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                 Get to know your Business Agent today!  Find out how the union makes a difference on the job. |
Newsline: February 2001 Teamster Artisans Say No Job Too Difficult A group of talented Teamsters are saving the city millions of dollars by repairing and rehabilitating an important underpass on Fordham Road that links the East Bronx with the West rather than having it done by private contractors. The undertaking, which began last November, is being done in three stages and is expected to take two years to complete. It is a massive project that involves two bridges and the underpass and requires the handling of thousands of stones weighing from 70 to 400 pounds. The heavy work is being done by members of Local 237 under the direction of Supervisor Bricklayer Joe Saverino, who is serving as deputy chief of masonry operations on the Department of Transportation project. Working with him are Gino Trapani and Edward Alfano, bricklayer supervisors; and Bricklayers Pasquale Bove, Salvatore Romano and Luigi Cuffari. Cement Masons on the job are John Padovano, Joe Cassella, Larry Marks, Robert Doscher, Joe Abella, Tom Valentino, Frank Finizio and Victor Porowski. Also involved in the huge project are carpenters, iron workers, laborers, highway repair and assistant highway repair personnel. "It's a really big job but very important because it removes the threat of the walls collapsing on pedestrians or cars passing by", Saverino said. He added that when the underpass was completed in 1964, it was well built, but water seeping behind the stones caused them to come away from the cement. "Some of the stones were leaning as much as six inches from the wall," Saverino said. "If any of them fell, they could kill someone." The team supervisor said that in the first stage, which is expected to be completed in June 2000, they have removed and put back approximately 1,500 granite stones from four to seven feet in length and ranging from six to 13 inches in width. "This is very intricate and very detailed work," Saverino said, "but our guys are artists. They are doing a great job." In addition to removing and then replacing the granite fascia panels, he pointed out, they are also removing old steel curbing and sidewalks and installing new ones. Saverino, who lives in the Bronx, said he became aware of the problem and brought it to the attention of DOT personnel: Dan Mando, executive director of bridge preventive maintenance and repair; Charles Remi, director of bridge preventive maintenance, and Tony Napolitano, chief of bridge preventive maintenance. "They investigated the problem and originally thought that it was too big to be handled by the limited DOT personnel," Saverino said. "But I insisted it could be done better by our people than outside, and it would save a lot of money." He noted that DOT would also have greater control over the workmanship if the project was done in-house. They agreed, he said, and it is working out well for everyone. |
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