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St. Louis offering $3,000 hiring incentive for new refuse workers

The bonuses have doubled since the city started offering them last month. The positions are union jobs with competitive pay and benefits.

ST. LOUIS — The City of St. Louis is upping its incentives for new refuse workers as the department continues to struggle with a worker shortage.

On Thursday, Mayor Tishaura Jones' office announced $3,000 hiring incentives for new employees and $1,000 referral bonuses for existing employees who successfully refer someone who takes the job.

The positions are union jobs with competitive pay and benefits.

"This $3,000 hiring incentive is a great opportunity for individuals looking for good work with the City of St. Louis," said Refuse Commissioner Todd Waelterman in a press release. "The City continues to work aggressively to fill vacancies and deliver services to residents."

The bonuses have doubled since the city started offering them last month.

The city is also looking to fill more than 100 different vacant positions across departments. The minimum wage for all city jobs is $15 an hour with competitive benefits. For more information about the openings and to apply, click here.

In July, photos circulated online showing overflowing dumpsters in alleys around the city. Mayor Jones said a staffing shortage and multiple city holidays contributed to the pileup, and the current crews were working seven days a week to catch up.

RELATED: City of St. Louis asking residents to use recycling drop-off locations amid worker shortage

In the meantime, the refuse department is suggesting residents utilize the nearly 30 drop-off locations.

“The Refuse Division is taking every action to make sure residents have their trash picked up in a timely manner,” Waelterman said. “As we continue to search for applicants to fill vacant positions, the Division asks residents to drop off recycling at nearly 30 locations across the City until this long-standing shortage is resolved to ensure their recycling is collected and processed.”

Locations and hours for recycling drop-off sites can be found here.

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