NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 05: Sanitation workers thrrow out debris from a flood damaged home in Oakwood Beach in Staten Island on February 5, 2013 in New York City. In a program proposed by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, New York state could spend up to $400 million to buy out home owners whose properties were destroyed by Superstorm Sandy. The $50.5 billion disaster relief package, which was passed by Congress last month, would be used to fund the program. If the program is adopted, homeowners would be relocated and their land would be left as a natural barrier to help absorb future floods waters. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Photo: Spencer Platt/2013 Getty Images
It seems like a nice gesture when you’ve asked your garbageman for help with a particularly unpleasant task, but after 24 years on the job, a Queens sanitation worker has lost his job over a $20 tip. The city’s Conflict of Interest Board has ruled that Lenworth Dixon, a 56-year-old father of three, must retire and pay a $1,500 fine after accepting cash from a homeowner disposing of a large amount of wood, furniture, and other “bulk refuse.” A sincere “thank you” is probably okay, but just to be safe, we plan on staying inside and scowling at our valued city employees through a window.
