Hail to Dolly Paez - Taking Action on Waste Management

NEW: Extended "raw" news video of Dolly Paez's taking a stand on Waste Management (click here).

Waste Management, the contractor hired by Alameda County to handle all trash pickup has locked out its workers for three straight weeks, but Alameda County resident Dolly Paez who lives on Octavia street in Oakland took the problem in her own hands on Wednesday, July 18, 2007 when it came to the three weeks worth of trash, recyclables, and compost that is piling up on her residential block.

Dolly was being covered by KTVU and KRON's morning news programs when they were interviewing her about the large amount of trash piling up on her street and that the Waste Management "replacement workers" were always driving down her block and just passing by, and not picking up the trash.

Luckily, the TV cameras were there to record her going apes (video 1) (video 2) on a Waste Management truck that was to pass by her neighborhood again. She dragged the trash cans from her home directly into the pathway of the oncoming Waste Management collection truck, and the truck was forced to stop in the middle of the road. Dolly then proceeded to grab as many trash cans from her neighbors and block the road, demanding that the trash must be picked-up immediately. Her neighbors noticed what she was doing and joined in the action, including one neighbor that pulled her car out to surround the Waste Management truck so that it could not escape. Eventually the replacement worker was forced to pick-up the trash and all the cans were finally emptied.

Here's what Dolly Paez said on camera on KTVU's 10 O'Clock News:

• Dolly Paez: "What do you expect us to do!?!?"
• Garbageman: "(Talking on a cell phone) alright."
  
• Dolly Paez: "Is this what it takes to get the garbage to get picked up!?!?!"
• Reporter Renee Kemp: "This woman, Dolly Paez took matters into her own hands today when it looked like garbage trucks were about to pass-up her street for the third week in a row."
• Dolly Paez: "It is extremely aggravating to see a truck come-up and only pick-up only truck one trash bin and leave; I just could not let the truck go by again."

Here's a transcript of what Dolly Paez said on KRON:

• Dolly Paez: "I am just so upset. This truck has been comin' for the last two weeks, every Wednesday. He drives down here, sees all this debris, and will never pick it up! I can't take it no more. We need garbage picked-up we've been since June 28, with no service, and I think it's time they picked-up this trash, bottom line."
• Darya Folsom of KRON: "It was truly amazing to see. The neighbors started joining in; another woman got her car and blocked-in that trash truck right there, and really the replacement workers had no choice, but to deviate and take everybody's trash as they handed the bags over to the workers..."

As a resident of San Francisco and being a caring activist for when I feel my neighborhood problems are never being resolved:
I personally salute Dolly Paez for taking direct and swift action to get her garbage picked-up. When something is wrong and nobody is taking care of it, it is necessary to take action by doing it yourself in a non-violent manner.

If you live in Alameda County, your trash has not been picked-up, and nobody cares to pick-up your trash: do it like Dolly, organize your neighbors and throw your cans in the middle of your street. If possible, get it recorded on video and post it on YouTube.


For video information:
KRON (yeah, I still don't like the news station, but at least they covered Dolly Paez) - click here for an extended (not full raw footage) video of her tossing cans into the street and taking the "law into her own hands."

KTVU 10 O'Clock News - To view the video of Dolly going apes on Waste Management (2 minutes, 13 seconds in the video), here's a clip that will automatically open-up in Windows Media Player. Click here for the clip. The file is not downloadable, but it is a streaming video link off the KTVU website.

Let's summarize my rants:
Kudos to Dolly Paez for taking action when Waste Management replacement workers ignored pleas to get her block's trash picked-up.
Waste Management, get your union workers back on the job.
Waste Management, you better pray that when your contract renewal is up with the local cities and Alameda County, that they do allow you to renew. But I hope NOT ANYMORE!

Alameda County's Garbage Strike Woes

Alameda County (the East Bay) has been hit hard by a garbage worker lockout by trash mega giant Waste Management. News reports show that some Oakland residents have not had their trash picked-up for over a week and there is worry of infestation of animals, rodents, and flies spreading diseases around.

What makes me concerned is that the workers were locked-out, and were not planning to strike. Their contract was up and the workers were to go negotiate out a deal with management, but instead, WM's management decides to lock them out and get "scab" workers to pick-up the trash.

First of all, the scab workers aint really doing their job right, especially if they cannot pick-up the trash like 10 days LATE.

Second, why in the world would management lock the employees out when it could have been dealt with easily without a lockout?

Waste Management's solution for now is that citizens can transport their trash to their local dump collection site. But the irony of dropping off your trash at one Waste Management site is that they are only open on WEEKENDS and you have to dump your trash in 35 gallon trash bags. Well damn, you piss people off with those two rules and you scab workers don't pick-up the trash? What a shame. And how about the people that don't have a vehicle to get their garbage there? I don't think any AC Transit operator will allow a citizen to transport stinky trash on the bus!

Let's summarize my rants:
Stop the lockout, and get the workers on NOW.
If you can't stop the lockout, get the scabs to work overtime and even do it at night.
Every citizen should refuse to pay their garbage bill in protest of shitty service.
Waste Management in Alameda County is history.