Drivers who pick up, and workers who process medical waste from health care facilities in Northeast Ohio and Western Pennsylvania staged what they are calling a “practice picket line” outside their place of work in Warren on Wednesday.

Members of Teamster’s Local 377 gathered outside Stericycle on Pine Ave to protest the lack of a new labor agreement.

Local 377 Vice President Ken Sabo told 21 News that his 58 members have been working under contract extensions since the last pact expired on October 31.  Since then, Sabo says the company has only held two negotiating sessions to discuss wages and hospitalization.

"These guys go out daily to nursing homes, hospitals, doctors' offices and pick up medical waste. They are front-line workers in this pandemic,” said Sabo, who emphasized that his members are not on strike.

The current contract extension expires on May 28, according to Sabo, who tells 21 News that the main issue is the lack of negotiations.

Stericycle issued the following statement to 21 News on Thursday: 

Stericycle is proud to be part of the Warren, Ohio, community as we play an essential role in protecting what matters, which includes the health and well-being of the people and places around us in a safe, responsible, and sustainable way through our regulated waste and compliance services as well as our secure information destruction solutions. We are currently in active, good faith negotiations with Teamster's Local 377 and have been negotiating with them over the last several months. In fact, we met with them as recently as this week and have also tentatively scheduled negotiations in the coming weeks. We appreciate our team members' contributions to this process and look forward to finalizing an agreement.