Richmond’s refuse collectors once again proved they can be a powerful force when they stand up for themselves.

For about five hours Tuesday, the city’s 25 trash trucks stood still at the South Side depot as 70 refuse collectors pushed for better pay and aired other grievances — forcing city officials to scramble to soothe their concerns as calls began pouring in from residents whose trash was not picked up.

The first trucks began to roll just after 11 a.m. after officials met behind closed doors with Mavis Green, a veteran refuse collector who was tapped to represent the 31 full-time and 39 temporary workers who weekly empty Supercans at more than 60,000 residential addresses.

Mr. Green emerged from the meeting to tell reporters that he was given assurances that the workers’ concerns would be addressed.

Among other things, the city is promising a compensation study that could lead to better pay and to move more temporary workers to full-time status after five years. At least three temporary workers were hired recently to fill vacancies and another two could be added, officials said.

“We’re hoping in good faith that they honor their commitments,” Mr. Green said, warning that if city officials back down, he and his fellow workers are ready to park the trucks again.

However, the workers only can go so far as government employee strikes are illegal.

The stoppage is the first for the refuse collectors in more than 11 years. During the tenure of City Manager Calvin D. Jamison, the refuse collectors briefly held a strike to protest a city plan to reduce crews on trash trucks from three to two. The city backed down and promised to create more open lines of communication, a pledge that has apparently been broken in recent years.

Despite their essential service, refuse collectors feel unappreciated. They remain among the lowest paid city workers, with starting pay around $24,000 and average pay around $31,000 for full-time employees.

A study by the city Department of Public Works has found that the compensation for refuse collectors is well below average compared with neighboring localities and cities in Hampton Roads. Department officials have been advocating for pay raises, though with little success.

Meanwhile, the Department of Public Works increasingly has had to rely on temporary workers to fill out trash truck crews and to handle other work. Many of those temporary workers essentially are full-time employees who are paid at least $11.66 per hour, but are not eligible for city health insurance or pension benefits.

The work stoppage apparently was triggered when refuse collectors learned that a 2 percent pay increase for city employees would not be included in the first paycheck in July. The workers expected the pay increase to go into effect July 1, when the new budget fiscal year began.

The angry workers apparently were never told that City Council had acquiesced to Mayor Dwight C. Jones’ request to stall the pay increase until July 11, which means it would show up in the second July check. The council voted without debate to approve the change at its June 22 meeting.

Feeling cheated, workers also revived other simmering grievances, including the overall low pay and the high cost of the employee share of health insurance and the continuing use of temporary employees who rarely have a path to full-time jobs. Some of the temporary workers have been on the job for 10 years or more.

“The pay increase was the primary issue,” said Sharon North, spokeswoman for the Department of Public Works.

She said the city is aware of the workers’ concerns, but said none could be fixed quickly.

For example, she said the city is planning a bigger compensation study that will review worker pay across the government to determine whether Richmond is competitive compared with other cities and counties of similar size, including the refuse collectors. That study could lead to adjustments, but “it will take time,” she said.

The refuse collectors also are upset about the amount they pay for city health insurance to cover themselves and family members. So are other city employees.

Ms. North said the city is seeking bids from health insurance companies in hopes of finding a provider that would be more affordable for employees, but neither she nor anyone else could guarantee that outcome.

In the new budget, Richmond picked up the increase in the cost of health insurance so employees would not have to pay more.

Ms. North said that while the department plans to do more to fill vacancies with temporary workers, there is only so much money. In preparing the new budget, City Council slashed support for vacant positions in order to shift funds to Richmond Public Schools.

For the Department of Public Works, that has meant cutting the number of temporary workers on July 1 from 127 to 44, with most of those remaining assigned to trash collection.

The department had warned that the cut that council imposed would mean fewer workers available to collect leaves, maintain alleys, fill potholes and pick up brush, appliances and other bulk trash.

The department has been short of at least 100 full-time positions in the past six years and needed the temporary employees to supplement its full-time staff on those jobs.