Public Employee Press

Grievance Victories
$1.4 million to HRA staff in grievance

The first wave of more than 350 Eligibility Specialists received an added $46.99 to their biweekly paychecks April 26 for their work in the Family Health Plus and Child Health Plus programs at the Human Resources Administration.

The payment of the salary differentials hopefully marks the end of a years-long pay dispute between the union and management that involved hundreds of grievances and two arbitrations.

The latest arbitration decision, issued in October, awarded over $1.4 million in differentials and back pay to the affected members of Clerical-Administrative Employees Local 1549. In May, HRA implemented the differentials for the rest of the workers and paid the retro. The arbitration case was handled by DC 37 Assistant General Counsel Alan M. Brown.

A long road to victory

"I am just happy that this is all over," said Patricia Keller, who testified in the second arbitration case and is now retired. "We should not have had to go to arbitration. The differential is in the contract, so there really never should have been a question about whether we are entitled to the extra money."

"We appreciate that members were patient as the union fought to address this injustice," said Local 1549 President Eddie Rodriguez, who spearheaded negotiations to include the assignment differential for the FHP/CHP workers in the clerical contract in 2002. Workers in the program are entitled to an extra $1,225 a year.

The FHP/CHP program, with a higher income cap for recipients than the regular Medicare program, was implemented after the 2001 World Trade Center attack.

Initially, the city structured the program to help residents affected by the 9/11
tragedy; since 2001, HRA has expanded it. Eligibility Specialists evaluate whether applicants qualify for the benefit.

The union won the first arbitration case in 2006, but the dispute erupted again when HRA stopped funding the differentials after only a month. Local 1549 officers and shop stewards and DC 37 Clerical-Administrative Division staff then worked to amass the many grievances that led to the second arbitration.

In addition to Keller, the members who testified at the arbitration included Eligibility Specialists Level 2 Tony Thomas, Alisa Lampert, Stephanie Jones and Alicia Smith.

Thomas, who described the tasks of the workers at the hearing, said that the city tried to "rattle" him during the hearing. But he said Brown had prepared him to avoid feeling flustered. "Alan Brown and everyone in the union were very supportive," he said.

Brown praised the witnesses, saying they put a human face on the otherwise technical pay dispute between the union and HRA.

Local 1549 leaders who worked on the case included 2nd Vice President Alvin Williams, Recording Secretary Carmen Flores, Chief Shop Steward Addie James and Shop Steward Felix Camero. DC 37 and Local 1549 current and former staffers who helped included Alpine James, Kenneth Mulligan, Jestina Roberts, Ron Arnero, Kevin McLaurin, Dorothy Lorenzo and Renee Gainer.

Camero said members have told him they will be using their extra pay for vacations, savings, car purchases and bills.