The New York City local of the union of operators of heavy equipment, including cranes, is consenting to supervision by a federal court in an effort to rid itself of corruption.

An agreement reached yesterday between federal prosecutors and Local 14 of the International Union of Operating Engineers will force the union to amend its bylaws to require engineers to possess a higher standard of competency with heavy equipment, according to a press release issued by the U.S. attorney’s office in Brooklyn yesterday. It was not immediately clear how the standards would change.

The level of competency among crane operators has come under intense scrutiny following two crane collapses this year in Manhattan. After the collapses, state prosecutors charged the city’s chief crane inspector with accepting bribes in return for issuing crane operator licenses and with selling a copy of the city’s crane licensing exam.

The agreement reached yesterday, which came in response to a civil lawsuit by the federal Justice Department, also bars members of the union from associating with any organized crime figures. Over the last several years, federal prosecutors have brought several cases alleging that associates from the Colombo and Genovese crime families were receiving no-show jobs arranged by representatives of Local 14, according to the press release.

A federal judge, Sterling Johnson Jr. of U.S. District Court in Brooklyn, will appoint two monitors who will have the authority to investigate and remove union officials.

Referring to the agreement, the U.S. attorney in Brooklyn, Benton Campbell, said in a statement: “This consent decree will help protect the Local 14 membership from the pervasive influence of organized crime that has long plagued the union.” Local 14 has about 1,500 members.

Two lawyers for the union did not immediately return phone calls left late yesterday afternoon.