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A former Tacoma Environmental Services manager alleges that a time-reporting practice paid Solid Waste Division drivers for a full shift regardless of hours worked, creating an incentive to speed or take shortcuts to return early. The lawsuit also alleges truck accidents, rushed repairs and retaliation against the manager after he raised concerns. These are allegations, not court findings, according to The News Tribune’s report republished by AOL on October 5, 2026.
What the lawsuit alleges about driver pay and safety
Former Tacoma Environmental Services employee Joshua Knouff alleges that drivers in the city’s Solid Waste Division were paid for a full shift regardless of how many hours they worked. The lawsuit claims this arrangement encouraged drivers to return to the waste facility early by speeding or taking shortcuts while still receiving full-shift pay.
The lawsuit also alleges that city solid-waste trucks were involved in accidents and that repairs were rushed. The report does not establish that the pay practice, driving behavior, accidents or repairs occurred as alleged; it describes claims made in the lawsuit, not a court determination.
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Who filed the lawsuit
Knouff worked for Tacoma Environmental Services for nearly 25 years. According to the report, he spent his final seven years as a strategic planning manager and earlier supervised work in the Solid Waste Division at the Recovery and Transfer Center.
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The lawsuit says Knouff raised concerns with management and believed the responses amounted to explanations and excuses rather than a formal investigation or corrective action.
What the lawsuit says happened before Knouff’s layoff
- July 2024: Geoff Smyth became interim Environmental Services director. The lawsuit says Knouff’s access to leadership and reporting structure changed afterward.
- June 2025: Ramiro Chavez was appointed department director.
- November 2025: Knouff sent Chavez a memorandum describing practices he considered misuse of public funds, including the time-reporting practice.
- January 2026: Knouff filed an EEO complaint after Human Resources advised him to do so, the report says.
- February 11, 2026: According to the lawsuit, Knouff was told his position would be eliminated and that he could accept a demotion or be laid off.
- March 13, 2026: The report says the city gave him that day to choose between a layoff and a “bump back” position. Knouff accepted the layoff.
Knouff claims the layoff was retaliation for raising concerns and filing a complaint. The report does not establish retaliation as a fact.
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What the city and Knouff’s attorney said
The News Tribune reported that city spokesperson Maria Lee said the city does not comment on pending litigation. The paper reported the same response concerning defendant Ramiro Chavez; that response is not an admission or denial of the allegations.
Knouff’s attorney, Richard Wooster, described “very serious concerns within the Environmental Services Department, particularly involving the operation of the garbage trucks within the city of Tacoma.” He also said whistleblower employment cases present “a very high liability for governmental agencies.” These are the attorney’s statements as quoted in the report, not findings by a court or government agency.
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What is and is not established
The lawsuit was filed in Pierce County Superior Court on September 28, 2026, according to the October 5 report. The report does not provide the complaint itself, a case number or subsequent docket developments. It also does not state the exact causes of action. No court finding or case outcome is reported.
The report includes no statistical figure about the alleged practice or its effects. Readers should therefore treat the claims about pay, driving, accidents, repairs and retaliation as allegations attributed to Knouff and his lawsuit, rather than established facts.
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