Public Health Concerns
Garbage collection and sanitation sewers are two of the most important steps modern cities have taken to improve overall public health.
Making sure that garbage and sewage are taken care of consistently and correctly means that germs and vermin are reduced and everyone benefits. The health of the entire community is improved because we pitch our money in together (a.k.a. pay our taxes) to improve a situation that affects everyone.
I find it interesting that in the San Francisco area these past weeks, sanitation workers have been prevented from doing their jobs, or locked out, by the privatized sanitation company. What has resulted is that garbage is piling up on the streets of the areas serviced by that company. And city officials are now getting involved because people are complaining and there are concerns about public health.
The reason the workers were locked out is because their contract had expired and the company was unable or unwilling to meet the union’s demands regarding health care for the workers. The company has made some claims that they feared the union was planning a strike, but the union denies this.
This situation raises several questions, for which I don’t have any answers but which I think need to be kept in mind as we think about this situation.
- I find it ironic that the sticking point in the negotiations had to do with providing adequate and affordable health care for the workers who ensure that a city doesn’t have to live surrounded by their refuse. Is is possible for us (a.k.a. the city) to view this entire situation as a public health concern?
- What role does the privatization of public services play in this situation?
- What role does the trend toward union breaking play in this situation?
- The workers are willing to work. How will the city officials use their influence to move the company to restart negotiations?
I think this will be an important situation to watch, even though it’s not as titillating as who is sleeping with whom in Hollywood or D.C.
One local story from July 11, 2007
Tensions are rising according to this report from yesterday. And here is a report stating that the company has brought on replacement workers to replace the ones they locked out, clearly indicating that the company is very interesting in union busting. What I really don’t understand is this quote:
“We want nothing more than to get an agreement with the union that will keep our drivers and our communities safe, and maintains the high level of wages and benefits that our employees currently enjoy,” Devlin said. “But this cannot be achieved without the union fulfilling its obligation under federal labor law to bargain in good faith with the company.”
Devlin is VP for Waste Management (the company) but it was the company that called a halt to negotiations and locked out the workers. How can the union fulfill it’s obligation to bargain in good faith if the company walked away from the table. I don’t get it.
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A year ago (or longer) on This Journey…
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A year ago (or longer) on This Journey…
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A year ago (or longer) on This Journey…
July 16th, 2007 at 5:37 am
stinky news. heh. In my old town, we had a dump we traveled to to get rid of our trash. Any day of the week. There was also a recycling center. It helped keep the garbage cans off the streets, from blowing down the street in a storm, and the stinky trucks going around and stinkin’ up the place and leaving a trail behind them on the road. (which is stinky too, and VERY unsanitary)