Labor leaders argue that a city investigation of Chicago garbage collectors citing loafing, long lunches, drinking while on the job, and urination in the streets, is a "witch hunt" being used to justify further job cuts. The report is another blow to a city hall already under scrutiny for hiring fraud that cost the taxpayers millions of dollars. Union leaders assert that members are doing their jobs well, and point out that the report emphasizes poor supervision, rather than workers, as a source of blame. An expected 302 sanitation workers will be laid off under the mayor's 2009 budget proposal regardless.
See "Report finds garbage collection workers loafing for hours every day", Dan Mihalopoulos and Hal Dardick, Chicago Tribune, October 8, 2008