FREMONT, Calif. (KGO) -- As trash continues to pile up in more than two dozen Bay Area cities during a Republic Services strike, residents in two East Bay cities are getting some relief.
Union City and Fremont resumed some form of garbage pickup on Friday, with three drop-off locations exclusively for community members.
Bins are available in the parking lot of the BART station and the Mark Green Sports Center in Union City. Residents can also bring their trash and recycling to the Fremont Recycling and Transfer Station.
Residents appreciate the help, but hope the strike will resolve soon.
But a Teamster's Local 439 member we spoke with says until wages, health insurance and pensions are improved, there is no end date in sight.
"It's very hazardous, it's very dangerous," Jose Zepeda said. "I feel like we deserve a lot more. I mean, we work in the garbage."
That's why Teamster's Local 439 workers at the Manteca Landfill in the Central Valley are on strike.
In a show of solidarity, Republic Services picket lines have extended throughout the Bay Area.
More than 500 employees are involved in a work stoppage, leaving trash to pile up on the streets in more than two dozen cities - including in the East Bay.
"It's frustrating from a household point of view, but if it carries on, it will be really annoying," Fremont's Steven Adams said.
Friday marked four days since regular trash service was supposed to happen.
Republic Services told us in a statement, "We expect to resume some residential collection in the coming days and will continue to communicate with customers via text, automated phone messages and emails. We are asking all residents to leave their containers out as we work hard to resume regular service."
Meanwhile in the East Bay, drop-off locations in Union City and Fremont provided some relief.
"Our can is full, but we haven't needed to put more stuff in it yet," Newark's Dean Shough said. "We have three neighbors worth of garbage."
A dumpster was quickly replaced by a garbage truck because it filled up in just a few hours in Union City and a line of cars highlighted the need to make a dump run in Fremont.
"I'm a little disappointed, but I understand the situation," Union City's Refugio Padilla said. "I hope it ends soon for the better of the people and for their own good, too."
The city of Fremont and its Republic Services branch is planning on restarting services with substitute drivers throughout the weekend.
Zepeda says Republic should focus on getting a deal done to end the strike, rather than bringing in others to fill-in in the meantime.
"We've been back and forth for almost a year," Zepeda said. "So, you can tell where the frustration comes in with a lot of our guys. We're tired, we're tired of waiting, we're tired of playing these little games that we're playing."
Zepeda says the company's last offer was only around 60 cents for pay raise per hour.
The union is looking for something more in the range of three to four dollars to keep up with cost of living.
He's not sure when an agreement may be reached, so it may be awhile before full garbage service is back up and running again locally and beyond.