Waste Management Operations to Face Crippling Impact as Union Representing 87 Employees Announces Strike

After persistent reports of worker unrest which were downplayed by Waste Management Authority officials, the union representing the disgruntled employees has announced impending strike action. A July 3 announcement from the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) indicates that members of IAM’s local chapter have “overwhelmingly voted in favor of authorizing a strike at V.I. Waste Management Authority.” The strike, IAM says, comes as a “direct response to stalled negotiations and unsatisfactory contract proposals that have persisted since the last contract expired in 2019 with no raises and no back pay.”‌ IAM had last year complained about stalled negotiations due to the Office of Collective Bargaining’s chronic staffing shortage, which has reportedly caused huge case backlogs when it came to labor disputes. In September 2023, IAM Southern Territory Special Representative John Vigueras said that union members were ready to participate in job action if cont...