“HIRING BONUSES TO HELP CLEAN UP ST. LOUIS APPEAR TO BE PAYING OFF”

Rajesh Khanna | Recently Heard

“ST. LOUIS – In August, things were so bad with the ongoing worker shortage that the city started offering $3,000 bonuses for new garbage truck drivers. 

On Wednesday, there were no overflowing dumpsters in the Lalite Avenue alley in North St. Louis as a garbage truck made its rounds.     

Flashback to two months ago in The Hill neighborhood in South St. Louis when it seemed like an art form for garbage truck drivers to keep overloaded dumpsters from spilling and missing the target.   

St. Louis City offers hiring incentive to fill vacant garbage truck driver positions

Nearly a third of the jobs in the city’s Refuse Division were vacant then, about 30 openings. 

That’s not the case anymore.  

“We do still have a handful of positions left in the Refuse Division,” said Nick Dunne, a spokesman for Mayor Tishaura Jones. “We’re going to continue to hire until all of those positions are filled … with the bonus.””