Teamsters Local 174 Mourns Death Of Waste Worker

Teamsters Local 174 is mourning the death of a solid waste worker who died on the job on Memorial Day.

Justin Schmidt, 31, a helper at CleanScapes, fell off the back of a garbage truck and struck his head on the pavement. It is uncertain if Schmidt suffered a health problem prior to falling.

“The Local 174 family is saddened by Justin’s death and we have worked with the company to make sure his family receives as much help as possible,” said Rick Hicks, Local 174 Secretary-Treasurer.

The local has worked with the company to make sure Schmidt qualified for the local’s life insurance, and Schmidt’s co-workers have donated more than 220 hours pay to help the family. The company has agreed to match the members’ hourly donations.

In addition, the local was tremendously satisfied by the way the company handled this tragic situation, including the actions of the company to provide grief counseling to the driver involved and to the victim’s brother, who also works for the company, as well as all other Local 174 members employed by the company. More than 500 people—many of them Schmidt’s co-workers—attended the funeral.

“It is tragedies like these that remind us that waste workers perform one of the most dangerous jobs in the United States,” said Ken Marshall, Vice President of Local 174. “Our thoughts are with Justin’s family as they mourn his loss.”

A fund has been established to provide further help to Schmidt’s widow. Checks should be made out to “Jessica Schmidt” and sent to: Teamsters Local 174, 14675 Interurban Ave. S., Suite 303, Tukwila, WA 98168.