One of the first issues we tackled during the year was to work with a prestigious law firm to recover damages for our members who worked overtime for the City of New York but were not paid for those hours. This Washington, D.C. law firm has successfully sued the City many times to get back money for similar violations, which is why we turned to them. We’ve been promoting this to our membership the entire year on our website, through mobile app push notifications, and in emails, reminding everyone that the only way to recover damages is to sign up. The union cannot sign you up for the lawsuit. Each member must do so individually.

For more information about the lawsuit and to file an application, click here.

Another important issue we dealt with were massive layoffs in the Parks Department. By working with DC 37, speaking out at several rallies, and getting the support of New York City Council members, we were successful in saving hundreds of jobs and making sure our members had continued income to support their families. But our Parks members were not the only ones we helped. The entire Local 983 Executive Board handled dozens of member grievances throughout the year in various titles in many different agencies. Working with our Shop Stewards, we successfully stood up for our members across the board, which is what we do at Local 983.

We could not close out the year without mentioning the health care crisis and ongoing negotiations to find a solution to the ever-increasing debt load caused by skyrocketing medical costs. As a labor movement, we have asked for changes to the administrative code that would allow for better negotiations between labor and the City when it comes to Medicare Advantage. As of the time this newsletter went to print, we are waiting for the City Council to schedule a hearing on the matter.

As many of you have heard, the City administration will not begin negotiations for new contracts until the Medicare dilemma is resolved, so let’s all hope for a timely resolution. It’s important to keep in mind that Local 983, although a member of the Municipal Labor Committee, does not have a direct say in talks regarding health care.

I’d like to thank all of you for your support and encouragement during the year. As officers, we do what we do to help better the lives of all our members. As a union, we have remained fiscally prudent with strategic investing and strict oversight of daily spending to keep the union running. Unfortunately, we have incurred some rather large legal fees due to the lawsuit filed against us to stop the officer election. You can read more about this in the Election Committee update on page 5.

We are hoping to return to at least some in-person membership meetings in 2023 as we know there is nothing like being able to speak with everyone face to face. In the meantime, we do hold monthly virtual membership meetings that we encourage all of you to attend. It’s your chance to hear union updates and ask questions. We send out reminder emails a few weeks prior to each meeting with a link to register. You can also find this information on our website on the Calendar page. Of course, we also send out mobile app notifications for meetings and other important news, so be sure to see the back page of this newsletter for how to get the Local 983 Union Strong mobile app on your smartphone if you don’t already have it.

Communication is key to a strong union. We’re looking forward to 2023 being a great year.