
Marathon talks aimed at ending a labor dispute that led Waste Management of Alameda County, CA to lock out nearly 500 garbage workers more than three weeks ago continued into Tuesday night at a federal mediator's office before ending at around 8 p.m. without resolution. The talks, which are the sixth mediation session since the lockout began on July 2, began at 9:30 a.m., were interrupted by a lunch break and resumed early in the afternoon. Federal mediator Jerry Allen and Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums shuttled proposals and counterproposals between negotiators for Waste Management and Teamsters Union Local 70, who are in separate rooms.
At a court hearing earlier Tuesday, Alameda County Superior Court Judge Richard Keller ordered Waste Management to return to court on Aug. 3 for a hearing on whether the company should be found in contempt of court for allegedly not complying with Keller's order last week that it abide by its contract with the city of Oakland and provide complete garbage collection service in the city.
Keller said one factor that could "mitigate against a contempt citation" is Waste Management's allegation that a major reason there are missed pickups of garbage is that locked-out garbage drivers are preventing trucks driven by replacement workers from leaving the company's yard in a timely fashion every morning.
Keller said Oakland officials have presented sufficient evidence to convince him that he should have a contempt hearing.
After the hearing, Oakland City Attorney John Russo said he thinks Keller should fine Waste Management $2,500 a day for each of the hundreds of pickups the city says have been missed since the judge original order on July 19.
The judge said a contempt citation would have to be based on evidence that the company is "in willful disregard" of his order last week.
Waste Management has locked out 481 drivers who belong to Teamsters Local 70, as well as an additional 360 employees who belong to machinists and longshore and warehouse workers unions.
The company said it took that action because it feared the unions would go on strike, as four months of labor talks had been unsuccessful, but the unions say they didn't have any plans to go on strike.
In addition to Oakland, the company serves Albany, Emeryville, Hayward, Newark, Livermore, the Castro Valley Sanitary District, Oro Loma Sanitary District in parts of San Leandro and San Lorenzo, San Ramon and unincorporated Alameda County.
Tuesday's lengthy negotiating session follows a 12-hour session on Sunday and an eight-hour session on Thursday.
(ktvu.com)