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Public
Employee Press Out-of-title
grievances lead to pay and promotions for four HHC clericals
Local 1549 members Moises Caballero, Donna Hill-Young,
Hector Montalvo and Deborah Riley recently won out-of-title-work grievances at
the Morrisania Diagnostic and Treatment Center in the South Bronx.
Under
their union contract, members assigned to duties substantially different from
their job specifications are entitled to the salary of the higher title. The four
received the difference between their pay and pay of the higher title work they
were actually doing; while the contract does not require promotions, all four
have been upgraded to the jobs they were performing when they filed their grievances.
Chief
Shop Steward Albert Bobby Ortiz filed the grievances and stayed on
top of them with Grievance Rep Ralph Palladino, who is also 2nd vice president
of Clerical-Administrative Employees Local 1549. The salary differentials were
awarded at the second step of the process.
Hill-Young, a former shop steward,
has worked at Morrisania for 21 years. Her upgrade to Coordinating Manager means
she will no longer be in Local 1549, but she is fiercely loyal to the union. Were
all thankful for the union, she said.
Caballero got the pay differential
between Level III and IV of the Clerical Associate title. The outcome was
great, he said. Riley, who has worked for the city for 27 years, 14 of them
at Morrisania, was upgraded from CA I to CA III. She and Hector Montalvo, who
was promoted from CA IV to Assistant Managing Coordinator, both praised the union
team that won their cases.
For Ortiz, the victories validate the work his
members perform on a daily basis. Were always happy to see that members
who deserve to be upgraded can get the opportunity through the grievance procedure,
he said.
These members understood that they had to come to their
union to get justice, said Palladino. Teamwork was the key: The members
provided the background, the steward made an effective presentation, and together,
we closed the deal.
Assistant Clerical Division Director Renee Gainer
pointed out that, These members followed the right course. As a result,
they won and were vindicated. | |