Teamsters Local 396 Contracts Expire for 4,000 Southern California Sanitation Workers

COVINA, Calif., Oct. 1, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- Teamsters Local 396, representing nearly 4,000 sanitation workers across Southern California, announced that their contracts expired at midnight on September 30. This expiration comes after months of negotiations between the union and several major sanitation employers, including Republic Services, Waste Management, Athens Services, CR&R, WARE Disposal, Park Disposal, and AAA Disposal, who failed to reach tentative agreements by the deadline.

The union remains committed to bargaining in good faith and securing strong contracts for its members. Victor Mineros, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 396, emphasized the union's readiness to negotiate and reach fair agreements.

For months, Local 396 members have mobilized across Southern California as part of a historic coordinated sanitation contract campaign. Workers have participated in bargaining, workplace actions, yard meetings, rallies, and other activities to demonstrate their unity and determination to raise standards across the industry.

Sanitation workers perform essential and often dangerous work every day, operating heavy equipment, collecting and processing waste and recyclables, maintaining vehicles and facilities, and keeping communities throughout Southern California clean and safe. The union is united and prepared to stand together and fight for as long as it takes to secure strong contracts that reflect the value of their labor.

Teamsters Local 396 represents thousands of workers throughout Southern California in the package delivery, sanitation, and food delivery industries. The union is committed to ensuring that sanitation workers receive the dignity, respect, fair compensation, strong benefits, and workplace protections that reflect the value of their labor.