b'When you became a grievance rep, what were some of the grievances you handled?I was grievance rep for all the hospitals. I used to handle two or three grievances a week. Most of the grievances wereMondays and Fridaysnot showing upor related to drinking and cocaine. I also was involved in Bellevue HospitalsEAP program, with a lady by the name of Julie Blackburn, a fine lady. I brought her maybe 25 to 30 members, not onlyfrom hospitals but from other places. The hospital was very cooperative. Bellevue gave me an office; they gave me a telephone. I had to keep files on people, and you have to have a place to keep files. I couldnt keep them in my shop or in my locker. Most of the stuff is confidential, especially when youre dealing with the Employee Assistance Program.Before Pete Castellucci asked you to become a steward, had you thought about being one?No. Pete was a great teacher. Pete was a great business agent. He was the best. He was able to sit down and negoti-ate and reason with people and get his point across as well as listening to the other guys point, and get somewhere inthe middle of it so that satisfaction could be had on both sides.Stanley Shapiro [Local 237 Citywide business agent] was also great. Stanley took over after Pete left. Stanley wouldgo in a little more subduedLets see what you have to say first. Stanley was very good in his own way. Stanley and I usedto handle a lot of grievances together. We had some big ones at Neponsett Nursing Home out in Rockaway and at QueensGeneral, GouverneurQueens County had some big ones.I worked very close with John Ayers, very close with Stanley Shapiro, very close with Pete Castellucci, and until recently very close with Tom Carr. I had some dealings with Pauline Dyer [then BA, later also local recording secretary] at Woodhull Hospital.When you had a grievance to handle, what was your style in dealing with it?First, I would find out what the problem was, before the hearing. Not only from the member. I also went to LaborRelations and I read the report. Then I have a better idea of whats going on. Now I can go back and talk to the memberand say this, that, or the other thingIt doesnt say here that you did this or you did that. And the member would explainto me exactly what he thought was going on. Then Id go back to Labor Relations and say, OK, where do you want to gowith this? What are you trying to do? Do you want to make trouble? Well fight to the end. You want to give us somethingeasy? Everything is give and take. Out-of-title work was a big grievance. But every institution is unique in their needs. So, you have to be flexible, you have to bend. You cant just say its not my jobit might not be, but do it anyway. It looks better at the negotiating table, and you can apply this to what youre looking for in your next contract. Thats the way I see it. Those are some of the things that Pete Castellucci taught me.Did you attend union meetings?I used to help. Frank A. [Scarpinato, then Citywide business agent] and I used to co-chair meetings of the maintenance workers. Frank A. did maintenance workers at that time. This was right after Pete Castellucci left. You gotthe same half-dozen guys that showed up at all the meetings with their own personal grievances.122 '