Local 2627 member Ray Kistner ranked third on a Computer Associate civil service promotional list.

But the powers-that-be at the Board of Education bypassed him three times as they chose other workers for job openings in the position. Because he was already doing Computer Associate work, Mr. Kistner was particularly frustrated by his employer’s failure to pick him up from the list.

He complained to Shop Steward Gilbert Sambolin, who recommended that Mr. Kistner, then a Computer Aide, file an out-of-title grievance. Though fearful that he could put himself in a bad light with supervisors, he went ahead with it.

“Management left me no choice,” said Mr. Kistner, who filed the grievance in March.

His decision paid off: Several weeks ago Mr. Kistner won $13,500 in back pay and a promotion to Computer Associate Level 1 that will earn him an additional $15,000 a year.

Local 2627 President Edward W. Hysyk, who is also secretary of District Council 37, praised Mr. Sambolin, DC 37 Rep Tyler Hemingway and Mr. Kistner for handling the grievance quickly and aggressively. “This is a sign of an improved union presence at the Dept. of Education, where we have new activists who are eager help their coworkers,” said Mr. Hysyk.

More problems may surface
“We believe there are other people who will surface with similar problems once they hear about Ray’s victory,” Mr. Sambolin said.

The union trio accumulated background information and put together a rock-solid case. Mr. Kistner is a member of the school system’s Customer Care Unit, which handles inquiries from administrators and teachers about computer problems. He also works as a software specialist for the Automate-the-Schools attendance system.

Over his 14 years at the Dept. of Education, Mr. Kistner’s job has evolved to include complex tasks that are ordinarily assigned to Computer Associates rather than Computer Aides.

His responsibilities in the agency’s Customer Care Unit include diagnosing and repairing telecommunications hardware and peripherals to minimize downtime and to ensure smooth functioning of computer networks. In addition, he evaluates vendors.

With his many years of experience with the ATS system, which services over 1,500 sites, Mr. Kistner often troubleshoots problems that ATS analysts are unable to solve on their own.