Baltimore city officials call for raises for sanitation workers amid staffing shortage

Two city officials in Baltimore have called for pay increases for the city’s sanitation workers in hopes of restoring weekly residential recycling pickup, which has been suspended for more than two years following the initial COVID-19 outbreak.

As reported by the Baltimore Fishbowl, the city says staffing shortages and a competitive labor market have prevented the return of weekly recycling pickup.

In previous city council meetings, Baltimore Department of Public Works (DPW) Outgoing Director Jason Mitchell stated that starting salaries for sanitation workers hinder his ability to attract new workers.

City councilmembers Zeke Cohen, who represents Southeast Baltimore, and Isaac “Yitzy” Schleifer, who represents Northwest Baltimore, introduced a resolution for pay increases at a Feb. 6 city council meeting—advocating that city workers should be paid comparatively to outside contractors doing similar work.

The city’s sanitation workers union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 67 and Local 44, is currently negotiating a new contract with the city.

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The councilmen say the city has been leaning on private contractors to compensate for staffing shortages—an investment they believe should instead be used for Baltimore’s own agencies. According to a study commissioned by the city, the DPW needed an additional 48 commercial drivers and 96 sanitation workers last year.

“What we’ve seen is that the city has passed over giving raises to the sanitation workers, many times whereas in other fields, whether it be a police department or other agencies, have taken the suggested raises,” Schleifer tells the Baltimore Fishbowl.

The councilmen also are calling for upgrades to DPW’s equipment, primarily the department’s collection vehicles, which reportedly lack air conditioning.

“We ... want to make sure that the department is doing more to improve working conditions, that the people in this department are treated fairly and they are able to do what they need to do to make sure we have a cleaner city because that’s what people in Baltimore expect,” Cohen says. “Folks are tired of how dirty our city has become.”

Recycling Today Media Group has reached out to Cohen and Schleifer for comment.