California clean-up causing union commotion

Roadside crews in California are up in arms over cleaning up an increasing amount of garbage – much of it unhealthy, some of it potentially lethal. US media are reporting that the International Union of Operating Engineers, which represents California state's maintenance workers, filed a grievance accusing the state of subjecting its members to hazardous conditions without proper training or equipment.
May 9, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
Roadside crews in California are up in arms over cleaning up an increasing amount of garbage – much of it unhealthy, some of it potentially lethal.


US media are reporting that the International Union of Operating Engineers, which represents California state's maintenance workers, filed a grievance accusing the state of subjecting its members to hazardous conditions without proper training or equipment.

Workers also must face hostility from residents in encampments of homeless people whom they are having to move on and clean up after.

"Their job is to maintain the highways and freeways,” Steve Crouch, a director with the union, reportedly said. “That's filling the potholes, that's doing the striping of the lines, that's doing the guardrails alone the edge, that's trimming the trees and shrubs and bushes along the highway. Their job is not to clean up homeless encampments."

He said the union believes that the state is not issuing workers with essential personal protective equipment, giving them the necessary training, necessary vaccinations and proper compensation for the dangerous hazmat duties.

Crouch commented on the nature of hazardous material, including faeces, urine, feminine products, needles and syringes. Workers also face dangerous dogs owned by encampment residents.

2451 California Department of Transportation estimated the cost of cleaning up after homeless groups was around US$10 million in 2016-17 – a third more than the previous period. Maintenance crews encountered about 7,000 homeless camps on rights of way of the state's 254 highways, according to news reports.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • US driving distances see continued increase
    September 6, 2017
    New data released by the US Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) shows that US driving topped 2.53 trillion kilometres in the first six months of 2017. This continues a streak of steadily increasing vehicle distances travelled that began in 2011.
    Read More
  • Ammann is helping boost RAP use in China
    December 19, 2017
    The use of a new Ammann plant is helping to improve RAP usage in China with the manufacturer and the Chinese Government working together to gather and evaluate production data. A key Ammann customer in China is helping pave the way for the expanded use of recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) in the country’s road projects. Tianjin TianHeJianLing Road & Bridge Engineering Technology is a pioneer in the use of RAP in China. The mixes its Ammann ABA UniBatch and Uniglobe asphalt plants produce are being scrutinised
    Read More
  • The use of concrete cutting tools and tips for users
    October 8, 2015
    Despite the proven importance of identifying metal targets and electrical lines before cutting into concrete, every day there are stories about mishaps that happen when the necessary reconnaissance is not done. In this article, a few firms that provide concrete scanning services weigh in on the critical importance of locating embedded and or buried obstructions by scanning for these features using ground penetrating radar (GPR). Also offered are tips for selecting the best GPR equipment and best practices f
    Read More
  • Foiled by foliage
    September 5, 2022
    The fight against air pollutants along inner-city roads is growing, literally, as explained by Richard Sabin, managing director of Biotecture*
    Read More

Highlighted Content