Waste Management struck a deal with the Teamsters, company officials announced late Tuesday.
A tentative agreement for a new five-year contract was reached following days of negotiations. Teamster Local 174 members are expected to vote Sunday to ratify the agreement, union spokesman Michael Gonzales said.
He said no details will be released until the contract is put before the members.
The garbage truck drivers continued to work when their contract expired March 31. A potentially lengthy strike was looming after Waste Management proposed what it called its best and final offer.
The workers briefly hit the picket line Wednesday and Thursday but then returned to work Friday when company officials said they’d go back to the table.
“Teamster drivers work hard and deserve fair compensation for the important work that they perform,” said Rick Hicks, the union’s secretary treasurer.
Earlier on Tuesday, Waste Management officials said they were considering a lockout of their workers. The company had nearly 700 workers in the pipeline to start work, Waste Management spokeswoman Jackie Lang said.
The company employs more than 350 of the union’s drivers in Snohomish and King counties.
“We are pleased to have reached an agreement with the Teamsters that ensures uninterrupted service for our customers,” Lang said in a press release Tuesday evening.
Waste Management serves 75,000 homes and businesses in parts of unincorporated Snohomish County as well as Arlington, Marysville, Mill Creek, Mountlake Terrace, Lynnwood, Brier, Mukilteo and parts of south Everett.
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