A coalition of labor unions, activist groups and New York City council members has singled out a suburban New York hauling and recycling company for what it calls unfair labor practices.
According to the coalition, represented in part by New York City Council representative Antonio Reynoso, on April 29, 2015, Michael Bush and Carlton Darden of Five Star Carting, Maspeth, New York, testified before New York City Council’s Sanitation Committee about working conditions in their industry.
Their testimony, according to Reynoso, “described an employer who paid low wages for long hours, put its employees in danger and treated them like the trash they pick up.”
On May 1, Bush and Darden were both fired by Five Star, says Reynoso, who adds, “Federal labor law protects workers from retaliation for speaking publicly about their working conditions.” Teamsters Local 813 is preparing a filing with the National Labor Relations Board and the Department of Labor on behalf of Bush and Darden, according to Reynoso.
Reynoso says in response to the firings, he will hold a press conference in front of Five Star Carting’s Maspeth offices on May 4.
In addition to Reynoso and Teamsters Local 813, other coalition partners listed in a May 3 media advisory include two additional labor union locals, the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance and a group called Fight for $1, which encourages workers to organize to achieve a $15 hourly wage.
On its website, Five Star Carting describes itself as “one of the fastest growing carting and recycling companies in the five boroughs of New York.” In addition to collecting waste and recyclables, the company operates a document destruction division and offers interior demolition services.