Workers, company end Salem Twp. landfill strike
Charles E. Ramirez, The Detroit News
Workers at a Salem Township landfill were back on the job Monday after walking out in a labor dispute last week, according to union and company officials.
The two sides hammered out a tentative agreement Friday, ending a five-day strike by 19 workers represented by Operating Engineers 324 at Advance Disposal’s Arbor Hills Landfill.
The landfill serves communities in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb and Washtenaw counties.
“We are very pleased with this important win for our members,” Douglas Stockwell, Operating Engineers 324’s Business Manager and General Vice President, said in a statement. “This new contract will benefit both workers and the company and allows our dedicated members to get back to serving thousands of Southeast Michigan families.”
He said the new three-year contract includes pay raises and “significant improvements in working conditions and health care coverage.
Company officials also praised the new labor pact.
“We reached an important agreement that protects our business and employees,” Kelly Rooney, district manager for Advanced Disposal, said in a statement. “Arbor Hills serves an important role for dozens of communities throughout Southeast Michigan. Our job is to keep neighborhoods clean, keep our landfill operating effectively, and keep our employees safe every day. The partnership with the union helps us meet these goals.”
Based in Ponte Vedra, Florida, Advanced Disposal is the country’s fourth-largest solid waste company with customers in 16 states and the Bahamas.
Its Arbor Hills facility takes in household, construction and demolition wastes as well as non-hazardous commercial and industrial waste and non-hazardous wastewater sludges. It employs 34 people.
cramirez@detroitnews.com