Not just CATS: Here’s how staffing shortages are affecting two other Charlotte services
CATS and trash pickup are among the city services being affected by staff shortages, but wait times are growing for two other departments.
Wait times for callers to CharMeck 311, a phone line for residents to obtain information and services from the city, are possible due to staff shortages, which are also to blame for late recycling pickup across Charlotte in the past week, city officials and its contracted company said.
The 311 call center has seven new employees that started this week and six more employees that begin training soon and will be available to answer calls starting Sept. 19, city spokesman Gregg Watkins said.
While the city is bulking up its staff, an alternative to calling 311 is submitting a service request at servicerequest.charlottenc.gov/service or through the CLT+ app.
The city’s job search site shows seven open roles at the 311 call center. Annual salaries for the positions range from $39,000 for an entry-level call center representative with a high school degree up to $98,000 for a call center program administrator.
Recycling services also have faced recent delays in pickup.
Waste Management, the company contracted to collect recycling, told the city it’s working Saturdays to minimize delays due to staffing shortages resulting from COVID-19 protocols and industry trends, Watkins said.
Watkins said to leave uncollected bins at the curb until they’re picked up.
Waste Management spokesperson Marla Prince said shortages are mostly due to employees testing positive for COVID-19, and did not have a number of absent employees to immediately provide Tuesday afternoon. The shortages come as Mecklenburg County is categorized as a high COVID-19 risk, meaning the county recommends testing before gatherings, meeting outdoors when possible and masking indoors.
Worker shortages affect CATS, trash pickup
Another city service dealing with worker shortages, the Charlotte Area Transportation System (CATS) will cut some bus routes on Aug. 15 to deal with staffing issues that have caused daily service interruptions.
On average, about 80 drivers have been absent every day since June 22, according to an Observer review of CATS’ routine social media posts about service issues. On weekdays, CATS needs 292 drivers to provide regular service and has 571 drivers total, according to the agency.
CATS CEO John Lewis said 35 drivers have vacation scheduled on any given day. This, combined with unexcused absences and weekly days off, has left CATS operating 40 to 50 drivers short. The result often is buses not running because not enough drivers are available.
Staff shortages extend to sanitation and solid waste management.
In April, the city enlisted Waste Pro, the city’s multi-family collection contractor, to help with curbside pickup in response to sanitation worker shortages.
The same month, the City of Charlotte Solid Waste Services announced a delay in yard waste collection due to staffing shortages.
The city’s job search site also shows four code enforcement, five community relations and four economic development openings.
‘Great Reshuffle’ causes worker shortages nationwide
The city’s worker shortages fit into a nationwide trend.
In 2021, 47 million Americans quit their jobs as part of what the U.S. Chamber of Commerce calls “The Great Reshuffle,” with many workers quitting jobs and getting re-hired elsewhere. Jobs that require in-person attendance and have traditionally lower wages have a more difficult time retaining workers during the pandemic, according to the U.S. Chamber.
To combat worker shortages, the city of Charlotte approved 8% salary hikes for some employees in its fiscal year 2023 budget. But the latest inflation report shows consumer prices rising faster, shooting up 9.1% from June 2021 to June 2022.
The city also set aside $2 million in its budget that went into effect last month for employees who can’t live in the city because they can’t afford a deposit or down payment on a home. This decision follows protests earlier this year from city workers requesting raises and daily overtime pay.
This story was originally published August 3, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
