Purpose
The purpose of this bulletin is to inform agencies of OSC’s automatic processing of the 2020 PSC 2% Retroactive General Salary Increase and provide instructions for payments not processed automatically.
Affected Employees
Annual and Hourly PSC employees in Bargaining Units AJ, GA, PC, TC, T8, CA, CB, and CE who meet the eligibility criteria are affected.
Background
Pursuant to the Memorandum of Agreement between CUNY and PSC for the Term of 12/01/2017 through 02/28/2023, a 2% General Salary Increase was authorized effective 11/15/2020. The CUNY Board of Trustees approved the agreement during the 12/16/2019 board meeting.
Note: Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the 11/15/2020 PSC 2% Salary Increases were previously deferred, they have now been authorized for payment.
Effective Dates
The 2020 PSC 2% Retroactive General Salary Increase is effective 11/15/2020 and will be processed in Institution Pay Period 14C, paycheck dated 10/07/2021.
Eligibility Criteria
All full and part-time employees meeting the eligibility criteria who are Active or on Paid Leave in Bargaining Units AJ, GA, PC, TC, T8, CA, CB, and CE will receive the 2020 Retroactive 2% General Salary Increase effective 11/15/2020. Eligible employees in leave without pay status will receive the increase upon return from leave.
Increases will be applied in accordance with the eligibility criteria set by the CUNY University Office of Labor Relations.
OSC Actions
Group A Pay Basis Annual With Steps
- OSC will automatically insert a row on the employee’s Job Data page effective 11/15/2020 using the Action/Reason Code of Pay Rate Change/SAC (Mass Salary Increase) for eligible Full-Time Annual Salaried employees in Active or Paid Leave status on 11/15/2020 and whose salary is equal to one of the steps on the 10/31/2019 salary chart for the employee’s title. The salary will be updated to the corresponding step on the 11/15/2020 salary chart.
Note: College Laboratory Technician titles received a 01/01/2020 increase, and eligible employees will have their annual salary increased from the 01/01/2020 chart to the corresponding step on the 11/15/2020 salary chart.
- OSC will automatically insert a row on the employee’s Job Data page using the Action/Reason Code of Pay Rate Change/CSL (Cor Sal) for eligible Full-Time Annual Salaried employees who are inactive on 11/15/2020 but whose status changes to Active or Paid Leave after 11/15/2020 and whose salary is equal to one of the steps on the 10/31/2019 salary chart for the employee’s title. The salary will be updated to the corresponding step on the 11/15/2020 salary chart. The row will be inserted using the effective date of the change from an inactive (Leave of Absence, Terminated, or Retired) status to active (Active or Paid Leave) status.
- OSC will automatically insert a row on all subsequent rows using the Action/Reason Code of Pay Rate Change/CSL (Cor Sal) with the salary that corresponds to the new step on the 11/15/2020 salary chart if the employee remains in an eligible bargaining unit and title and is on a step on the 10/31/2019 salary chart. The salary will be updated to the corresponding step on the 11/15/2020 salary chart.
- OSC provided a spreadsheet to CUNY on 08/30/2021 with employees identified with off step rows. CUNY will return the completed spreadsheet to OSC by 09/09/2021 to be loaded into PayServ.
Group B Pay Basis Annual With Salary Ranges (No Steps)
- OSC will automatically insert a row on the employee’s Job Data page effective 11/15/2020 using the Action/Reason Code of Pay Rate Change/SAC (Mass Salary Increase) for all eligible employees in the job codes listed in the table below, who are in Active or Paid Leave status on 11/14/2020. The new salary will be calculated by increasing the existing salary by the 2% salary increase and rounding to the nearest dollar.
