INC NEWS - Solid Waste Director leaving

[RW Pickle]

You know, you're always on our minds. We see you taking flack for the Duke
stuff and we know it's not fair. Then, at this hour, you take the time to
respond to our concerns about the short-lived Solid Waste Director. I'm
not sure you're paid enough. I doubt you're appreciated as much as you
should be. But we appreciate you and all that you do. I just hate to see
us finally get someone (no telling what the City has wasted on the last
two people who have taken this position; moving, interviews, and just all
of the wasted time to get us back to starting over again) and his work be
so short lived. But I just want you to know my trash, as well as my
neighbors can sit on the road for a couple of days when fixing a broken
system is the goal. My trash didn't know the difference. And there really
wasn't much of an uprising from the people solid waste serves. Calls just
about doubled (from 165 a day to a little over 300). That's hardly a
crisis. I believe it's a .12% increase looking at the entire customer
base. That's still less than .25% of the customers who had a problem.
Really not much of an alarm at all. Looking at the other side as far as
customers, starting something new and having 15% failure rate is
acceptable. That's the worst it gets. And the problems in the manpower
department would be addressed over time. As it is now, we lost a Solid
Waste Director and the manpower problem is still there. In fact, I can
hear them laughing about how they ran him off. They think they won when in
fact, we the citizens lost. And will continue to lose as long as the rank
and file think they run the place. I never met "Action" Jackson, but just
in the short time he was here, he was heading in the right direction. It's
too bad he hit a wall.

But the reality of what happened this week shouldn't all be blamed on
"Action" Jackson. I understand there was a mild uprising at the Solid
Waste Admin facility the other day by the workers. And I attribute a
portion of the problem that happened on them. I'd bet a much larger part
of the problem was indeed from that end of the business. And with reason
I'd guess (if only in their minds). Who wouldn't want to get paid 100% 
for only working 75% or less of the time. I know the ditch diggers would.
I know the firemen would. I know the policemen would. I know those guys
who clean out the sewers would. So why should they be any different than
the solid waste workers? They shouldn't and neither should the solid waste
workers be any different. Entry level in the City is just that for the
ditch digger or the solid waste handler. But the cards are stacked
differently. I'd say if they want to revolt and cause the slow-down of
service that the City experienced last week, then send them packing and
replace them. Apparently there is a staff of temps Solid Waste has used in
the past who could step right in and do the job. They are already trained
it would seem. As best as I could figure it (without having real numbers),
it's more than $250,000/yr in wages and benefits that is paid for no work
ever being done. Add the overtime and temp labor (to get it done), may
make it a half a million dollars. That's a lot of money to be throwing
away (no pun intended). They don't want to work 40 hours; fine. Hire them
as part-time employees, give them no benefits, and move forward. As it is
now, they are considered full time even though they're working only
part-time hours. They could make that choice very quickly. I'd wager
they'd choose to become full time employees and this would be behind us.

I'd bet you'd like to work 75% of the time. Let's see, that would have you
only working 61 hours a week then. Still a bargain at any price. Thanks
for all you do.

Randy Pickle