Purpose

To provide agency instructions for processing the October 1, 2015 Stipend Increase.

Affected Employees

Employees in the State University Graduate Student Negotiating Unit (GSNU) – BU28 who meet the eligibility criteria

Background

Chapter 183 of the Laws of 2014, which implemented the 2009-2016 Agreement between the State of New York and the Communications Workers of America/Graduate Student Employees Union, provides for an increase in stipends and an increase in the minimum stipend of two percent (2.00%) for academic year 2015-2016.

Effective Date(s)

The October 1, 2015 Stipend Increase will be effective 09/24/15 and should be paid in Administration Pay Period 14L, paychecks dated 10/21/15

Eligibility Criteria

Employees who meet the following criteria on 09/24/15, 09/30/15 AND 10/07/15 (Administration PP 14L Pay End Date) are eligible to receive the stipend increase:

• Bargaining Unit = 28
• Salary Grade = 980
• Pay Basis Code = BIW
• Payroll Status = Active or Leave with Pay

Agency Actions

Approved Salary Rates (Position Data Page)

Prior to processing the stipend increase, agencies must update the Approved Salary Rate field on each impacted row on the Position Data page to reflect the increased salary of the incumbent.

2015 Stipend Increase

To pay the October 1, 2015 Stipend Increase to eligible employees, agencies must submit a Pay Change on the Job Action Requests page using the Reason code SAC (Mass Salary Increase) and 09/24/15 as the Effective Date. The value of the stipend increase should be determined by multiplying the salary in effect on 09/30/15 by 2.00% and rounding to the next whole dollar. This amount must be added to the salary in effect on 09/24/15 and the result reported in the Pay Rate field.

The minimum stipend for academic year 2015-2016 is $9,385 for eligible employees on full assistantships employed at University Center campuses.

Subsequent Rows

If the employee has rows on the Job Data page subsequent to the effective date of the stipend increase, the agency must submit a Pay Change on the Job Action Requests page using the Reason code CSL (Cor Sal) with the effective date of the row being evaluated, the next available sequence number and the employee’s increased rate in the Pay Rate field, provided the employee remains eligible.

Tax Information

These monies are taxable income, will be included in the employee’s taxable gross and are subject to all employment taxes and income taxes. Income taxes will be calculated using the employee’s current Tax Marital Status and Withholding Allowances on the Update Employee Tax Data page.

Questions

Questions regarding eligibility for this payment should be directed to the SUNY System Administration.

Questions regarding this bulletin should be directed to the Payroll Earnings mailbox.