Waste collection is being disrupted in a large part of Peel Region after workers went on strike Monday.
Some residents in Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon may face delays in the collection of garbage and organics, while recycling and yard waste will not be picked up during the labour disruption, region officials say.
The Region of Peel website says residents affected by the strike should continue to put out their garbage and organics on their scheduled collection day, but noted that it may not be collected right away.
“Please leave garbage and organics at the curb until further notice (even on the weekend),” the website says.
“No bulky items will be picked up during the labour disruption.”
Affected residents are also being advised to hold onto their recycling and yard waste until further notice. Organics will only be picked up on garbage collection weeks.
The strike involves workers at Emterra Environmental, one of the region’s waste collection contractors.
Jason Ottey, director of government relations and communications at LiUNA Local 183, told Global News the strike action comes after months of trying to negotiate a new collective agreement with the company.
“It expired on Nov. 18 and unfortunately the disparity between what our members expected was fair and what the company was offering was too great, so as of this morning we were forced to pull our services and go on strike,” Ottey said.
“By far the largest issue right now is the discrepancy in wages. There is another provider, Waste Connections, in the area that is doing the exact same work … and the gap in pay between what our members make and what the members of Waste Connections make is substantial.”
He said Emterra Environmental services approximately two thirds of Peel Region, while Waste Connections services one third.
Ottey apologized to affected Peel Region residents but said he hopes they “can appreciate that we are just trying to get fairness.”
In a statement, Brad Muter, the chief operations officer at Emterra Group, said “a fair and competitive, fully recommended deal was presented.”
“We ask that the union reconsider its actions given the impact this disruption could have on residents in the community, the environment, as well as our employees and their families,” Muter said.
“Our pledge is to do our best to minimize the impact on our valued residents, customers and business partners and thank them for their patience and understanding as we work towards a fair settlement.”
An interactive map showing areas of Peel Region affected by the strike can be found here.
A strike by garbage collectors in Peel also took place in 2016.