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Public Employee Press
Grievance victory Computer
pro wins $45,000 in back pay Administration for Childrens Services Tunde
Agboola improved his professional credentials by taking computer courses in his
time off. When he learned of a Computer Associate 1 (software) opening at ACS
in 1999, he jumped at the opportunity and got the job.
During the next
few years, Agboola earned certification in networking and other computer skills.
As he took on more responsibilities administering the agencys computer network,
Agboola felt he deserved better pay and recognition. He took a close look at the
job descriptions of computer titles. Convinced that he was working out-of-title
and underpaid, Agboola appealed to his supervisors for a promotion and consulted
Shop Steward Peter Jablin.
We concluded that his responsibilities
were substantially higher than his job title, Jablin said. The grievance
argued that he should receive the pay of a certified Local Area Network Administrator
1, which has a salary $14,000 higher than Computer Associate (software) 1.
The
union took the grievance to impartial arbitration, which took three years. In
March, the arbitrator awarded Agboola $45,000 in back pay. There is no word
to describe my sincere gratitude to the union, he said. He also appreciated
the support of his colleagues, who encouraged him throughout the grievance process.
This
case showed the power of the union, and the value of having a persistent team
dedicated to correcting an injustice, said Ed Hysyk, president of Electronic
Data Processing Personnel Local 2627.
After the initial grievance hearing,
2nd Vice President Gary Goff and DC 37 Rep Tyler Hemingway worked with Agboola
on hearings and the arbitration, which was handled by DC 37 lawyer Steve Sykes.
Tunde
was determined to win this case and provided the union team with the documentation
and the work history we needed to prove our case, Goff said.
Arbiters
can order back pay, but they dont have the power to promote workers.
In
the end, the agency recognized his responsibility and achievements, Jablin
said, by promoting Agboola to certified Local Area Network Administrator 1. | |