Purpose:

The purpose of this bulletin is to provide agency instructions for processing the CUNY rate increases for Cement Masons, Maintenance Workers and Electrician Titles.

Affected Employees:

CUNY employees in the titles of Cement Masons, Maintenance Workers and Electrician titles are affected.

Background:

A Consent Determination was entered and filed on April 18^th 2024 and April 30^th 2024 between the Comptroller of the City of New York and Local 237 International Brotherhood of Teamsters and the Local Union No. 3 International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers respectively. The Consent Determinations provide for retroactive rate increases for employees in the titles of Cement Mason, Electrician, Supervisor Electrician, Electrician’s Helper and Maintenance Worker. 

Effective Dates:

The retroactive rate increases for the titles of Cement Masons, Maintenance Workers and Electrician titles are as follows: 

*Rate increase to be paid in a subsequent paycheck. 

Transactions to process these retroactive rate increases may be entered beginning in Institution Pay Period 09C, paychecks dated 08/08/2024.

Eligibility Criteria:

CUNY employees in the titles of Cement Masons, Maintenance Workers, Electricians, Supervisor Electricians, and Electrician’s Helpers are eligible for the payment on the applicable effective dates listed in the Effective Dates section. Further eligibility criteria is available in the memoranda from Carmelo Batista, Jr. dated May 29^th, 2024.

Agency Actions:

Reporting the Rate Increases

To increase the hourly rate(s) for eligible employees, the agency must submit the following, regardless of the employee’s status:

• For all rate increases, request a Pay Change using the Action/Reason code of PAY/CRT (Pay Rate Change/Change Rate) on the Job Action Requests page, using the effective date of the applicable rate increase, and submit the new hourly rate.
• A separate Pay Change request must be made for each subsequent row that exists on the employee’s Job Data page using the next available sequence number, provided the employee remains in an eligible position.

OSC Actions:

Automatic Retroactive Processing

OSC will automatically calculate retroactive adjustments for regular earnings such as Regular Pay Hourly Employee (Earnings Code RGH), resulting from payment of the retroactive rate increases.

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.

Agency Actions:

Submitting Retroactive Adjustments

When an adjustment to COVID-19 overtime such as Earnings Code CVO (Covid-19 OT Override) is needed, Earnings Code ARC must be used. When an adjustment to non-COVID-19 related overtime such as Earnings Code SL1 (OT Skilled Labor – 1.5) is needed, Earnings Code ARO must be used. Please refer to Payroll Bulletin No. 1893 for more information. Agencies must continue to use Earnings Code AJR for all other override Time Entry Earnings Codes requiring a manual adjustment as a result of a retroactive salary increase.

To process a retroactive adjustment or correct an automatic retroactive adjustment, agencies must submit the following information on the Time Entry page or the Time Entry Interface (NPAY502) using the Earnings Code AJR, ARC or ARO:

Military Leave Stipend:

OSC will recalculate the military stipend amount for employees who were placed on a Paid or Unpaid Military Stipend Leave on or after the effective date of the payment as the result of new military orders.

• If the employee received a stipend, OSC will insert a row on the employee’s Job Data page effective the date the employee is entitled to the increase using the Action/Reason code of Pay Rate Change/MSC (Military Stipend Change) and will increase the employee’s biweekly stipend amount. In addition, updates will be made to all subsequent rows requiring an increased biweekly stipend amount.
• If the employee did not receive a stipend but becomes eligible for a stipend as a result of the payment, OSC will insert the following in PayServ.
  • A row on the employee’s Job Data page effective the date the employee is entitled to a stipend using the Action/Reason code of Paid Leave of Absence/MLS (Mil Stip) and the new biweekly stipend amount.
  • A row on the employee’s Job Data page for each affected subsequent row using the Action/Reason code of Pay Rate Change/MSC (Military Stipend Change) and the new biweekly stipend amount.
  • A row on the Time Entry page using Earnings Code MSP (Military Stipend Payment) to pay the stipend for each pay period the employee is eligible.
• Any additional adjustment that is required due to the increased biweekly stipend amount that will not be calculated automatically will be reported by OSC on the Time Entry page using Earnings Code AMS (Adjust Military Stipend).

General Deductions:

All general deductions for employees with a payroll status of Terminated, Retired, or Deceased will be automatically cancelled by OSC with the exception of percentage-based dues and the following:

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 (Earnings Codes AJR, ARC, and ARO) and retroactive payments (Earnings Code 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 (1.95975% 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 957, OSC will be reporting retro payments made 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 2024 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 – New York Retiree Indicator for further details on the New York Retiree Indicator box.

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 – Non-Negotiated and/or Undeliverable New York State Payroll Checks. 

Checks issued to eligible employees who are now deceased should be submitted as a Stop Payment Request with a reason of Exchange in PayServ. The Report of Check Exchange (AC 1476-P), Next of Kin Affidavit (AC 934-P), and original death certificate should be submitted to the Payroll Reversal and Exchange mailbox at the same time as the Stop Payment Request. 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 regarding eligibility for the Cement Masons, Maintenance Workers, Electricians, Supervisor Electricians, and Electrician’s Helpers rate increases may be directed to the University Manager of Payroll Systems and Operations at CUNY Central Office.

Questions regarding processing transactions for Cement Masons, Maintenance Workers, Electricians, Supervisor Electricians, and Electrician’s Helpers 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.