Waste Management preparing for new hires

Published 9:29 pm Saturday, April 3, 2010

SEATTLE — Waste Management is preparing to hire new drivers in case there’s a prolonged strike by trash haulers in King and Snohomish counties.

The company says it received 1,600 online applications for driver positions, and the top 100 candidates showed up Saturday at an industrial park in South Seattle for interviews.

Spokeswoman Jackie Lang says Waste Management won’t make any job offers right away. Instead, it hopes to have 50 pre-qualified drivers it can hire quickly.

The contract expired Wednesday. Talks have resulted in a tentative agreement with another garbage company, Allied Waste.