‘Alarming’ numbers of St. Louis City workers have been taking paid medical leave under new program

[Update: January 17, 2025 at 4:40 p.m.]

The mayor’s office now tells First Alert 4 Investigates it relied on information from the personnel department when it reported that close to 600 employees were out on leave during a single day in November last year.

However, we’ve since learned those numbers actually reflected the first 10 months of 2024.

A spokesperson apologized for the confusion but said they were not working with complete information.

Still, data from various city departments shows that 20–30% of employees in some departments used paid leave last year.

Specific to the Board of Public Service, initial documents reportedly from the personnel department broke out some subdivisions of the department but not others.

Upon further review, it appears at least 22% of Board of Public Service employees used paid medical leave in the past 12 months, compared to the 55% originally reported.

Some city leaders say this reflects confusion within the city’s own systems.

[Original Story: January 16, 2025 at 10 p.m.]

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - St. Louis City officials are promising changes after First Alert 4 Investigates discovered that at any given time, hundreds of city employees are on paid medical leave.

“We all know it’s a dangerous job,” said Renee Richardt, who has been painting St. Louis’ streets for a decade.

Just last month, Richardt was badly injured on the job when a speeding driver hit her.

“I just thought, jump. That was the only thing that went through my mind,” she said.

With broken bones, Richardt will be out of work for months, but she’s thankful for workers’ compensation to help her. Emergencies like this, experts say, highlight why more cities and counties should offer paid medical leave.

In 2022, St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones implemented a program offering six weeks of paid time off for serious medical issues affecting employees or their families—such as the birth of a baby or caring for a family member with cancer.

“We know there are very big gaps in who has access to paid leave,” said Molly Weston Williamson of the Center for American Progress. She said more cities, including St. Louis, have stepped up.

“A surprisingly large number—almost one in 20 private-sector employees—don’t get any paid sick time at all, not even one day,” Williamson said.

Paid leave, she noted, can benefit taxpayers too.

“More and more cities, along with the federal government, have recognized that paid leave helps with recruiting and retaining employees,” she said.

Abuse of paid leave, Williamson added, is “incredibly rare”—but that may not be the case in St. Louis.

“I think when you’re talking about abuse of really critical benefits, that is extraordinarily problematic,” said Alderwoman Cara Spencer.

Spencer says she’s very concerned by data obtained by First Alert 4 Investigates. The team began digging after hearing claims that some city employees were using paid leave as extra vacation time.

“Lauren, I’m hearing the same thing, and it is really alarming,” Spencer said.

Data from the mayor’s office showed that on a single day in November 2022, more than 600 city employees—about 12% of the workforce—were out on medical leave.

Some departments had staggering numbers:

• 19% of the Streets Department
• 22% of the Fire Department
• 32% of Neighborhood Stabilization
• More than 55% of Board of Public Service employees

“That would have me estimating that half of the city’s employees are using it in any given year, and that is really shocking to me,” Spencer said.

Though she supports the program, Spencer said safeguards are clearly lacking, and department heads have told her city services are suffering.

“Really, the residents suffer,” she said. “Trash isn’t getting picked up, streets aren’t getting repaired, and services we’re paying for with our tax dollars aren’t being provided.”

What’s more, even department heads have used the leave. Last year, Jail Commissioner Jennifer Clemons-Abdullah went on leave reportedly after being informed the city planned to fire her. The city’s personnel director also took leave the same day she received a pre-termination letter from the mayor’s office.

“It’s private, it’s personal, and it’s protected by HIPAA,” said Personnel Director Sonya Jenkins-Gray.

Jenkins-Gray refuted claims she used the leave to delay disciplinary proceedings.

“That is completely inaccurate. I take my health very seriously, and my medical leave was very serious,” she said.

Jenkins-Gray is currently involved in a public hearing to keep her job after being accused of violating city vehicle policies. She admitted to the violations but said they weren’t grounds for termination.

The mayor’s office said Jenkins-Gray shares responsibility for the lack of safeguards in the paid leave program.

“There are certainly some things we want to make sure the system isn’t ripe for abuse,” said Mayor Jones’ spokesperson Conner Kerrigan.

Kerrigan said they proposed changes last summer, including requiring employees to use sick time before taking paid medical leave, but action stalled in the Personnel Department.

Jenkins-Gray disagreed. “Fast is not always best. I’m always going to strive to provide the best for the city and its employees,” she said.

Currently, department heads—not trained HR professionals—approve leave requests. Jenkins-Gray said her office is testing procedures to centralize the process.

“Because the approval processes were just not very tight,” she said.

Data from the day in question showed that 27% of her own staff was on leave. Jenkins-Gray questioned the accuracy of the figures.

“That does not seem in line with industry standards, where you’d see 30% to 40% of people out on paid family medical leave,” she said.

The city, Jenkins-Gray said, needs better tracking. She assured policy changes are underway.

“I am confident the changes we’re going to make will support Mayor Jones’ vision for family medical leave,” she said.

However, Jenkins-Gray opposed barring employees under disciplinary review from taking paid leave.

“Why should taxpayers pay for leave if there may be disciplinary proceedings?” asked First Alert 4 Chief Investigative Reporter Lauren Trager.

“You said a keyword—may. It’s not guaranteed that discipline will take place,” Jenkins-Gray said.

Spencer said the Board of Aldermen will be seeking answers.

“We’re going to ask tough questions,” she said, including how much the leave costs and how to prevent abuse.

Paid leave, she emphasized, should be preserved for employees like Richardt, who need it most.

Currently, employees need a doctor’s certification for leave, but department heads vet the paperwork. Many private companies use third parties for this process.

St. Louis’ policies are broader than other cities. Kansas City, for example, only offers 12 weeks of paid parental leave for employees welcoming new children. Nashville offers six weeks of leave to care for a loved one, but not for employees’ own health. Many cities still offer no paid leave.

St. Louis’ updated policies are set to take effect in March. First Alert 4 Investigates will keep tracking the issue.