Local 420 member Luis Galarza, one of three grievance winners at Elmhurst Hospital, handles red bag containing infectious waste.

City hospitals are extremely careful when it comes to disposing of hazardous waste material. Union hospital workers frequently handle dangerous waste materials — biological hazards, such as used hypodermic needles and bandages contaminated with blood and fluids from infected patients.

A trio of workers from the Environmental Services Dept. at Elmhurst Hospital handled infectious waste on a regular basis, but management failed to include the required differential in their paychecks.

Institutional Aides Luis R. Galarza and Luis Martinez and Housekeeping Aide Marie M. Pierre were assigned to areas at the Queens hospital where red bags with the dangerous materials were handled on a continual basis.

When the situation was brought to the attention of Shop Steward Althea Williams and Chapter Chair Aristedes Gúzman, they immediately filed a grievance. The union said management was in violation of Article III, Section 10F , and Article VI, Section 1A and 1B, of the union’s Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Management settled the issue at the first step of the grievance procedure. The three hospital workers, members of Local 420, received back pay retroactive to May 2001, totaling $3,000.

“I can’t emphasize enough how important it is for members to step forward as soon as possible, and bring these matters to their shop steward,” said Marva Lewis-Bradford, a Council Rep for Local 420.