Sept. 13, 2002 – St. Croix's four contracted trash haulers who didn't get paid for their August work and don't expect to get paid anytime soon for September are in a wait-and-see mode before they go on strike, Lloyd Daniel of Dan's Trucking said on Friday.
"We're waiting for a response from the government," he said.
Daniel said he and the owners of Bates Trucking and Removal, Fergutrax Heavy Equipment and Paradise Waste Systems were told that the government doesn't have the money to pay them. "They didn't pay us for August, and they're saying the funds are not there for September," he said.
The total money owed stands at about $470,000, he said.
According to Daniel, the haulers don't want to strike and hope the situation can be resolved. Since the territory is nearing the end of its fiscal year, it is running out of money, he said.
"How would you feel if the boss said he wasn't going to pay you for the next few months?" Daniel said.
Public Works Commissioner Wayne Callwood could not be reached for comment.
On Sept. 4, the Senate Finance Committee turned down Callwood's request to have $911,588 in funds now earmarked for utilities transferred to pay the waste haulers. He told the senators he needed the transfer to cover the cost of carnival cleanup activities and to pay trash haulers' overdue accounts.
After the meeting, according to published reports, Callwood warned that "trash is going to start piling up."
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