Priority Waste issues after GFL takeover • The cost of Michigan roads • What to know about Glock switches

WEDNESDAY NEWS HIT - The Priority Waste takeover of GFL is causing issues for employees, workers say.

"We love our jobs, but this job has become purely hell," said one concerned worker. "We're supposed to be a team - but that is the furthest thing from the truth."

Priority Waste took over the contracts with the promise of better service and top-notch technology, but some workers say they’re not seeing it.

"We are out here working - we start at 6, and sometimes we make it off at 7:30 - that's the earliest," the worker said. "They have good trucks - they have the means of getting us help to clean up the communities, but yet still, they're not doing that. They're making us suffer with these GFL trucks."

It’s not just terrible trucks former GFL workers say they are saddled with, but long hours and a pay disparity as well.

"When GFL was bought out, we had to fill out applications to become Priority drivers, to become Priority employees," said a second concerned worker.

Matt Allen, the spokesperson for Priority Waste,  says it’s only been three weeks and priority is committed to its new communities and new employees.

"All the employees that came over from GFL, when they were onboarded, were told that it was going to be 30 days to right-size the pay," Allen said. "Because of all the different departments and different scales. That takes us to Aug. 2, so we're in the third week of July. That will happen," he said.

Glock switches on the rise, ATF says

More and more devices used to turn semi-automatic handguns into automatic weapons are making their way into Michigan, the ATF said.

These devices, dubbed Glock switches, are about the size of a Lego and are added to pistols, mainly 9mm Glocks.

Glock switches are illegal in the U.S. but you can buy them online from China or Russia.

When you look at these. These things are being glorified on Instagram. They’re being glorified on Facebook. They’re being glorified by gang members and by juveniles primarily," ATF Special Agent in Charge Jim Deir said.

A Glock switch was used in a mass shooting at a block party earlier this month that left two dead and 19 others wounded.

"This device that looks basically like a Lego, under federal law, is a machine gun," said U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison. "This is the ultimate violence because there’s no justification for converting a semi-automatic weapon to a machine gun in our communities."

The cost of Michigan roads

Michigan's bumpy roads aren't just annoying - they're costing drivers thousands of dollars a year.

According to a new report from transportation non-profit TRIP, drivers in some areas of the state are paying upwards of $3,000 as a result of road conditions. These costs include repairs, accelerated vehicle depreciation, congestion-related losses like gas and time, and crashes where lack of road safety was a contributing factor.

Detroit drivers face the highest road-related costs - $3,005 annually, while drivers in the Grand Rapids area are paying an average of nearly $2,300 in road-related costs.

The report found that 40% of roads are in poor or mediocre condition. In Detroit, that percentage jumps to 70%. While these roads are in need of repair, the state is facing a $3.9 billion funding gap to improve them.

According to the report, a funding boost is needed to get Michigan's roads up to par and save drivers money.

Teen saves driver from car in Lake St. Clair

A 15-year-old boy was fishing at Lakefront Park when an elderly driver drove into Lake St. Clair on Tuesday.

The teen, John Agnello, was one of a few people who rushed to help the elderly woman behind the wheel. 

"I’m just fishing, know what I mean? Nothing crazy. (Then) I hear a loud noise," he said. "So, then I run over there instantly with a neighbor… We both get in there at the same time, we just both swim to her instantly."

Agnello smashed the vehicle's back window with a rock and entered – not even noticing the cuts he sustained amid the adrenaline rush, he said. His leg had to be bandaged up.

"I couldn’t even feel the cuts because I was so locked in, you know what I mean?" he said. "My family taught me to take action, not just stand there on my phone."

The driver was taken to a hospital for an evaluation.

US DOT investigating Delta cancelations

The Department of Transportation is investigating Delta Air Lines over flight cancelations related to a global outage caused by a faulty software update last week affecting businesses worldwide. 

U.S. DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Tuesday morning that the agency is probing Delta to make sure the company is "following the law and taking care of its passengers during continued widespread disruptions."

Delta is struggling to resume normal services after a worldwide IT outage by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike on July 19.

As of Tuesday morning, Delta canceled more than 400 flights, representing the most cancellations by any other U.S. airline, according to data from flight tracker FlightAware. 

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Daily Forecast

More rain and thunderstorms are in the forecast.

What else we're watching

1. Some Detroit freeways are flooded after heavy rain overnight.
2. A man, Corey Nevers, is facing charges after his 2-year-old son overdosed on NyQuil in 2021.
3. Family members and the community continue to mourn Mohamed Said, the Melvindale police officer gunned down while investigating a suspicious person call on Sunday. 
4. James Walsh, a handyman accused of stealing from an elderly woman, skipped his pre-trial hearing.
5. Tickets for the North Pole Express go on sale tomorrow. They sell out quickly, so be prepared.

Federal regulators are raising scrutiny of Southwest Airlines

The Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday it has increased its oversight of Southwest Airlines, which has seen its planes involved in a series of troubling incidents in recent weeks that included flying at very low altitudes while still miles away from an airport.

"The FAA has increased oversight of Southwest Airlines to ensure it is complying with federal safety regulations," an agency spokesperson said in a statement. "Safety will drive the timeline."

The FAA declined to provide details, but noted that it continually adjusts oversight of airlines based on risk.

Southwest said it is working closely with the FAA and also has formed a team of people from the airline, its union and the FAA to strengthen its safety-management system.

The FAA’s action is among several moves by new Administrator Mike Whitaker to respond to heightened safety concern about airlines ever since a panel covering an unused exit blew off a Boeing 737 Max during an Alaska Airlines flight in January.