Possible walk out by Tuscaloosa environmental division employees

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (WBRC) - Imagine your garbage not getting picked up. That is a distinct possibility in Tuscaloosa, according to those who pick up the garage in the city.

Disrespect. Overworked. Bad communications. These are the issues employees say are happening inside the city’s environmental services division.

“The way they talk to you. The way they lie to you,” said Jonathan Burns.

Schuyler Smith is a 21-year veteran. Smith was a little more direct: a very bad case of mismanagement, according to Smith.

“The issues are very poor management we have down here. The threatening of the job, the lies that have been told and they’ve been blaming everything on city hall and city hall knows nothing about it,” Smith said.

And then there’s Kendrick Brown who says they’re giving serious consideration of walking off the job, potentially leaving thousands of city residents without garbage pick-up.

“Right now if it don’t get better, you know some guys might go on strike. It could be soon yet.. who knows,” said Brown.

Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox said through a spokesman the city met with employees last week and currently have an on-going “positive dialogue.” City council president Kip Tyner echoed that response. He says he was part of that meeting

“I’m confident the men have listened to me and I’ve told them to please let’s work all this through. You can’t do it overnight but we will take every concern and address each one,” said Tyner.

Fredderick Dawson, Junior says should there be a strike, dozens of employees would likely walk away. Dawson claims there’s been a big change in the three years he’s been here and lays the blame at the feet of management.

“We probably had a hundred something people here. Now we got like 70 something and all the people they hire, they want to get rid of and overwork us,” said Dawson.

Monday turned out to be a normal day here at the Tuscaloosa Environmental Services Division. No walkouts, no strike, all is calm for now.

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