- OSC will increase the annual salary on all subsequent rows using the Action/Reason Code of Pay Rate Change/CSL (Cor Sal) if the employee remains in an eligible bargaining unit and Group B title.
| Job Code | Title |
|---|---|
| 015942 | Research Assoc |
| 015993 | Medical Prof Basic Sciences |
| 015994 | Assoc Med Prof Basic Sciences |
| 015995 | Asst Med Prof Basic Sc |
| 015996 | Medical Prof Clinical |
| 015997 | Assoc Med Prof Clinic |
| 017237 | Medical Lecturer (No active employees) |
| 016072 | Law School Prof |
| 016076 | Law School Assoc Prof |
| 016077 | Law School Asst Prof |
| 016078 | Law School Instructor |
| 016079 | Law School Lib Assoc Prof |
| 016105 | Law School Lib Prof |
| 018105 | Distinguished Lecturer |
| 019037 | Dist Lecturer Med Series |
| 019038 | Dist Lecturer Law |
| 020032 | Clinical Professor |
| 022336 | Clinical Prof – Medical Series |
Group C Pay Basis Hourly With Steps
- OSC will automatically insert a row on the employee’s Job Data page effective 11/15/2020 using the Action/Reason Code of Pay Rate Change/SAC (Mass Salary Increase) for eligible Part-Time Hourly employees in one of the titles in the chart below in Active or Paid Leave status on 11/15/2020 and whose hourly rate is equal to one of the steps on the 10/31/2019 salary chart for the employee’s title. The hourly rate will be updated to the corresponding step on the 11/15/2020 salary chart.
- OSC will automatically insert a row on the employee’s Job Data page using the Action/Reason Code of Pay Rate Change/CRT (Chg Rate) for eligible Part-Time Hourly employees who are inactive on 11/15/2020 but whose status changes to Active or Paid Leave after 11/15/2020 and whose hourly rate is equal to one of the steps on the 10/31/2019 salary chart for the employee’s title. The hourly rate will be updated to the corresponding step on the 11/15/2020 salary chart. The row will be inserted using the effective date of the change from an inactive (Leave of Absence, Terminated or Retired) status to active (Active or Paid Leave) status.
- OSC will automatically insert a row on all subsequent rows using the Action/Reason Code of Pay Rate Change/CRT (Chg Rate) with the hourly rate that corresponds to the new step on the 11/15/2020 salary chart if the employee remains in an eligible bargaining unit and title and is on a step on the 10/31/2019 salary chart. The hourly rate will be updated to the corresponding step on the 11/15/2020 salary chart.
- OSC provided a spreadsheet to CUNY on 08/30/2021 of employees identified with off step rows. CUNY will return the completed spreadsheet to OSC by 09/09/2021 to be loaded into PayServ.
| Job Code | Title |
|---|---|
| 016026 | Adjunct College Lab Tech |
| 016029 | Adjunct Senior College Lab Tech |
| 016085 | Non-Teaching Adjunct V (Adj Prof Hry) |
| 016086 | Non-Teaching Adjunct IV (Adj Assoc Prof Hry) |
| 016087 | Non-Teaching Adjunct III (Adj Asst Prof Hry) |
| 016088 | Non-Teaching Adjunct I (AJT Inst Hry) |
| 016089 | Non- Teaching Adjunct II (AJT Lecturer Hry) |
| 016093 | (Adjunct) Chief College Lab Tech |
| 019119 | EOC Adjunct College Lab Tech |
| 019120 | EOC Adjunct Lecturer (is AJT and HRY) |
| 021233 | DOC NTA – 1 |
| 021234 | DOC NTA – 2 |
Group D #1 Pay Basis Hourly With No Steps (Have Salary Ranges) - Employees in Job Codes 016017, 016018, 016019, 021070, 021071, and 021072
OSC provided a spreadsheet to CUNY on 08/30/2021 of all employees identified in this Group. CUNY returned the completed spreadsheet to OSC on 09/10/2021. It will be loaded into PayServ.
- In order for an hourly employee serving in a title with no step schedule to be eligible for the 11/15/2020 increase, the employee must be active on 11/14/2020 and 11/15/2020, and have received pay as an Adjunct Medical Lecturer, or in an Adjunct Law School, JEMBA Adjunct, or Non-Teaching Adjunct title any time between 10/31/2019 and 11/14/2020.
