Meet the essential workers of the 2022 NYC sanitation department calendar

ByKemberly Richardson WABC logo

Wednesday, January 26, 2022

Meet the essential workers of the 2022 DSNY calendarKemberly Richardson has more on the men and women of the New York City Department of Sanitation who made the cut to be featured in the department's 2022 calendar.

NEW YORK (WABC) -- It's time to meet some of the men and women of the New York City Department of Sanitation who made the cut to be featured in the department's 2022 calendar.

Each year the Sanitation Foundation produces the calendar. It can be yours with a donation of $20 to the nonprofit.

It's an interesting look at some of the department's 10,000 employees.

"Not every person is on a collection truck, not every person is a street sweeper," said Commissioner Edward Grayson. "We have a lot of talented tradespeople, a lot of people behind that scenes that you never get to see and it's nice to highlight them."

Case in point is Bernard Klevickas, a machinist who keeps things moving.

March is his month and he is pictured with his sculpture that pays tribute to colleagues who died from COVID-19.

"I feel a sense of pride having made the sculpture, sanitation is honorable work and it's needed work," Klevickas said.

Sometimes people ask to be featured on very specific months, a member of the department's marching band, naturally wants March.

This year there was a first for the month of June, Justin Portelli wanted to go big and show representation for Pride.

"I wanted to show everyone that it's ok to be who you are and express yourself," Portelli said. "I was nervous at the beginning, I'm new, what do I do and then I'm like screw it, this is me, here I am."

So here's to 12 months of New York City's Strongest essential workers.

ALSO READ | NJ tow truck driver hailed as a hero after saving driver from crash