Public Employee Press

Out-of-title grievances lead to pay and promotions for four HHC clericals

Local 1549 members Moises Caballero, Donna Hill-Young, Hector Montalvo and Deborah Riley recently won out-of-title-work grievances at the Morrisania Diagnostic and Treatment Center in the South Bronx.

Under their union contract, members assigned to duties substantially different from their job specifications are entitled to the salary of the higher title. The four received the difference between their pay and pay of the higher title work they were actually doing; while the contract does not require promotions, all four have been upgraded to the jobs they were performing when they filed their grievances.

Chief Shop Steward Albert “Bobby” Ortiz filed the grievances and stayed on top of them with Grievance Rep Ralph Palladino, who is also 2nd vice president of Clerical-Administrative Employees Local 1549. The salary differentials were awarded at the second step of the process.

Hill-Young, a former shop steward, has worked at Morrisania for 21 years. Her upgrade to Coordinating Manager means she will no longer be in Local 1549, but she is fiercely loyal to the union. “We’re all thankful for the union,” she said.

Caballero got the pay differential between Level III and IV of the Clerical Associate title. “The outcome was great,” he said. Riley, who has worked for the city for 27 years, 14 of them at Morrisania, was upgraded from CA I to CA III. She and Hector Montalvo, who was promoted from CA IV to Assistant Managing Coordinator, both praised the union team that won their cases.

For Ortiz, the victories validate the work his members perform on a daily basis. “We’re always happy to see that members who deserve to be upgraded can get the opportunity through the grievance procedure,” he said.

“These members understood that they had to come to their union to get justice,” said Palladino. “Teamwork was the key: The members provided the background, the steward made an effective presentation, and together, we closed the deal.”

Assistant Clerical Division Director Renee Gainer pointed out that, “These members followed the right course. As a result, they won and were vindicated.”