactory contract proposals that have continued without raises and back pay since the last contract expired in 2019.”

Last year, the IAM complained about stalled negotiations on the chronic staff shortagewhich reportedly led to huge backlog of cases when it came to labor disputes. In September 2023, IAM Special Representative for the Southern Territory, John Vigueras, said that union members willing to participate in industrial action if contract negotiations stall.

Wednesday’s announcement suggests that negotiations have not made much progress. “After careful consideration and by a unified voice, our members have decided that the VI Waste Management Authority’s offer is not acceptable,” said Craig Martin, vice president of IAM Southern Territory. “Our members have the full support of the IAM and our union allies on the island, all of whom are prepared to take action when a contract does not address our members’ priorities,” he continued.

According to Mr. Vigueras, Waste Management’s offer “does not address the critical issue of general wage increases… Our members should not be forced to take a second or third job to support their families.”

In his appearance before the Budget and Finance Committee last week, outgoing WMA Executive Director Roger Merritt claimed that less than 5% of the agency’s employees were involved in the unexcused absences the consortium reported as sickness cases – a percentage that represented 9 or fewer of the 180 WMA employees who were not working. However, since the IAM represents 87 waste management employees, the impact of a strike would be much greater. Losing nearly half of the agency’s employees to strike action could potentially cripple WMA operations for the duration of the worker layoff.

WMA employees are classified as Class II employees and must give 72 hours’ notice of a strike. A date for the industrial action to begin has yet to be decided by members, but the 3-day notice period will be met early next week.

In defense of the decision to strike, Vigueras stressed the need for fair working conditions and pay in every company. “Worker welfare is not just a bonus; it is a necessity for the success of a company and it is high time that the government and management recognized this fact,” he explained.