According to Mayor John McCann, Republic Services is bringing in drivers from Phoenix and Imperial Valley.
CHULA VISTA, Calif. — Chula Vista sanitation workers continued to stand in solidarity with their union brothers and sisters in Boston Tuesday and remained off the job for a sixth day.
About 150 Republic Services workers have been staying home since Thursday, refusing to cross the picket line as the strike in Boston has now stretched two weeks.
"It's been affecting this whole entire block," said neighbor Raymon Osuna. "It kind of ruins the neighborhood, it makes it look ugly, all the trash build up."
According to Chula Vista Mayor John McCann, over the weekend, trash was picked up at some residential, commercial and multi-family locations. He said they continued to pick up trash on Monday.
During a news conference Monday morning, he told reporters Republic Services is bringing in drivers from Phoenix and Imperial Valley to help out.
WATCH: Chula Vista Mayor John McCann addresses trash 'sympathy strike' | Full press conference
CBS 8 spotted several full trash cans and recycling bins throughout the city. We spotted one Republic Services truck on Monday morning. Off camera, the driver told CBS 8 he suspects he's the only driver for the whole city today.
However, Mayor McCann told CBS 8 there were several drivers out Saturday, and fewer on Sunday.
"There is a rule or a law in California, a driver cannot drive more than 60 hours a week," said Mayor McCann. "Many of the people who were helping drive basically got topped out and had to stop."
Neighbor Bonnie Kent said her trash was picked up Saturday.
"There was some chicken in there that was starting to smell," she said. "But other than that, it was actually a good week. I've had times where I missed trash, so I was grateful it wasn't that way."
She remembers the trash strike in Chula Vista back in December 2021.
"It will be a problem if weeks and weeks go by," she said. "We do generate a lot of trash with two kids, and we have friends over all the time, so yeah, it will impact us."
A special council meeting was also held at the Chula Vista City Hall, Monday evening, where representatives from Teamsters 542 and Republic Services attended. The Republic Services representatives addressed the council, saying that they do not know when their Teamsters employees will return to work.
A representative from the national Teamsters Union told CBS 8 that the City of Chula Vista is not specifically being targeted and that the union members are picketing the facility that services the town.
The Teamsters maintain that the work stoppage can end as soon as Republic Services agrees to the contract they are seeking.
“Don’t say 'that Boston,' don’t say 'that Stockton,' don’t say 'that San Diego,' don’t say 'that Atlanta'… there’s only one person that can fix this in a minute, in a second! And that’s Republic Services," Jaimie Vasquez, the secretary-treasurer for Teamsters Local Union 542, said.
Meanwhile, McCann said he supports declaring a state of emergency, which would allow city workers to help out.
In response to the service interruption in Chula Vista, Republic Services has also posted a notice on its website advising those whose waste collection has been impacted to leave their carts curbside. The company also said customers can co-mingle their trash with recycling and green waste in their Republic Services carts for pick-up.
"This temporary change is currently in effect to support smoother collection processes during the temporary work stoppage," Republic Services said.
Another alternative for those impacted is to self-haul the trash to the Otay or Sycamore landfill, using a one-time free disposal pass. Customers can get the pass at the Customer Convenience Center at 891 Energy Way, Chula Vista, CA 91911. To obtain this pass, they must bring a copy of their Republic Services invoice and a valid ID. Click here for more information.