The war of words between hundreds of local union sanitation workers and their corporate employer continued Thursday as negotiations remain at a stand still and their strike has now spread to more cities.

A spokesman for striking members of Teamsters Local 25 claims waste management giant Republic Services is misleading the impacted communities it serves when they claim they are trying to resolve the ongoing work stoppage, now in its tenth day.

The union says that they haven’t heard a peep out of the company since shortly after they rejected an unacceptable offer made before their contract expired at the start of the month.

“Teamsters Local 25 has not been contacted by Republic since last Thursday’s meeting. We have spoken with the federal mediator, and he has not been contacted by Republic either” Local 25 President Tom Mari said in a statement.

According to the union, the strike has grown to include 2,000 union members in cities across the country. It’s a fight the company has been asking for “years”, according to the union’s national leadership.

“And now, they’ve got one,” Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien said in a statement.

“We will flood the streets and shut down garbage collection in state after state. Workers are uniting nationwide, and we will get the wages and benefits we’ve earned, come hell or high water,” O’Brien added.

Mari is asking the residents of towns hit by the strike to contact the company and demand they return to the negotiating table. Republic Services said they are ready to work with the union, just as soon as they stop alleged “unlawful actions.”

“As we’ve made clear, we stand ready to meet at any time with the Teamsters when they are ready to re-engage. We will continue to focus on providing service and doing right by our employees. We call on Teamsters’ leadership to immediately stop the instigation, intimidation and criminal acts, and resolve this situation,” they said in a statement.

The company said that they’ve offered Local 25 a 39% pay increase over the next five years, with a 14% raise in the first year alone.

According to the company, their payroll data shows that almost half the Boston regional union members already earn six-figure salaries annually. The union said that isn’t the point, especially considering how rough the job is.

“It’s not enough given the difficult and tough work they face each day in extreme heat or bitter cold during the course of the year,” the spokesperson said.

Whatever offer the company “claims” they have put forward, the union said, it’s still “significantly lower than the amount required to bring them on par to the employees who perform the same work for Capitol and Boston Carting.”

Mari said that his members aren’t asking “for one penny more than what other union waste companies in Boston provide.”

“This strike is all about fairness, equity, and maintaining the area standard,” he said.

The company also claims the union is attempting to force workers out of the “zero-premium healthcare plan” offered by Republic and into the “Teamsters’ health and welfare plan, which offers no significant benefit at a substantially higher cost.”

“Some employees working on prevailing wage jobs could lose more than $40,000 annually with this change,” the company said in a statement.

The union disagrees. They say the union offers members a much more comprehensive insurance benefits package that includes dental, vision, short term disability and life insurance.

“Republic never reveals that it requires its employees to pay for these benefits out of the employees own pockets,” the union’s spokesperson told the Herald.

The company, which says it has managed trash service in all of the impacted communities utilizing employees from elsewhere, allege that the striking workers have engaged in “dangerous acts” and that union leaders have “instigated violent actions and threats to prevent our trucks from reaching customers.”

“We will continue to focus on providing service and doing right by our employees. We call on Teamsters’ leadership to immediately stop the instigation, intimidation and criminal acts, and resolve this situation,” the company said in a statement.

The union says the company is bringing “scabs” across their picket lines.

“This strike will last as long as necessary to make certain that Republic Teamsters get what they’ve rightfully deserve,” Mari said. “Our members are fully committed to this effort. This strike will end when Republic comes to its senses and agrees to bring pay and benefits up to the industry standard. We know and Republic knows they can afford it.”