Some sanitation workers in north metro Atlanta could go on strike over what they say are poor working conditions.(Stock photo by Benjamin Rondel/Getty Images)
Some sanitation workers in Georgia say they’re getting a rotten deal.
Members of Teamsters Local 728 in Cumming say their employer, Republic Services, is forcing them to work in dangerous conditions for too little pay. Along with Republic employees at several locations around the country, they’re demanding a new contract with better pay – 7% for the first year – and more benefits and protections. If they don’t get it, there could be a strike – which could mean trash piling up in metro Atlanta yards just as the summer heat is broiling the state.
The teamsters represent just under 400 Republic drivers in Georgia, according to Chuck Stiles, director of the Teamsters’ waste division. If a strike does take place, residential customers in Alpharetta will be the most affected…