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A former Tacoma Environmental Services manager alleges that a time-reporting practice in the city’s Solid Waste Division paid drivers for a full shift regardless of the hours they worked, creating an incentive to speed or take shortcuts to return early. The lawsuit also alleges truck accidents, rushed repairs and retaliation against the employee after he raised concerns. Those claims have not been established in court.
What the lawsuit alleges about Tacoma’s time reporting
Joshua Knouff, a former Tacoma Environmental Services employee, filed suit in Pierce County Superior Court on September 28, 2026, according to a report by Bonny Matejowsky published by The News Tribune and republished by AOL on October 5, 2026. The report says the lawsuit describes a practice in the Solid Waste Division under which drivers received full-shift pay regardless of the hours they worked.
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Knouff alleges that the arrangement encouraged garbage truck drivers to get back to the waste facility early by speeding or taking shortcuts while still receiving full-shift pay. The suit also alleges accidents involving city solid-waste trucks and repairs made in a rush. These are allegations in the lawsuit as described by the report, not findings by a court.
Who filed the lawsuit and what he says happened
Knouff worked for Tacoma Environmental Services for nearly 25 years. The report says he spent his final seven years as a strategic planning manager and had earlier supervised work in the Solid Waste Division at the Recovery and Transfer Center.
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According to the suit as summarized in the report, Knouff raised concerns with management but believed the responses were explanations and excuses rather than a formal investigation or corrective action. The report does not provide the exact complaint, case number or subsequent court docket status.
The reported timeline of Knouff’s complaints and 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: The report says Knouff filed an EEO complaint after Human Resources advised him to do so.
- February 11, 2026: Knouff was told his position would be eliminated and that he could accept a demotion or be laid off, according to the lawsuit.
- March 13, 2026: The report says the city gave him the same-day deadline to choose between layoff and a “bump back” position. Knouff accepted the layoff. He alleges it was retaliation for his complaint.
- September 28, 2026: The lawsuit was filed in Pierce County Superior Court, according to the report.
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 regarding defendant Ramiro Chavez. That response is not an admission or denial of the allegations.
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Knouff’s attorney, Richard Wooster, told the paper: “There are very serious concerns within the Environmental Services Department, particularly involving the operation of the garbage trucks within the city of Tacoma.” Wooster also said: “These employment cases involving whistleblowers present a very high liability for governmental agencies.” These are the attorney’s statements, not findings by a court or government agency.
What is—and is not—established
The report describes a lawsuit’s claims, not a court decision. It does not establish that the time-reporting practice, risky driving, truck accidents, rushed repairs or retaliation occurred as alleged. It also does not identify the lawsuit’s exact causes of action, provide a case number or report later court developments.
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The available account contains no named statistical figure to quantify the alleged practice or its effects. Readers seeking the precise claims and current status would need the complaint or court docket; neither is supplied in the report. Read the October 5, 2026, report by Bonny Matejowsky, republished by AOL from The News Tribune.
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