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Former and current MLGW employees tell Memphis City Council sudden frontline cuts harmed service and families
Summary
Several current and former Memphis Light, Gas & Water employees testified that a June reorganization eliminated multiple supervisory positions with little notice, raising questions about the stated 'modernization' rationale and prompting calls for transparency and review of the process and impacts.
Multiple current and former employees of Memphis Light, Gas & Water spoke to the City Council on June 23 alleging abrupt eliminations of frontline supervisory positions tied to a recent modernization reorganization at MLGW.
Deion Newsom, who said he had nearly 19 years with MLGW before his termination, asked the MLGW board to review the justification for eliminating numerous experienced supervisors and to explain how the stated "modernization" required the removals. Adrian Lomax Hernandez, who described more than 17 years with MLGW, said staff were told no jobs would be lost during a reorganization but later learned their positions would be eliminated with one week’s notice and were asked to reapply for new, subjectively defined roles.
"We were assured no jobs would be lost. That promise was not kept," Hernandez said, describing the short notice and the stress it created for families.
Former cashier-supervisor Joanna Blanton testified that the reorganization memo dated July 2025 described the change as a realignment with support to be provided for affected employees, but that such support did not materialize; she questioned why performance-improvement or modernization steps had not been implemented in the months after the memo prior to terminating experienced supervisors.
Retired employee Ricky Lewis said the eliminations "destroyed lives" and urged council intervention, calling for a review to determine if the workforce reductions were handled fairly and why part-time or temporary college-student contracts were used while long-serving staff were displaced.
Council response: Members said they would request follow-up information from MLGW leadership and the administration. Several council members pressed for greater transparency around the reorganization rationale, notice given to employees, and whether the stated modernization steps had actually been implemented.
What happens next: Speakers asked the Council to ask MLGW to produce documentation of the modernization plan, the selection criteria for eliminated positions, and the timeline and support promised to affected employees. Council members indicated staff will follow up with the utility and review the underlying materials.
