BY DIANE S. WILLIAMS

Ed Brown moved a mountain of soil four stories high on Randall’s Island, an assignment that took four months.

Keith Cavaliere and Jerry Geisler removed more than 24 tons of driftwood and debris that washed up onto Staten Island beaches. And Joseph Morreale built a beautiful new baseball field in Brooklyn. “Management tried to say it was just part of APSW job specs and tried to snow employees in broad-banded titles,” Mr. Morreale said.

But the Associate Parks Service Workers have the licenses and expertise to operate heavy machinery —the bulldozers, backhoes, tractors and crawlers that level land for tracks and parking lots, grade beaches and remove cumbersome debris from city parks. And after 25 years, they have finally won compensation for their highly skilled, heavy-duty assignments.

That’s because DC 37 and Motor Vehicle Operators Local 983 bulldozed the bureaucracy that blocked 28 APSWs from getting paid for out-of-title work and won a collective settlement of more than $60,000 that covers three years of out-of-title work for five APSWs.

Union team
Undeterred members filed individual grievances with help from Local 983 President Mark Rosenthal, DC 37 Rep Tony Mammalello, union lawyer Mary O’Connell and negotiator Frank Burns.

The union’s drive for action led to a January 2003 settlement in which the Parks Dept. agreed to pay the 28 men a $6,344 per year differential for the heavy-duty construction work. In addition, said Mr. Rosenthal, Local 983 then used part of the 1 percent additional compensation fund from the 2000-2002 contract to provide a $12.90 a day truck differential. All told, the workers gained roughly $9,700 a year in pensionable wages.

“We were operating machinery that took skill and a level of expertise you just don’t need to rake leaves,” said APSW Brown. “When I would drive up in the truck, the crew just got out of the way.” Brown operated a front loader that could do the job of 10 men in a few hours. “But the Parks Dept. refused to pay me for my expertise.” But Mr. Brown kept a file of photographs and notes documenting his out-of-title assignments for 25 years. The evidence helped win his case. “I thank DC 37 because now I feel in my heart that I’m appreciated and compensated for my skills,” he said.

The win has been a morale booster. Other APSWs grew discouraged and didn’t file grievances, said Mr. Geisler, but the 28 who did can feel the results in their wallets. “The union helped see to it,” he said. “We looked at every title represented by this local and tried to make things right,” said Local 983 President Mark Rosenthal. “It’s a good compromise. Because of their persistence, these members won what amounts to a 28 percent salary increase.”