Shreveport water dept. workers stage sick-out

SHREVEPORT, LA (KSLA) - Shreveport officials confirmed that eight employees from the city's water and sewage department customer service office called in sick Thursday morning.

Union Local 1325 president Shelia Johnson said the workers, located at an office in the 2100 block of Greenwood Road, are upset about wages and other concerns within the department. She added that major issues are going on in just about every city department.

"I didn't get anyone on the phone to tell me what exactly is going on," said Johnson, who added that the workers, along with the sanitation workers who staged a sick-out earlier this week, will be meeting with officials Friday to try to resolve these issues.

"I'm happy for them, I support them 100 percent. it's going to be a domino effect, I told them it was going to get worse before it gets better," said Troy Sumlin, a sanitation worker who was part of the original "sick out".

City communications director Rod Richardson said in a news release that customers should expect delays because of the "unexpected personnel shortage." He said the department implemented contingency plans to restore the operation to acceptable levels of service.

"Other than longer wait times, customers should not experience any other noticeable differences," Richardson said.

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