ESSENTIAL but Forgotten

Sanitation Workers Sacrifice as the Pandemic Rages On

By Clay Lute

IN 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave a speech where he discussed the biblical parable of the Good Samaritan and how it should influence the actions of the modern-day American. The speech was directed in support of striking sanitation workers. Dr. King concluded his speech by asking his audience, “If I do not stop to help the sanitation workers, what will happen to them?” 53 years later, it’s time that we ask that question again.

COVID-19 decimated the way of life for all of humanity, and as America rushed to throw out all of the possibly infectious transmitters of the virus, one occupation was tasked with picking up the waste. Sanitation workers have faced indirect and direct contact with the virus every day of the pandemic, from hospital equipment to affected household trash.

If that waste is not properly disposed of, infection rates soar as more people become exposed to the virus. But what can be said for the middleman, tasked with keeping everyone safe by containing the consequences of our consumption?

Sanitation workers are the unsung heroes of American society, but hidden in the piles of our detritus are strenuous working conditions, labor inequalities, and a great debate on how we treat the collectors of our consumption. The disenfranchisement of sanitation workers stems from the stigma of “dirty work” that foments the American workplace culture, in which

we compare occupations based on what we’ve deemed “respectable,” which has opened the door for private sanitation companies to take advantage of their workforce.

Amidst the pandemic, private sanitation companies failed their workforce by jeopardizing their health and safety, all the while making sure profits kept steady. In 2016, 82 percent of waste-worker deaths in the U.S. occurred in the private sector. Data released by the U.S. Small Business Administration shows thousands of waste and recycling companies and organizations applied for loans through the Paycheck Protection Program, receiving between $583.7 million and more than $1.2 billion in subsequent payments. The surface-level agreement of the Paycheck Protection Program was that it would help businesses avoid laying off their workforce or cutting back hours, but according to the sanitation workers that make up these private companies, that never happened.

In August of 2020, sanitation workers from Virginia Beach’s Waste Management department staged a one-day strike to demand hazard pay. Nationwide, workers for private sanitation companies pleaded for proper pandemic protection but were instead met with cut hours and layoffs. Royal Waste, a private waste collection company in New York City, received over $5 million from the program, but workers say they faced drastic hour cutbacks and saw their coworkers laid off around them. One Royal Waste employee told The City in October of 2020 that he saw his paychecks decrease by $400, forcing him into financial struggle despite being an essential hero in the pandemic.

Greed from private companies is just one of the concerns of sanitation workers amidst a global pandemic. In 2019, more sanitation workers were killed on the job than police officers, firefighters, or construction workers due to hazardous materials, truck mechanics, and traffic incidents. Adding in the daily exposure to a life-threatening disease, the jobs of sanitation workers in 2020 and 2021 have proven to be one of the top five most dangerous jobs in America, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The New York City Department of Sanitation picks up over 12,000 tons of trash each day, and the collectors of that trash represent all ages, health conditions, and communities. While the world shuttered for the COVID-19 pandemic, trash collection powered on. That left high-risk workers vulnerable, resulting in hundreds of sanitation workers testing positive in the city alone—and over a dozen deaths in the sanitation workforce.

In Pittsburgh, “Freddie,” a beloved sanitation worker who worked the neighborhood for over a decade, passed from COVID in April of 2020. Raymond Copeland, a sanitation worker from Queens, hailed as a star by his coworkers, died in March of 2020 after contracting the virus. Lives are being lost on the front lines of this pandemic, yet they have gone without recognition from their employers, and they have been skipped over in the race to end this virus.

But what can be said for the middleman, tasked with keeping everyone safe by containing the consequences of our consumption?

In New York, sanitation workers were not included in the groups of essential workers eligible to get vaccinated. In California, sanitation workers fell short on the list of qualified individuals for vaccinations. They were never given the option to work from home, and they weren’t given the privilege of a quarantine. It is inexcusable that government leaders failed to prioritize the safety of sanitation by denying lobbyist requests to have sanitation workers included in the first rounds of vaccine distribution. Above all, the resounding message is a request for respect. One worker in New York City told me, “we stress to people to not put out their trash like savages and to show some respect for the people picking it up for you.” That respect can be found in little actions like tying up loose cardboard for recycling and following the basic rules of getting rid of waste.

While these actions seem trivial, showing decency to the workers that keep us safe is the least we can do after they have been neglected by their government and their own management. Even through the most execrable times, sanitation workers have stayed strong. One worker told Business Insider that he felt “like it’s a duty to come and help out the rest of the city, we’re first responders, we’re essential workers, and we have to be out here to help out everybody else.”

Sanitation workers deserve the same level of respect that has been given to the rest of the essential workforce over the past year. This nation has failed to recognize that the public defenders amidst this pandemic include the ones tasked with dealing with the relentlessness of waste. Consumption was compromised during COVID, and the workers who risked their safety to keep our streets clean were left out of the conversation.

It’s time to empower the vital workforce that is sanitation. Commercial sanitation workers are organizing for better labor along with environmental and safety standards, focusing on building worker power. Local officials and politicians should focus on creating better access to labor unions, creating sanitation-specific labor laws, and providing essential support for sanitation workers who were laid off or affected by the pandemic. At the most basic level, appreciating the sanitation workers in your local area should be a new constant. We can not let the workers who are fundamental to our communities go un d and be taken advantage of. The maintenance of our waste is indispensable, and it’s time that we lend a hand to the hands that pick up after us.