Nov 4, 2009 10:28 pm US/Central
Cameras Show City Workers Slacking Off On The Job
Bridgeport Water Main Repair Taking Unusually Long To Complete
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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A CBS 2 viewer took this photo from her window in Bridgeport showing several city workers standing around and not working.
CBS
How many times have you said to yourself, "I wish I had a camera," as you watched something that made your blood boil? One woman from Chicago's Bridgeport neighborhood did, then shared her photos with CBS 2 Chief Correspondent Jay Levine.
Photos of a water main repair, outside her front door, taking forever. Her photo showed at least nine members of a 12-man crew doing more watching than working.
The woman we'll refer to as 'Cindy' told CBS 2 she "called the department of water to complain but they just say it takes time."
Cindy's response: "I am going to start taking pictures of the idle workers and post them so our mayor can see what a great job (haha) the city workers do while getting paid like $30 an hour."
But we wanted to see for ourselves, first keeping our camera well down the street, then shooting from Cindy's window. We saw several workers standing around. Another appeared to be napping in the cab of his truck. Still another was reading the paper.
"One does the work and the other 14 stand around looking down the holes," Cindy said.
Funny thing, the minute CBS 2 got there and brought a camera out, everybody was working. Lifting heavy equipment. Moving barricades. Shoveling. And Sweeping. Lots and lots of sweeping. An area they were gonna dig up again tomorrow.
One bystander, actually Cindy's son Matt, just shook his head.
"Everyone's got a broom and stuff now," he said.
Matt says he doesn't see that often.
"No not at all. You see them sleeping usually. Sleeping, smoking cigars, standing around, you know," he said.
Since TV cameras do tend to encourage good work habits, we'd already observed the job site earlier in the day.
"There was a tractor working, loading a truck, but most of the workers were standing chatting or leaning on shovels," said CBS 2 Producer Ed Marshall. "Not working."
We took those neighbors' observations to the foreman of the crew.
When asked if the guys stand around and do nothing when the cameras aren't around, the foreman said, "You're wrong. Because this is a project that is not normal."
With that, the interview ended, though he did say off-camera that the job was taking so long because beneath Union Street was a maze of utility lines, gas, water, phone, making it tedious and time-consuming.
A Water Department spokesman said that holes could accommodate only two workers at a time and safety rules required observers.
Cindy isn't buying the explanation. In context of people being laid off and being forced to take furlough days, Cindy said, "They're wasting money. They're wasting the taxpayers' money by having people stand around and not physically doing the job. I could understand if it was just an hour for lunch, but it's constant."
There's also another project in Bridgeport, around the corner on Paulina, standing idle, equipment having become a canvass for gang graffiti. The street will be a mess, until the crew finishes up on Union.
A Water Department spokesman says he'll be out there on Thursday explaining to neighbors why this is taking so long.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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