Arbor Hills Landfill Workers Picket For Higher Wages

SALEM (WWJ) - A couple dozen picketers grabbed signs and marched outside the Arbor Hills Landfill on Napier Road in Washtenaw County to demonstrate their solidarity and to ask for better wages.

Tom Scott, spokesperson for Operating Engineers Local 324, said they want better wages from the company -- Advanced Disposal -- that owns the landfill

"There is extreme out of pocket cost for their healthcare," Scott told WWJ. "We had one individual that had left employment at the landfill because he could no longer afford to pay the medications he needed for a medical condition that was costing him upwards of $400 per month just for his prescription.

"So our goal is to secure them fair wages and benefits that can support their families and still maintain their health without having to go broke doing so."

There are about 20 union members in this company and they get paid between $12-20 per hour. Scott would like to see them consistently get paid on the higher end of the pay grade, stating employees on the lower side can't afford their medical insurance.

"We are currently in contract negotiations and the company is unwilling to pay fair wages and benefits comparable to what they currently pay other landfill operators," Scott said.

A spokesperson with Advanced Disposal said they're negotiating in good faith.