NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — New York City dished out $1 billion in overtime pay during the last six months of 2021, up 62% compared to the same time last year, state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli said on Wednesday.
At a virtual meeting of the Association for a Better New York, DiNapoli attributed the additional $385 million to COVID-19’s impact on both the city’s budget and its workers.
“During the height of the pandemic attrition was lower than average but hiring was frozen for many positions. Since mid-year 2021, however, the attrition has risen,” DiNapoli said during the meeting. “Reduced staffing compounded by COVID-related absences led city overtime to exceed a billion dollars the first half of the year.”
Much of the extra overtime pay—83% of it—went to police, fire, corrections and sanitation department employees, the report said. DiNapoli said the four agencies pose “significant overtime risk.”
The report also highlights a drop in the municipal workforce for the first time in eight years where the city saw growth in employment. The NYPD and Department of Education saw the most loss of workers, according to the report.
Some job titles had significant drops in employment, including school safety agents, corrections officers, and teaching assistants, the report said.
Despite many agencies losing workers this year, only two departments—Corrections and Investigations—told the comptroller’s office that staffing levels was hindering their ability to provide certain service, DiNapoli said.
Related
