Four private St. Croix trash haulers owed more than $2 million went on strike Wednesday, one day after Rudolph Krigger, the governor’s advisor on economic affairs, told senators they wouldn’t be paid because there were no contracts in place.
Late Thursday, however, Attorney General Iver Stridiron told WSTX Radio that the contracts had been reviewed by the Department of Justice, essentially opening the way for payment.
"We would advise them that the contracts are signed off by me and forwarded to the governor," Turnbull said. "The matter has been solved as far as we’re concerned."
The companies – Dan’s Trucking, Bates Trucking and Trash Removal, G&T Trucking and Fergutrax Heavy Equipment – have been removing trash for the last five months assuming they would be compensated, said Gary Thomas of G&T Trucking Tuesday afternoon. He said that when he heard Krigger's comments earlier that day he decided to park his trucks.
As of Friday morning, it was unclear whether the companies had resumed service.
The contracts were signed by Public Works in October and went to Property and Procurement in late December, Stridiron said. The contracts didn’t arrive at the DOJ until mid-January, he said.
After the governor signs off on the documents, they must again go through Property and Procurement and then to the Department of Finance before the vendors are paid, Stridiron said.
"The problem is, sometimes the government is slow," he said. "We have to do quite a bit to check legal sufficiency."
The trash haulers struck twice last summer to get paid for work dating back to 1995. That stoppage ended after Lt. Gov. Gerard Luz James appropriated approximately $420,000 and arranged new hauling contracts.
Stridiron, meanwhile, said the administration fully intends to reimburse vendors who have performed work for the government.
"We do apologize to all the haulers," he said. "We know they undertook the work on good faith."