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'The outcome was good and we're back at work' | Sanitation workers return to Republic Services after strike

Union members voted Monday to accept the terms offered by Republic Services.

CHULA VISTA, Calif. — Sanitation workers in parts of San Diego and Chula Vista were back at work Tuesday after a month-long strike. Union members voted Monday to accept the terms offered by Republic Services.

Getting rid of all the trash is the number one priority for everyone involved in the strike and hopefully trash piles will be gone soon, now that sanitation workers are back on the job.

“It’s like the first day of school, kind of,” said driver Manny Puma.

Puma said residents along his route off Eastlake Parkway were glad to see him back at work on Tuesday.

“We started bright and early this morning and the response from the community here in Chula Vista has been overwhelming. Customers are coming out, telling us ‘good fight’ and ‘welcome back’, giving us water and juices and stuff throughout the day,” Puma said. 

After being off the job for a month and dealing with the stress of having no income, Puma said the majority of the union members felt they did everything they could to get better pay and benefits.

“We feel it’s a fair contract and we’re back to work. What happened last month is behind us and we’re looking towards the future,” Puma said. 

Chula Vista’s City Manager Maria V. Kachadoorian says city crews will still be dispatched to help remove trash. Most importantly, more than 250 sanitation workers throughout San Diego County will also be doing their part to get the trash cleaned up.

“From what I hear, the Chula Vista yard there were no major issues when the employees reported to work. San Diego was a little bit different because it’s a different type of operation. So, there were some challenges there, but our members reported to work on time,” said Jaime Vasquez,  Secretary Treasurer for Teamsters Local 542 in San Diego.

Both Vasquez and Puma said they don’t know how long it’ll take to get things back to normal but they’re all up for the challenge.

“I’m getting out every single stop, picking up every single piece of paper on the ground. Just to make sure that, you know, we’re the team that does what we do here and we’re cleaning up the City of Chula Vista,” Puma said. 

At Tuesday's Chula Vista City Council meeting, Mayor Mary Salas told Republic Services' Darrell Reno that customers deserve a credit and that the city will ask for reimbursement from Republic Services for money spent on cleanup efforts. She also said if their is another contract signed with Republic in 2024, there will be added provisions to protect workers and residents. 

WATCH RELATED: Chula Vista releases phone number, email for overflowing trash at multi-family sites 

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