3 City of Mobile Public Works employees on paid leave after workplace threats

MPD is looking into allegations the three workers threatened their supervisor Friday morning. Meanwhile, they're off the job and on paid administrative leave. We're told the threats came after weeks of growing tension in the Mobile trash department.

Kenneth McMillian, Bernard Pears, Sr., and Freddie Bell will all remain on leave until the internal investigation is over. Even though the employee's names have been released, it's important to note none of them have been charged or arrested.

It seems while the trash has been piling up around Mobile, so has the tension within the city's sanitation department. That tension reaching a boiling point on Friday when three employees allegedly made threats. Director of Public Works, John Peavy said, that's something the city is taking very seriously.

"Apparently personalities got involved and things escalated to an unfortunate level, you always want to err on the side of caution," said Peavy over the phone.

The department's more than thirty employees have been catching up on trash pick up for weeks. The back up, is now not only frustrating residents, but also some employees. Add that pressure to the department making some major changes lately...not a good combination, Peavy said.

"We're very proud of our employees but like any large organization, you sometimes have some issues and personality conflicts, I hope and pray that that's all this is and we get back to business and respect one another," said Peavy.

Meanwhile, the President of the Association of Sanitation Workers in Mobile, Wesley Young, tells FOX10 News, the employees didn't make any threats. He says the trash department has some issues the city isn't fixing, and the three employees were just expressing those concerns at a meeting.

It's not the first time things got heated. Just last month, more than a dozen sanitation workers showed up at a city council meeting, demanding a raise. Young told the city council why:

"The sanitation department has lost 13 drivers over the last four years. They're working 12 to 14 hours a day sometimes now on Saturdays. Creates overtime. They had 8 trucks purchased but they had 12 trucks taken away from that department."

The Mayor's Office responded to that saying it is looking into salaries against similar positions in other cities to see if a raise is possible.