Florida sanitation workers criticize use of cameras in trucks

Unionized sanitation employees in St. Petersburg, Florida, are criticizing the installation of cameras in their recycling and waste collection trucks, a report by the Tampa Bay Times says. The initiative to install the cameras began in April 2016 with a four month trial period that ended in August.

At first, the union was wary but supportive of the issue and brought forward a condition that no drivers would be disciplined for any incident during the trial period, the report says. Now that the city is preparing to enter a three year, $200,000 contract with Lytx, San Diego, the vendor that installed the system, union drivers are concerned that the data the city collects from the cameras can be used against them.

During the trial, drivers were involved in 19 incidents. Three of the incidents were captured by the two cameras that are installed in the truck’s cab, facing the driver, the report says. The continuously recording cameras captured 454 “coachable” incidents, such as driving without a seatbelt, texting while driving and other violations.

According to the report, Florida Public Services Union Chief of Staff Rick Smith said the cameras tell drivers, “We have zero trust in your ability to do your job without spying.” Ben Kirby, spokesman to St. Petersburgh’s Mayor Rick Kriseman, said the mayor supports the technology since it increases public safety, the safety of the drivers, improves job performance and saves taxpayers money.

The city and union will continue to bargain over the cameras by exchanging information, such as the rest of the data acquired during the trial period and the eight months after, the report says.