Trash and recycling are piling up outside Johnny’s Luncheonette in Newton. In Allston, a Cantonese restaurant, a pizzeria, and a bar have all been stuck with big blue dumpsters too full to close.
The strike against Republic Services is affecting more than the municipalities that contract with the Phoenix-based waste management firm for residential trash pickup. Republic’s commercial customers — and their neighbors — in Boston, Brookline, Newton, Somerville, and other communities also are waiting for Republic to empty overflowing bins.
“These kinds of disruptions just add to the stress restaurateurs feel with all of the other things that are already on their plate, pardon the industry pun,” said Johnny’s Luncheonette owner Kay Masterson.
Republic workers represented by the Teamsters union walked off the job on July 1 in a dispute over wages and benefits. The strike has disrupted municipal trash pickup in 14 communities, primarily on the North Shore.
But the disruptions don’t end there. Businesses and large multi-family residences are generally not eligible for municipal garbage pickup and instead have their own contracts with private companies, such as Republic Services.
How many of these customers are affected is unclear, but several municipalities have heard complaints. Starting Friday, owners of the approximately 180 properties in Newton that contract with Republic can drop off their waste for a fee at Newton’s Resource Recovery Center.
In Chelsea, which has at least 300 licensed Republic dumpsters at more than 100 properties, city officials are fielding complaints and questions about growing trash piles, a city spokesperson said. In Somerville, Republic or a subsidiary is listed as the service provider on 130 out of the 439 active dumpster licenses, according to a spokesperson for the city.
Republic has about 160 commercial customers in Brookline, said Commissioner of Public Works Erin Chute. A Brookline alert on Thursday said restaurants, commercial properties, and multi-unit residences that contract with Republic could be affected by the strike.
The main goal, the alert said, was to “prevent the situation from becoming a public health concern and to avoid the need to shut down businesses due to unmanaged waste.”
A Republic spokesperson confirmed some customers in Boston and surrounding areas are experiencing delays. The company and Teamsters were meeting Friday with a federal mediator as they seek to end the stand-off.
Masterson said she feels “left in the dark” by Republic. She said she did not receive any communication from the company and only learned the strike would affect her restaurant when Republic missed its regular pickup on Tuesday.
“All the restaurants are kind of scrambling,” Masterson said. “We try our best to be responsible about our waste, but when you’re serving thousands of people in your busy restaurant open seven days a week, it adds up quickly.”
It’s adding up behind the Avenue Bar and Grill in Allston, where there is a “growing mountain of trash” said general manager Kyle Riess. The bar and restaurant usually has three trash pickups a week, but hasn’t had any since the strike began, he said.
Riess said he has little choice but to wait and hope the strike is resolved soon. Hiring a different company would break their contract with Republic, which has done a good job for a long time, Riess said.
For now, all he and the restaurant workers can do is tie bags more tightly.
“It’s a good year for the rats,” Riess said. “They’re going to have a great July.”
Stella Tannenbaum can be reached at stella.tannenbaum@globe.com.