Eleven members of District 751 who work for Republic Services in Klickitat County, WA were honored recently by their company for excellence on the job.
The 11 were in the first group to be given Republic’s “Dedicated to Excellence” award, which recognizes that the workers met Republic’s high standards for safety, while also excelling in productivity, customer service and attendance.
They are Bryon Burgin, Joe Garcia, Richard Lattimer, Tom Parrish, Rick Porter, Justin Ramsay, Donald Schell, Larry Smart, Paul Vincent, Lewis White and Kenneth Whitner.
The 11 “Excellence” award winners were also among 110 Machinists working for Republic in Klickitat County to be honored with the company’s “Dedicated to Safety” awards, for achieving safety goals last year. Republic instituted the two award programs in 2010 for its workers at a pair of large landfills in Goldendale.
Ken Howard, a staff assistant for Machinists Union District Lodge 751, took part in the awards luncheons. “The Roosevelt landfill is the largest in Washington and workplace safety is vital,” he said. “With so much hazardous material and dangerous equipment, it is important that safety remain in the forefront for all workers at the site.”
Union Steward Rick Porter said safety is a core value for all Machinists at Republic. “We are serious about keeping everyone safe in these jobs,” he said. “The programs are a nice reward, and they help keep safety at the forefront while providing an incentive to stay safe and deliver excellence in all phases of our jobs.”
