DPW workers and city residents gathered in front of City Hall on Saturday afternoon to demand change within the agency.

One by one, workers and residents took the stand and spoke out against workplace safety, pay, and toxic and hostile environments within the Department of Public Works.

“We’ve got the 4th most dangerous job in America. Understand that. The 4th most dangerous job in America,” DPW worker Clarence Thomas said. “A lot of people would not go out there in those alleyways or anything of that nature. I’ve had guns put in my face. I’ve been bitten by rats — it’s almost a part of my forearm. I’ve been hit by cars while doing my job.”

The group alleges that they’re not valued or respected despite their importance to the city. They said if DPW workers didn’t come by to pick up the city’s trash, the water and air would become heavily polluted.

“Why are they paid some of the lowest wages in the city for one of the most dangerous jobs and one of the most vital to keeping our residents safe?” said a city resident.

This rally happened just a few weeks after Timothy Cartwell, a DPW solid waste worker, died while doing his job on Nov. 8.

Police say Cartwell was picking up trash along a narrow alley near Fulton and Baker streets when he became trapped between the garbage truck and a wooden light pole.

Cartwell’s tragic death occurred only a few months after DPW worker Ronald Silver also died on the job.

Silver died while working as a solid waste worker on August 2 due to overheating, according to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

“Every worker within DPW should be here. We need to support each other. We’re all a brotherhood,” said a DPW worker.

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