Elected officials in one Massachusetts city are appealing to billionaire Bill Gates to intervene in a trash collectors strike that has lasted 16 days and counting.
The Peabody City Council sent a letter to Gates on Monday, asking him to use his influence “to take immediate and constructive action” to help end the strike. Gates controls Cascade Investment LLC, which is a major shareholder in the Republic Services waste collection company.
Letter to Bill Gates
The city councilors praised Gates for his charitable contributions in the field of global health, and then said overflowing dumpsters and trash cans in Massachusetts pose “urgent” health concerns.
“Time is of the essence,” the letter states. “With summer heat intensifying and trash piling up, the consequences of inaction are not just political or financial – they are human and urgent.”…