Purpose: 

The purpose of this bulletin is to provide instructions to agencies for processing the CUNY Ratification Bonus Payment.

Affected Employees:

Employees in one of the below bargaining units who meet the eligibility criteria are impacted:

Background:

Pursuant to the Collective Bargaining Agreements and Consent Determinations which are authorized in the below memorandums, employees in the above Bargaining Units may be eligible for a one-time ratification payment.

The one-time ratification bonus is pensionable, not subject to across-the-board increases, and is not included in the calculation of overtime.

Effective Dates:

The ratification bonus is effective on the applicable Bargaining Unit’s ratification date, as outlined below:

Eligibility Criteria:

To be eligible for the ratification bonus, employees must: 

• Be in the corresponding Bargaining Unit on the applicable Ratification Date above.
• Have an Employee Status of Active, Leave With Pay with an Action/Reason code of Paid Leave of Absence/MLS (Mil Stip) or Leave of Absence with an Action/Reason code of Leave of Absence/PFL (Paid Family Leave)
  • Employees in Bargaining Units CC, CD, S6, SB, SE, SF, SJ, SM, SP, ST, SU, SV, SW, SZ, T3, T9, TE, TG, TH, TI, TJ, TK, TM, TP, TR, TU, TX, TY, U3 and U6 are also eligible if they have an Employee Status of Leave with Pay with an Action/Reason code of Paid Leave of Absence/WCF (Workers Comp Leave Full) or Paid Leave of Absence with an Action/Reason code of Paid Leave of Absence/SWC (Sick Lv Pa W/Workers Comp).

Note: Employees with a Comp Rate Code of HRY in Bargaining Units CC, CD, S6, SB, SE, SF, SJ, SM, SP, ST, SU, SV, SW, SZ, T3, T9, TE, TG, TH, TI, TJ, TK, TM, TP, TR, TU, TX, TY, U3 and U6 who meet the above criteria must also have received Time Entry Earnings Code RGH with earnings dates between 07/01/2022 and 06/30/2023 (excluding any sick leave and/or annual leave).

OSC Actions 

OSC has provided the following Time Entry Earnings Code to process the Ratification Bonus Payment:

Agency Actions 

Agencies must submit transactions to process the Ratification Bonus Payment for each employee in the appropriate Check Date per the Effective Dates section, as determined below:

Full Payment Amount

The following employees who meet the above eligibility criteria must receive the full payment amount of $3,000:

• Employees in Bargaining Units SL, T1, T2, T4, T5, T6, TA, T7, TM, TN, TS, and TV.
• Employees in Bargaining Units CC, CD, S6, SB, SE, SF, SJ, SM, SP, ST, SU, SV, SW, SZ, T3, T9, TE, TG, TH, TI, TJ, TK, TM, TP, TR, TU, TX, TY, U3 and U6 who have a Comp Rate Code of ANN.

Prorated Payment Amount

Employees in Bargaining Units CC, CD, S6, SB, SE, SF, SJ, SM, SP, ST, SU, SV, SW, SZ, T3, T9, TE, TG, TH, TI, TJ, TK, TM, TP, TR, TU, TX, TY, U3 and U6 who meet the above eligibility criteria and have a Comp Rate Code of HRY must receive a prorated amount, calculated as follows:

1. Total the hours paid using Time Entry Earnings Codes RGH and OTK with Earnings Dates between 07/01/2022 and 06/30/2023 (excluding any hours paid for sick leave and/or annual leave).
2. Multiply the total hours determined in Step 1 by the applicable percentage factor below to determine the prorated ratification bonus payment amount, not to exceed $3000:
   1. 35-hour equivalent titles: 1.6420
   2. 40-hour equivalent titles: 1.4368
   3. Staff Nurse and Nurse Practitioner titles: 1.5326 

Note: In the event an hourly employee had more than one hourly assignment during the calculation period (07/01/2022 – 06/30/2023), the hours worked in both assignments should be included in calculating the prorated ratification bonus payment, not to exceed $3000. Furthermore, if an hourly employee also had a full-time assignment, the employee would receive only the ratification bonus payment under the full-time title, if deemed eligible.

Submitting Payment

To process the Ratification Bonus Payment to eligible employees, agencies must submit the following information on the Time Entry page or the Time Entry Interface (NPAY502):

Tax Information:

The Ratification Bonus Payment is supplemental taxable income, will be added to the employee’s taxable gross wages, and is subject to 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 retroactive 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.

Payroll Register and Employee’s Paycheck/Advice:

The Earnings Code and the amount paid will be displayed on the Payroll Register. The Earnings Description and the amount paid will appear on the employee’s paycheck stub or direct deposit advice. If the number of earnings codes exceeds 13, agencies should utilize Locked Query LQ_PCD_PAYCHECK_EARNINGS_BY_ID to identify a complete list of earnings.

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 this bulletin may be directed to the Payroll Earnings mailbox.

Questions regarding payment eligibility may be directed to the University Manager of Payroll Systems and Operations at CUNY Central Office.