Purpose
To explain the agency procedures for reporting rate increases and adjustments for miscellaneous earnings.
Affected Employees
CUNY employees in the title of High Pressure Plant Tender
Background
The rate increases are pursuant to the New York City Comptroller’s Consent Determination dated August 6, 2008.
The new rates and other information are contained in a memorandum from Carmelo Batista, Jr. dated September 3, 2008.
Effective Date(s)
Increases may be submitted in Pay Period 18C (Institution), paychecks dated December 4, 2008. Rate increases are effective 7/1/03, 7/1/04, 7/1/05, 8/3/06 and 2/13/07.
Agency Actions
Reporting the Rate Increases
To ensure all Job Action requests are submitted for each employee, the agency should submit requests in effective date order from oldest date to current date. For example, if appropriate, submit the 7/1/03 Pay Change, followed by the 7/1/04, 7/1/05, 8/3/06 and 2/13/07 Pay Changes.
To increase the hourly rate(s), the agency must submit the following requests regardless of the employee’s status:
- For all rate increases, request a Pay Change with the Action/Reason of Pay Rt Chg/CRT (Pay Rate Change/Change Rate) on the Job Action Request page, using the effective date of the appropriate increase, and submit the new hourly rate.
- A separate request must be made for each of the rows that exist on the employee’s Job Data page.
Reporting Retroactive Adjustments for All Miscellaneous Earnings
The agency must calculate and report the retroactive adjustment for all "miscellaneous earnings."
The Earnings Code AJR must be used to report the combined retroactive adjustment for all earnings. The agency must provide an explanation of the adjustment in the General Comments page or on a separate worksheet. If the agency uses a worksheet, the worksheet must be received in OSC’s Audit Section by the agency deadline for Pay Period 18C.
The Earnings Code AJR must be reported as follows:
| Earnings Begin Date: | Enter the first date to be adjusted. |
| Earnings End Date: | Enter the last date to be adjusted. |
| Earnings Code: | Enter AJR. |
| Amount: | Enter the total amount of the adjustment. |
OSC Actions
Processing Automatic Retroactive Adjustments
Provided the agency appropriately submits the applicable increases, OSC will automatically process the retroactive adjustments for all “regular hours” paid to employees regardless of the employee’s status. Automatic adjustments will not be calculated for “miscellaneous earnings.”
Revised Rate Chart
A revised CUNY rate chart reflecting the new rates and appropriate Earnings Codes for High Pressure Plant Tenders has been issued.
Deductions for Inactive Employees
All general deductions for employees whose status is Terminated, Retired or Deceased will be automatically cancelled by OSC with the exception of the following:
| Code | Narrative |
|---|---|
| 274 | Professional Staff Congress |
| 290 | Professional Staff Congress A/S |
| 249 | PSC Dues Grad Assistants |
| 470 | PSC Agency Shop Grad Assistants |
| 467 | PSC Adjunct Dues |
| 468 | PSC Adjunct Agency Shop |
| 403 | TIAA Supplemental Retirement Annuity (CUNY)* |
| 406 | Strike/Discip Fine |
| 409 | CUNY Disciplinary Fine |
| 413 | NBE Tax Deferred Annuity * |
| 414 | NYT Tax Deferred Annuity * |
| 417 | HRC TDA * |
| 419 | CUNY TDA Copeland * |
| 425 | Repay State Loans/Debt |
| 426 | Higher Ed Repay State Loan |
| 445 | HC Flexible Spending |
| 582 | CUNY SS/Med Deficiency GARNSH (Garnishment) |
| 603 | TIAA Before Tax Arrears |
| 604 | TIAA After Tax Arrears |
*Note: A special program will be run to identify any Inactive employee with an active 403, 413, 414, 417 or 419 deduction who did not have a contribution taken for calendar year 2008.
OSC will automatically cancel the deduction code for Inactive employees who did not have a 2008 deduction taken. If an Inactive employee had a deduction from a 2008 paycheck, the deduction will not be cancelled.
Undeliverable Paychecks
Inactive employees may be eligible for a payment as a result of the salary adjustment. If the agency has made an effort to deliver the check to the employee but the check has been returned and is undeliverable, the agency should forward the check to the NYS Department of Tax and Finance, Division of Treasury, per instructions in Payroll Bulletin No. 456.
Checks issued to eligible employees who are now deceased should be returned with a completed Next of Kin Affidavit (Form AC 934-P) and a Report of Check Exchange (Form AC 1476-P).
For recipients of a previously deceased employee’s payroll checks where the Next of Kin Affidavit and Report of Check Exchange forms have been submitted, OSC will accept a photocopy of these forms to process the exchange.
Payroll Register and Employee’s Paycheck/Advice
All retroactive adjustments will be displayed on the payroll register and the employee’s paycheck stub or direct deposit advice.
Questions
Questions about this Bulletin may be directed to your Payroll Auditor.