- If the hourly employee serving in a title with no step schedule is hired on or after 11/15/2020, the employee should be placed on or above the minimum in effect on 11/15/2020.
Note: Continuing Ed Teacher (CET) service does not count toward the eligibility determination for these titles.
Group D #2- Continuing Ed Teachers (CET) - Employees in Hourly Positions in Job Codes 016038 and 016039 in BU, CE, or PC
OSC provided a spreadsheet to CUNY on 08/30/2021 of employees identified in this group. CUNY returned the completed spreadsheet to OSC on 09/10/2021. It will be loaded into PayServ.
If CET is ACTIVE on 11/14/2020 and 11/15/2020 and had received pay between 10/31/2019 and 11/14/2020, apply 2% to the rate in effect as of 11/14/2020.
If CET is NOT ACTIVE as a CET on 11/14/2020 and 11/15/2020, but becomes active as a CET on or after 11/15/2020, determine if the employee had previous service as a CET and was paid between 10/31/2019 and 11/14/2020 and then follow the applicable procedure (a) or (b) below to determine the 2020 increase:
- If the employee has no previous service as a CET between 10/31/2019 and 11/14/2020, the employee is due no increase, unless the rate is less than the 11/15/2020 CET or CET CLIP minimum. If the rate is less than the 11/15/2020 CET or CET CLIP minimum, raise the rate to the 11/15/2020 CET or CET CLIP minimum.
- If the employee has previous service as a CET and received pay between 10/31/2019 and 11/14/2020, the employee is eligible to receive the 2% increase.
- Clarification Scenario: If rehired 11/15/2020 or later and had prior service within look back period 10/31/2019 through 11/14/2020, apply 2% to rehire salary. If adjusted salary is greater than the new minimum this is the new rehire salary. If the adjusted salary is less than the new minimum, then raise salary to the new minimum and this is the adjusted rehire salary.
Agency Actions – Prior to Pay Period 14C
CUNY is responsible for calculating and submitting increases for employees in the groups identified below. All employees are eligible for the new minimum salary or hourly rate if the calculated salary or hourly rate is below the new minimum rate in effect.
The following Action/Reason codes must be used to report the increases:
For salaried employees:
- To report increases effective 11/15/2020, the Action/Reason code of PAY/SIC (Sal Incr) must be used.
- To report increases on subsequent rows, the Action/Reason code of PAY/CSL (Cor Sal) must be used.
For Hourly employees:
- To report increases effective 11/15/2020, the Action/Reason code of PAY/SIC (Sal Incr) must be used.
- To report increases on subsequent rows, the Action/Reason code of PAY/CRT (Chg Rate) must be used.
Spreadsheets Provided to CUNY for Groups A and C Off Step Employees
OSC provided spreadsheets to CUNY on 08/30/2021 and CUNY returned the completed spreadsheets to OSC on 09/13/2021. The spreadsheets include:
- 1. Employee ID
- 2. Empl Record Number
- 3. Name
- 4. Effective Date
- 5. Effective Sequence
- 6. Employment Status (A,P,L,T,R,D)
- 7. Department ID / Agency - Job
- 8. Action Code - Job
- 9. Action Reason Code – Job
- 10. Action Stamp
- 11. NY Bargaining Unit - Position
- 12. NYS Jobcode – Position
- 13. NYS Jobcode Descr
- 14. Title Code
- 15. Comp Rate Code - Position
- 16. Comp Rate
- 17. Job Sal Admin Plan
- 18. Pos Sal Admin Plan
- 19. Job BU
- 20. Pos BU
- 21. Increment Code
- 22. SAL_ADMIN_PLAN
- 23. Step Number
- 24. Annual Rate of Step
- 25. Error Messages (if any)
- 26. Group
CUNY reviewed the spreadsheets and entered the appropriate salary information for each employee record and effective dated row onto the spreadsheets using the appropriate Action/Reason codes and then returned the completed spreadsheets to OSC by 09/13/2021. OSC will load the spreadsheets into PayServ to implement the General Salary Increases.
