ST. LOUIS — Tuesday morning, 15 drivers with the City of St. Louis' Refuse Division called in sick and didn't work their scheduled shifts. This comes after 18 drivers called in Monday, citing medical reasons.
Twenty-seven refuse drivers did show up to work Monday and worked overtime to drive the city's 55 trash routes, Streets Director Betherny Williams said.
5 On Your Side spoke with a St. Louis City communications official Tuesday morning. Our newsroom learned that the refuse workers have reported workplace concerns.
Our newsroom asked city officials what the workers' concerns were. We're told that the City of St. Louis does not know of any specific demands, but it is meeting with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees to find out what those demands are.
5 On Your Side has also learned that the city is calling the wave of sick calls an "unauthorized work stoppage" because the workers didn't go through the union to create the work stoppage, a city official said.
Our news desk also learned two of the 18 workers who called out sick Monday were already out of work on "medical leave."
After the initial wave of sick calls Monday, Williams issued the following statement: "A number of drivers in our Refuse division called in the morning of Monday, May 20, using Medical Leave. This will lead to delays in our ability to get trash collected in a timely manner. The refuse division currently has 55 daily routes and today we had 27 Heroic drivers available. We are working overtime 7 days a week to get all trash collected. I ask that residents leave your carts at the curb if not collected on your scheduled day."
Mayor Tishaura Jones' Office also released a statement on Monday saying in part, "We pray for the speedy recovery of our drivers, who perform a critical task for the City of St. Louis and its residents."
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