A report from the city inspector found that Chicago’s garbage collectors do not work for about 25% of the time they are paid for. When you add the wage, benefits, gas, and equipment being used, the wasted tax dollars add up to about $21 million each year.

After the findings were publicized, the city’s mayor and the streets and sanitation commissioner Michael Picardi promised that the workers who had not been doing their work would be fired.

However, the promise may not be kept because it would not be easy to sustain the cases in court; the employees could cite many reasons why they were not doing their work on the particular place, date and time they were caught.

The city inspector explained that the problem would be solved with better management. If the workers in the investigation are fired, yet the supervisors and managers still allow the slacking off to happen, then nothing will change.

Click link below: “Chicago Sun-Times” to read the article.

Streets & Sanitation slackers unlikely to be fired
'PAID TO DO NOTHING' | No workers have been disciplined
November 2, 2008
BY FRAN SPIELMAN City Hall Reporter