Public Employee Press

Local 1757 wins raises and upgrades
for members in Finance Department

Twenty-seven provisional employees became permanent City Assessors last year. The Finance Dept. appointed 13 from a civil service promotional list in December, and Local 1757 is pressing the agency to appoint the remaining eight people on the list, said President David Moog.

Virtually all the provisionals took a union-sponsored course to prepare for the civil service exam, which was the first test for that title since 1988.

“We have been working very hard to address members’ concerns about out-of-title work and the lack of promotional opportunities. These issues came to a head as the department carried out a reorganization,” said Mr. Moog, president of the local of Assessors, Appraisers and Housing Development Specialists.

Professional Division Rep Lisa Riccio worked with Assistant Director Frederick R. Lewis of the DC 37 Education Fund to arrange for the course. The instructors, in addition to Mr. Moog, included members Fran Schloss, Sam Heller, Warren Hyman, Tim Sceares, Anthony Arcuri, Mark Sin, Veronica Hatcher, and two former local presidents, John Parris and Matthew Joseph.

Those appointed from the list included three Local 1757 members who were among the thousands of municipal workers laid off during the 2003 budget crisis. About 60 city employees — including 41 members of Local 1757 and others from locals 1113 and 1407 — signed up for the prep course.

Shirley Jin was among the workers appointed in December. As a City Assessor, she is earning about $10,000 more than she did as a Law Dept. Claims Specialist. Ms. Jin is dedicating part of her increased pay to college savings for her 9 and 14-year-old boys.

“Had the union not pushed for the exam, I would still be where I was at the Law Department,” said Diedre Ross, another former Claims Specialist. “The salary increase makes a big difference. We have been able to pay off a lot of bills.”

In addition to getting the exam, “We have relied on grievances to help our members win back pay and promotions,” said Mr. Moog. “But we have also found that quiet diplomacy can be very effective. For the most part we have been able to resolve our problems amicably with management.”

Over the past couple of years, about a third of its members have benefited from Local 1757’s fight for upgrades and civil service protection, he said, estimating that members who have benefited from the promotions that resulted from grievances and negotiations have generally seen their pay rise by $6,000 to $8,000.