Two dozen waste haulers for Allied Waste Services went on strike early this morning asking for a 45 percent rate hike.
Terry Hancock, the president of Teamsters Local 731, which represents the workers including two additional mechanics, said they walked off the job at 5 a.m. after they could not convince management to raise their pay by $10 an hour.
On average, drivers earn $22 an hour and they are seeking wages more in line with company drivers in the Chicago metropolitan region who earn on average $32 an hour, Hancock said.