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Public Employee Press
Arbitrator awards back pay to tractor
driver
An impartial arbiter awarded a City Parks Worker 11 months
back pay after the union filed his grievance against the out-of-title
work of using heavy machinery and tractors to cut grass for the Parks
and Recreation Dept.
For three years, CPW Michael Langworthy bumped about on an outdated tractor
in a cloud of dust and fumes as he seeded, cut and maintained the hilly
slopes in Clove Lake, Silver Lake, Sleigh Ride Hill and other Staten Island
parks.
I felt I was working outside my title, and I never really came to
terms with that, Langworthy said. He used a Toro Master grass cutter
and heavy-duty tractor to maintain the hilly terrain in District 1 parks.
Langworthy also changed and sharpened the mower blades and lubricated
the departments ancient tractors, which have no ventilation or air-conditioning;
their missing shock absorbers and broken seats gave his back a painful
pounding.
Although the Parks Dept. assigned him work that is usually done by Associate
Park Service Workers, who earn $4.15 per hour more than CPWs, management
never gave him any formal training.
When the agency failed to pay Langworthy properly for the job he was doing,
Local 1505 President Michael Hood helped him file an out-of-title work
grievance demanding the difference in pay between the CPW and APSW jobs.
DC 37 attorney Robin Roach and Blue Collar Division Council Rep Tony Mammalello
also worked on the case, which the arbitrator decided in late November.
The Parks Dept. should have realized from the start that this assignment
went beyond the job specs, Hood said.
I give Mike Hood and the rest of DC 37s team a lot of credit
for what they did, said an appreciative Langworthy. I advise
members to know your job specifications and whats allowed and not
allowed. If you run into problems, reach out to your local president immediately.
Out-of-title grievances help us do more than get compensation for
one person, Hood said. They can open the door for the local
to negotiate gains for all our members.
DSW
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