BALTIMORE, Md. — You can repair sinks and HVAC systems, start supplying your employees with water, and renovate aging buildings. But changing an entire workplace culture takes more work and time. That's what city leaders say needs to happen at the Baltimore City DPW.
"The toxic culture at DPW must be gutted. The hazing, intimidation, and bullying must end," AFSCME President Patrick Moran said at an August 6 rally.
Mayor Brandon Scott echoed those sentiments the next day at a press conference, saying: "Anybody who's participating in treating our employees the wrong way, or doing things like that, and we catch you, you will be held accountable."
Those warnings came days after DPW worker Ronald Silver II died from a heat stroke while out collecting trash. His death followed reports from the Office of Inspector General detailed unsafe work conditions, mostly heat-related, at several DPW sites.
On Aug. 2, according to witness accounts, a city resident had to call 911 when Silver collapsed on her doorstep, while his co-worker was in the truck on the phone with their supervisor.
For fellow DPW employee Stancil McNair, that story brought him right back to two years ago.
"I had a stroke on the route and didn't get the proper attention," McNair told WMAR-2 News' Elizabeth Worthington.
McNair suffered a transient ischemic attack, or a mini-stroke, on the job. He called 911 himself, essentially as he was collapsing to the ground. His co-worker was on the phone with their supervisor.
"They told my driver I shouldn't have came to work sick. My driver was going back and forth with him on the phone," he recalled.
That's why he's speaking publicly - to his Instagram followers, to the news, to anyone who will listen - until real change is made at the DPW.
"Before Silver died, I was speaking on it. I was ignored. But now that he died, they gotta face it now," he said.
AFSCME Maryland Council 3, the union that represented Silver, is pushing for those changes too. President Patrick Moran says he has seen progress.
"I think I can look at measurable changes that they have made, prior to Mr. Silver's death, post-OIG report. But I still think there's a long way to go, and we need to see consistency."
After Silver's death, the DPW held a heat safety training session. It was only mandatory for two of the sanitation yards, including the one where Silver worked.
"That was not a training class. That was a way to pacify us," McNair said.
McNair and Silver's family want to know why that training didn't come until after an employee lost his life, since the Inspector General reports made safety concerns clear weeks earlier. They say, had Silver known the signs of heat stroke, like muscle cramps, he or his co-worker might've called 911 sooner.
"He didn't know that. He was cramping all day. His body was telling him to stop. But without the proper training, he would've never knew that," McNair said.
The attorney representing Silver's family, former mayoral candidate Thiru Vignarajah, said he has the following questions for the city and the DPW:
1. If complaints were first filed on June 2, 2024, and the IG issued repeated reports and recommendations about unsafe work conditions, what was done to comply with those recommendations before August 2, when Mr. Silver died, and why was the first training immediately after his death?
2. What happened on the day of August 2, 2024? Who was in the vehicle? What did Mr. Silver's co-workers and supervisors know and when did they know it — and why did they do so little such that Mr. Silver knocked on a stranger's door to beg for water and medical aid?
3. What are the terms of the contract with the DC law firm being asked to investigate and provide advice on DPW workplace conditions? Who selected the firm and on what grounds? Were other firms considered or were they chosen because of their strong record protecting employers from liability while belittling employee safety concerns? Why is DPW not taking responsibility and producing its own after-action report like BPD did when it confessed significant errors after the mass shooting in Brooklyn Homes? Why the difference in approach?
"To put it plainly, our family needs answers and we need them now," Silver's aunt, Renee Meredith, said during a press conference called by Vignarajah outside City Hall this morning.
Silver's fiancee, Renee Garrison, spoke about how his passing impacts the whole family: "That man was a great man, a great father, a great protector, a great teacher. He was a person that was hard to find. My soulmate, the kids leader, everything, everything you could want in a man, he was all of that."
There's a city council oversight hearing tonight, Thursday Aug. 22, at 5 p.m. WMAR-2 News will be there.
Here's what the DPW said to WMAR-2 News this evening:
"We recognize the importance of this evening's hearing, and we are committed to demonstrating transparency and accountability. The Department of Public Works (DPW) has prepared detailed updates on our training programs, health, and safety initiatives, and plans for significant facility upgrades, all of which reflect our unwavering focus on the well-being of our employees and the community.
However, the questions raised during this morning's press conference pertain to an ongoing investigation. Discussing matters related to this active investigation could compromise the integrity of the process. Our priority is to fully cooperate with all inquiries while respecting the investigative process. We await the findings of the investigation and remain steadfast in upholding that process."
