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‘Progressive’ City Council abuses vulnerable persons—and free speech
Schuster: prepare kids for the long term
Somerville Five
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Police in Somerville clashed with Teamsters to shield scofflaw Russell
F. W. Russell, the trash disposal company used by Cambridge and Somerville, is waging a vicious campaign against its workers, most of whom want to join the union.
[photo: Bill Bumpus]
On February 12th, dozens of organizers and labor leaders gathered at IBEW Local 103 in Dorchester. Steve Sullivan, of Teamsters Local 25, gave details of an unprovoked use of force by police against a peaceful picket line in Somerville.
What made the presentation more compelling was that Sullivan was operating a camera on that day. He was able to capture a scene of union repression reminiscent of the early 1930s—before American workers gained the rights that are supposed to protect their right to picket and strike.
Teamsters Local 25 has been working to organize the employees at F.W. Russell Disposal in Somerville. Their efforts were met with illegal union busting tactics by Russell owner Charles Carneglia.
Local 25 organizers Steve South and Pat Palmisano, told the Roundtable that they collected authorization cards from 51 of the approximately 70 workers at Russell, although Carneglia would often confiscate the cards as his employees came in to work.
Sullivan cited complaints by employees concerning numerous labor law and public safety violations, ranging from wage and hour infractions to physical abuse inflicted on employees to unsafe working conditions. He said that Russell uses unsafe trash disposal trucks that endanger the public as well as the workers.
When it became clear that Local 25 had the support of a majority of employees, Carneglia intimidated his workers in a captive audience meeting, and later fired several union supporters.
In the early morning of Thursday, December 27, more than 150 Teamsters gathered to picket outside the Russell gate. After six hours of peaceful protest, forty police officers dressed in riot gear suddenly arrived as Russell trucks driven by scabs attempted to leave the yard.
The video of the incident clearly documents the protestors being abused and arrested without cause, and gives an important glimpse into the character of the owner. Charles Carneglia is seen taunting the picketers while wearing a sombrero, an obvious insult highlighting Russell Disposal’s routine exploitation of immigrant workers.
Teamsters Local 25 has filed Unfair Labor Practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board in response to the illegal firing of union supporters and other labor law infractions. The events of December 27 are under litigation.
Not only are taxpayers forced to finance this abuse; questions of fraud have been raised. There are many allegations of Russell billing cities and towns for more hours than were actually worked in servicing communities. Russell has undermined public safety and the environment by using unsafe vehicles, unlicensed drivers, and by openly disregarding environmental regulations.
The AFL-CIO urges residents of the ten cities and towns which contract Russell for trash or recycling disposal to contact elected officials to let them know that taxpayers do not want hard-earned tax dollars financing human rights abuses.
Russell currently has contracts in Belmont, Cambridge, Chelmsford, Dracut, Lowell, Methuen, Somerville, Wakefield, Walpole, and Wilmington.
Public hearing— Camb.HousingAuthority