Warehouse workers and drivers at Seattle-based recycling startup Ridwell have voted to unionize.
Teamsters Local 117 on Wednesday announced more than 50 Seattle-area warehouse workers and drivers voted to join the union. The news comes after Local 117 in October filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board seeking an election to represent Ridwell's workers.
“We are excited to welcome Ridwell employees to the Teamsters,” John Scearcy, secretary and treasurer of Local 117, said in a release. “With Ridwell being an employer whose focus is environmental protection, we look forward to helping these new Teamsters negotiate a strong contract that offers them protections and fair treatment as well.”
In a release announcing the vote, Local 117 said the workers were unionizing to address concerns on wages, benefits and working conditions.
Ridwell said in a statement after the vote, which happened earlier this month, that it will work with the union:
From the beginning of this process, we have been clear that if these employees chose to form a union, we would be ready to work cooperatively with the union to achieve our goals. We intend to keep that commitment. We have always been committed to making Ridwell a great place for our team members and are confident that we can work alongside the Teamsters as we continue in that effort.
Ridwell, founded in 2018, picks up and recycles hard-to-recycle items like light bulbs, batteries, clothes and plastic bags. The startup also partners with local organizations and picks up items from customers' homes to donate to charity. Drivers can use Ridwell's app to find an efficient route, and Ridwell collects data to discover recycling trends. Ridwell's services are available in Seattle; Bellingham; the Bay Area; Austin, Texas; Denver; Minneapolis; and Portland.
Ryan Metzger, Ridwell's co-founder and CEO, and his son launched Ridwell as a recycling carpool service before it became its own business. Metzger was previously the director of growth marketing at the Seattle-based venture capital firm Madrona Venture Group.
The Teamsters union has 1.2 million members, while Tukwila-based Local 117 has 17,000. The union is known for representing drivers and warehouse workers, but it also represents public defenders, sanitation workers and health care professionals, among other fields.
Local 117 said in its release that Ridwell has stayed neutral regarding its employees' union efforts, noting that "Ridwell is an example of a conscientious employer that respects their workers’ decision to stand in solidarity and join a union."
