A strike by garbage and recycling workers in King and Snohomish counties won’t affect the Bellevue area. The hauler for this area, Republic Services, and members of Teamsters Local 117 ratified a 5-year agreement with Republic Services in June.

“Our agreement was the outcome of a collaborative and respectful process,” said Mike Huycke, Republic’s Northwest Area President. “Both Local 117 and Republic worked toward a mutually beneficial agreement, keeping the employee and the customer in mind. It was our goal to get to a solid contract expeditiously and respectfully.”

Local news reports of a competitor’s negotiations with Local 117 have generated a few calls to Republic’s customer service centers in the Puget Sound area.

“You may have seen media coverage about a disruption in the collection of recyclables and waste,” Huycke said in a news release. “To be clear, this is due to negotiations between the Teamsters and one of our competitors…and there is no reason to believe Republic’s customers will be impacted by this situation.”