Public Employee Press

Parks worker wins $13,600 in back pay

After DC 37 filed her out-of-title-work grievance, an impartial arbitrator awarded City Parks Worker Rosa Rosado $13,600 in back pay.

The nine-year Parks employee worked unsupervised and led groups of Jobs Training Participants through the rigors of parks maintenance - sweeping, raking, using weed-whackers and lawn mowers - to keep Canarsie Park clean.

"Most times I was alone and had to train them. They didn't know how to work with tools and some didn't even know how to use a broom," Rosado said. "And every time I took a group out in the truck, I had them sign the job ticket," showing that she supervised them.

Rosado supervised five to eight JTPs at a time, work usually done by higher-paid Associate Parks Services Workers, but the Parks Dept. never offered her an upgrade, not even the Crew Chief pay differential.

In November 2010, she went to Local 1505 President Dilcy Benn, who filed the grievance with Blue Collar Council Rep Tony Mammalello.

"Rosa's hard work and the respect she had earned from her supervisors helped the union win," said DC 37 Attorney Meaghean Murphy. One supervisor testified in the hearing, "speaking of Rosado in glowing terms and stating that she had been supervising JTPs and other CPWs for some time," Murphy said. "Now she is finally being compensated for those duties."

"Parks often has CPWs doing out-of-title work, such as supervision, and discourages them from filing grievances. Rosa stuck to her guns and we were able to prevail," said Benn. "We urge members who believe they are being assigned out-of-title work to come to the union," added Benn."We have succeeded in making Parks pay members for this. This is your union and we will fight for you."