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A Mass. mayor explains why his city is suing as the garbage strike carries on
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Lawyers for Harvard and the Trump administration square off today at the Seaport's Moakley Courthouse over the federal government's attempted freeze of more than $2 billion in grants and contracts. NPR's Elissa Nadworny and WBUR's Emily Piper-Vallillo have the details here on the two sides' expected arguments — and the hundreds of research projects at stake.
But first, let's catch up on the local news:
A big stink: It's been three weeks since garbage collectors with the Teamsters Local 25 union went on strike, demanding an increase in wages from their employer, Republic Services. For a handful of Massachusetts communities, the work stoppage has become a literal and financial mess. Last week, six cities and towns in Greater Boston sued Republic Services over uncollected garbage. Gloucester Mayor Greg Verga spoke to WBUR's Fausto Menard to explain why his city joined the legal complaint.
- Broken promises: Verga says that, leading up to the strike, Republic assured municipalities that trash collection would not be interrupted. But the piles of trash on the street prove otherwise. " What we're really trying to do is get Republic to do what they promised to do," said Verga. Republic did send in replacement garbage collectors, but there were too few to sufficiently serve all the affected areas, he added. "They miss one day, and then they come the next day to make up the previous route, but they don't complete the previous route," said Verga. "So each day it just kept compounding and compounding."
- Compounding costs: To keep the trash off the streets, Gloucester is paying employees from its Department of Public Works to collect garbage and bring it to the city's DPW yard for transfer, said Verga. "We're paying them extra money to do that," he said, adding that other communities also have tapped their public works employees for help (at a cost). While these workers are clearing the trash, "they don't have the ability to do their regular job fully," said Verga. "That means there's less grass being cut, less signs being replaced or things like that."
- What's next: A hearing is set for Tuesday at Essex County Superior Court, according to the court docket. "I think the frustration level among the town administrators, managers and mayors has risen to this level, unfortunately, that we need to make a point through the courts," said Verga. "We certainly respect the collective bargaining process, but we are looking at the potential of a public health crisis and other nuisances [i.e. rodents] that ... just can't wait until the strike is resolved. We have to have people here picking up the trash."
Holdup on the highway: The Trump administration's new megalaw has pulled back $327 million in previously approved federal funding for the massive overhaul of the Mass Pike in Allston. Back in 2023, Massachusetts was awarded over $335 million through a Biden-era "Neighborhood Access and Equity" program for the project — which would replace the crumbling viaduct with a ground-level highway alongside Storrow Drive, build a new "West Station" transit hub and free up a rail yard for redevelopment. However, the new law rescinds "unobligated funds" awarded through the program.
- An optimistic take: As state lawmakers call on Trump to restore the funding, WBUR's Andrea Perdomo-Hernandez reports that some transit experts say that the state could pull off the project "without any federal money if it wants to."
The latest: Officials are set to provide an update today on the investigation into the death of a man who struggled with several Haverhill police officers more than a week ago. According to the Essex County District Attorney's office, 43-year-old Francis Gigliotti died during a struggle when police attempted to restrain him after he was allegedly "behaving erratically." Seven officers were subsequently put on paid leave.
- During a Saturday protest, Gigglioti's family said he had mental illness and raised questions about how police handled the situation. "It wasn't treated like a medical crisis, and I want to understand why,” Rachel Wallace, a family spokesperson, said. “I want to understand the failures in the training and the lack of accountability that have been displaced by the Haverhill police.”
P.S. — New seasonal commuter rail schedules are now in effect this week, with some notable service changes for several lines south of Boston. Fall River's Herald News explains the biggest differences here. And as a reminder for local commuters, a stretch of Cambridge' s Mt. Auburn Street and one lane of Memorial Drive is now closed for at least a few months due to the demolition of a nearby condo building.