If any employee’s record can be corrected prior to the raise implementation, CUNY must submit these transactions prior to 09/22/2021 to allow automatic raise processing. CUNY must remove these rows from the spreadsheet prior to returning it to OSC.
Note: If an employee’s history is corrected after the spreadsheet is submitted to OSC, automatic raise processing may occur for the employee AND the row may be updated with the salary rate submitted on the spreadsheet. CUNY must monitor these records closely to ensure the correct salary is applied.
The agency must complete the spreadsheet provided by OSC for employees who are not on step due to REM, SAB, or RRI.
- Employees whose salary includes Recruitment/Retention Initiative (RRI), monies are eligible only for an increase to the base salary of their position.
- Employees whose salary includes Salary Above Base (SAB), monies are eligible to receive a percentage increase applied to their current salary.
- Employees whose salary includes Distinguished Stipend in addition to the Salary Above Base (SAB), there is no increase to the stipend rate ($28,594).
Employees in REM positions (HEO/Asst Admin (016855)) are eligible for an increase to the base salary only. This job code will not be identified on the spreadsheet and will need to be adjusted manually by CUNY.
Agency Actions – Overpayments, AC230 Prior to Pay Period 14C
CUNY must review all overpayments (Earnings Codes OVP, Q06-Q21, QC0, and QC1) to determine if overpayments will be recovered correctly for active or inactive employees. Overpayments set up on inactive records may need to be ended and set up on an active record for an employee. Overpayment balances should be reviewed to determine if AC230s were correctly processed. CUNY should enter or change existing overpayments as needed.
Refer to Payroll Bulletin No. 470 - Revised Policies and Procedures for Recovery of Overpayments and Attachment D for more information.
Note: The amount in the Earnings field on the Additional Pay page should be equal to at least 10% of the employee’s biweekly earnings plus any additional salary factors (ie. the daily rate), not 10% of the overpayment total.
Retroactive Processing
Automatic Retroactive Processing
Automatic retroactive payments will be processed for certain earnings reported on the Time Entry page. The following is a list of the earn codes that will be automatically adjusted: DCS, DOC, LSJ, LT1, OTD, RGH, RGS, Y17, Y36, Y58, Y74, Z17, Z36, Z58, and Z74.
If an employee receives a payment and has worked in more than one agency but has been paid by all agencies in the same Employee Record Number since the effective date of the payment, all retroactive adjustments will be paid in the most current agency.
If an employee receives a payment and has worked in more than one agency and has been paid in more than one Employee Record Number since the effective date of the payment, the retroactive adjustments will be paid in the most current agency of the Employee Record Number in which the payment was made.
Reporting Retroactive Adjustments for Miscellaneous Earnings Not Automatically Adjusted
Increases to miscellaneous earnings must be manually calculated and reported by the agency using Earnings Code AJR in Time Entry. Adjustments for nonresident aliens (NRA) should be made using Earnings Codes XAR, YAR, or ZAR.
The Time Entry Earnings Code AJR must be used to report the combined retroactive adjustment for all miscellaneous earnings, excluding overtime. When an adjustment is needed to COVID-19 overtime such as CVO (Covid-19 OT Override), ARC must be used. When an adjustment is needed to non-COVID-19 related overtime, ARO must be entered. Please refer to Payroll Bulletin No. 1893 for more information. Agencies must continue to use AJR for all other override Time Entry Earnings Codes requiring a manual adjustment as a result of a retro salary increase.
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 14C.
