Teamsters approve new pact with trash hauler

Members of Teamsters Local 631 have agreed to a five-year labor agreement with the trash company that serves the Las Vegas Valley.

The workers voted 551-323 Friday to accept Republic Services of Southern Nevada’s contract offer, which included a 37 percent increase in wages and benefits, from $24.34 per hour to $33.27 per hour over the life of the contract.

The contract was similar to a deal the union broadly rejected in May. The only modification was in the absenteeism policy, under which workers received four additional paid days off but faced a reduction in the overall number of absences they were allowed, said Bob Coyle, president of Republic Services of Southern Nevada.

The contract also calls for 100 percent coverage of workers’ health costs. Also, it reduces the allotted number of “no-call, no-show” days on which employees can skip work without telling managers in advance from 10 days to three days.

The Teamsters and Republic Services had been negotiating the labor pact since February. Union employees voted 718-198 against the contract in May, weeks before the June 9 expiration of their previous seven-year deal.

Teamsters representatives didn’t return calls late Monday.

Coyle said union members struck down the offer because they didn’t have enough information about the proposal.

Employees had only two days between an informational meeting and the vote in May, Coyle said.

Following the vote, union officials spent two weeks in June explaining the package in detail, he said, giving members a tighter grasp on the deal’s specifics.

Coyle said he expected an “excellent” relationship with the Teamsters going forward.

“I truly believe the partnership we’re working to create with our employees will continue to improve over the next five years,” Coyle said. “We’re very pleased they have approved the contract. We think it’s an outstanding contract for the employees, and we’re pleased there’s not going to be any service interruption to any of our customers.”

Shares of Republic Services rose 30 cents, or 0.98 percent, Monday to close at $30.82 on the New York Stock Exchange.