3,000 Waste Workers Unite for Strong Contracts Ahead of Common Expiration

(LOS ANGELES) – Teamsters Local 396 has officially launched its 2026 sanitation contract campaign, as more than 3,000 waste workers prepare to bargain strong new agreements ahead of their contract expiration in exactly one year.

After years of strategic planning, Local 396 has succeeded in aligning contract expiration dates across eight waste companies, including 29 facilities in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino. This coordinated approach will give Teamsters maximum leverage at the bargaining table.

“Sanitation workers are essential, not expendable,” said Victor Mineros, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 396 and Director of the Teamsters Solid Waste and Recycling Division. “Our members do some of the most dangerous jobs in one of the most expensive parts of the country. This campaign is about securing the wages, benefits, and protections they deserve.”

By coordinating contract expiration dates, Local 396 members will be in a position to bargain new agreements that deliver higher wages, safer working conditions, more affordable health care and retirement security, and stronger job protections.

“We are launching this campaign now to build momentum and negotiate from a position of strength and unity at the bargaining table,” said Alex Moran, President of Local 396. “When we raise standards for sanitation workers, we improve conditions across entire communities.”

Over the next year, Local 396 will mobilize its members, elected officials, community leaders, and other allies to join the fight for sanitation workers’ top priorities.

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.3 million hardworking people in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Visit Teamster.org for more information. Follow us on X @Teamsters and on Facebook at Facebook.com/teamsters.

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