Earnings Codes AJR, ARC, and ARO, or nonresident alien equivalent codes, 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, ARC, or ARO or NRA equivalent as appropriate. |
| Amount: | Enter the total amount of the adjustment. |
Control-D Report Available After Processing
The following Control-D report will be available after processing of the automatic salary increases:
NHRP704 Mass Salary Payment Report
This report identifies all employees who received the General Salary Increase. The report identifies all rows where the employee’s salary was automatically increased in an eligible bargaining unit. Other fields on the report include the EmplID, Employee Record Number, Employee Name, Grade, Bargaining Unit, Pay Basis Code, Part Time Percentage, Action/Reason, and Increment Code.
General Deductions
All general deductions for employees whose Payroll Status is Terminated, Retired, or Deceased will be automatically cancelled by OSC with the exception of percentage bases dues and the following:
| Code | Description |
|---|---|
| 403 | CUNY 403(b) |
| 406 | Strike/Discip Fine |
| 416 | Deferred Comp |
| 425 | Repay State Loans/Debt |
| 432 | SED Tax Deferred Annuity |
| 433 | Total Unemployment Ins Owed |
| 500 | Medicare Deficiency |
| 501 | Social Security Deficiency |
| 502 | NYS SS/Medicare Deficiency |
| 678 | CUNY Before Tax Arrears |
| 679 | CUNY After Tax Arrears |
| 680 | CUNY Suspense BTax Arrears |
| GARNSH | Garnishments |
Tax Information
These monies are taxable income subject to all employment taxes and income taxes, will be included in the employee’s taxable gross and reported on the employee’s Form W-2.
The adjustments (AJR, ARC, ARO, and Retro (RXX)) are supplemental taxable income and will be included in the employee’s taxable gross subject to all employment and income taxes.
Federal, State, and New York City income tax withholding will be calculated using the Aggregate method. Yonkers income tax withholding will be calculated using the Flat Rate method (2.30815% for Yonkers residents and 0.50% for Yonkers non-residents).
Special Wage Payments for Individuals Who Filed for Retirement Social Security Benefits
Per Internal Revenue Service Publication 9857, OSC will be reporting retro payments to individuals who have filed for Social Security benefits to the Social Security Administration (SSA).
As PayServ does not include this information, OSC will be mailing a Request for Special Wage Payment Report to inactive individuals who are 62 or older in the calendar year and to active employees with the New York Retiree Indicator checked in Modify a Person who receive the retroactive payment. Recipients of this mailing will be asked to fill out the request and return it to OSC for inclusion on the Special Wage Payment report to SSA. This report will be submitted to SSA after the close of the 2021 tax year.
It is important that agencies ensure the New York Retiree Indicator box is checked for rehired retirees. Please see Payroll Bulletin No. 1728 for further details on the New York Retiree Indicator box.
Payroll Register and Employee’s Paycheck/Advice
All retroactive adjustments will be displayed on the Payroll Register using the appropriate Earnings Code and the amount paid and will be displayed on the employee’s paycheck stub or direct deposit advice using the appropriate Earnings Description and the amount paid unless the number of earnings codes exceeds 13. Agencies should utilize Locked Query LQ_PCD_PAYCHECK_EARNINGS_BY_ID to identify a complete list of regular earnings and retroactive adjustments if there are more than 13 earnings codes.
Undeliverable Checks
When a valid payroll check is undeliverable due to the agency’s inability to locate the employee, the agency should follow the Agency Actions identified in Payroll Bulletin No. 1786.
Checks issued to eligible employees who are now deceased should be returned with a completed Next of Kin Affidavit (Form AC 934-P), original death certificate and a Report of Check Exchange (Form AC 1476-P). If a Next of Kin Affidavit has been previously submitted for a deceased employee’s payroll check, OSC will accept a photocopy of this form along with a new Report of Check Exchange.
Questions
Questions about eligibility for 2020 PSC 2% Retroactive General Salary Increase may be directed to the University Manager of Payroll Systems and Operations at CUNY Central Office.
Questions regarding transactions may be directed to the Payroll Earnings mailbox.
Questions regarding Deductions may be directed to the Payroll Deduction mailbox.
Questions regarding Taxes may be directed to the Tax and Compliance mailbox.