MAKING A MUSEUM: Materializing Regimes of Value with the NYC Department of Sanitation

The history of the Department of Sanitation of New York dates all the back to the late nineteenth century, during the time of the Industrial Revolution. New reforms and institutions arose in city life, particularly regarding health issues. There was a desperate cry for better sanitation conditions as the streets lay filthy and sickness and disease were widespread.(1) In 1881, Colonel George Waring, Jr. answered this cry by establishing what was then known as the Department of Street Cleaning.(2) Since then, awareness of sanitation has steadily continued to increase. Some of the key moments and events which have brought the Department of Sanitation into heightened visibility include the establishment of the White Wings (the first group of men to work for the department), the challenges of snow removal, changes to working conditions brought about by strikes, and on-the-job risks and dangers sanitation workers face daily.

The Department of Street Cleaning, reorganized as the Department of Sanitation in 1930, performed functions that were crucial to stemming the tide of garbage that threatened the city. Colonel Waring established regimented organization among his men, the “White Wings,” and instilled in them a sense of pride. Waring recognized the importance of the responsibility these men held and uniformed them in crisp white military suits to suggest their authority, indicate cleanliness, and promote their visibility. Organized into divisions, they performed essential functions such as recycling, hand-sweeping the streets and sidewalks, and collecting garbage and removing it from the city. While the white uniforms only stayed in use until 1900,(3) visibility has continued to be an important aspect of sanitation.

One of the major tasks the Department of Sanitation has carried out throughout the course of its history has been snow removal. Sanitation workers do double duty during snowstorms, often working around the clock to keep streets clear; then turning to deal with the mounds of garbage that accumulated during snow removal. Several large snowstorms have hit New York City during the last century. Among these are the long-remembered blizzards of 1888 and 1947, and the recent blizzards of 1996, 2003, and 2006.(4) During these times of severe weather, citizens have become more aware of the critical role the Department of Sanitation holds in cleaning up after storms – both in terms of snow and accumulated garbage.

The long hours and many responsibilities of sanitation workers can be a heavy burden to bear. During the last thirty years, the city has done much to help lighten the load of these diligent public servants. Many of these changes were brought about during a highly publicized strike in 1968, organized by the leader of the Uniformed Sanitationmen’s Association, John DeLury. At the time of the strike, men were working extensively long hours a day at an extremely low pay rate, and conditions in their trucks, offices, and on the job were deplorable. “We face disease, injury, rats, death and we’re not knocking any other city department,” one worker stated. “But we want what’s coming to us.”(5) At one point, DeLury was jailed for leading the strike. Commenting on his fifteen-day stay in jail, DeLury announced, “Let me say this . . . the jail I was in for 15 days was far cleaner, warmer and healthier than the shops from which our men work day in and day out.”(6) The changes that sanitation workers fought for and won included pay increases, improvements to their working conditions, better equipment and better working hours.

Despite the much-needed adjustments DeLury helped bring about, working in sanitation can still be a difficult job. Among the risks sanitation workers face are injury, physical impairments and sometimes even death. According to a study done in the 1980’s, sanitation workers have a higher rate of injury than any other occupational group,(7) making it more dangerous than being a police officer or firefighter. The deaths of Michael Hanley and Eva Barrientos are just two highly publicized deaths that have occurred within the Department of Sanitation in recent years. In 1996, Hanley was killed in the line of duty when he was sprayed by a canister of hydrofluoric acid illegally placed in a bag of trash in Brooklyn.(8) Illegal items clandestinely thrown in the trash are but one danger involved in trash collection, but the heavy equipment used by workers can also pose threats. In 2004, Barrientos was the first woman to die on the job when she was accidentally pinned inside a collection truck as she tried to pull away a trash bag that had jammed into the compactor.(9) These unfortunate deaths make visible the great risks undertaken by dedicated sanitation workers on the job each day.

Endnotes:
1. Benjamin Miller, Fat of the Land: A History of Garbage in New York (New York: Four Walls Eight Windows, 2000) , 17-44.
2. [Web site] ; available from http://www.nyc.gov/html/dsny/html/about/about.shtml; Internet; accessed 06 November 2007.
3. “White Wings To Go.” New York Times, 28 September 1900. [journal online] ; available from Proquest Historical Archives; Internet; accessed 02 November 2007.
4. [Web site] ; available from http://www.nyc.gov/html/oem/html/hazards/winter_history.shtml; Internet; accessed 06 November 2007.
5. International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Warehousemen and Helpers of America. Local 381, Uniformed Sanitationmen’s Association. Nine Days That Shook New York City. (New York: Uniformed Sanitationmen's Association, 1968) , 14.
6. International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Warehousemen and Helpers of America, 8.
7. Mike Chaffey, Jose Lambiet, and Stephen McFarland with Russ Buettner, “Curbside Jug of Death Kills Brooklyn Sanitation Man,” Daily News New York, 13 November 1996 [journal online] ; available from http://web.lexis-nexis.com/universe; Internet; accessed 19 January 2006.
8. Paul Schwartzman, “A City Mourns Sanitation Man,” Daily News New York, 17 November 1996 [journal online] ; available from http://web.lexis-nexis.com/universe; Internet; accessed 19 January 2006.
9. Andrea Elliot and Colin Moynihan, “City Sanitation Worker Killed In a Freakish Accident,” The New York Times, 27 January 2004 [journal online] ; available from http://web.lexis-nexis.com/universe; Internet; accessed 19 January 2006.