Purpose

To inform agencies of updated procedures for processing union dues deductions in PayServ.

Affected Employees

SUNY employees who are seeking to initiate or terminate deductions for union dues

Background

A recent internal review of the procedures for initiating and terminating payroll deductions for union dues has highlighted the need to ensure that all actions taken with respect to union dues deductions are properly authorized, verified and executed.

As the State’s payroll administrator, OSC is responsible for processing required payroll deductions (e.g., income tax and wage garnishments) and authorized deductions (e.g., deferred compensation and union dues). With respect to the deduction for union dues, because OSC is not a party to the relationship between the unions and its members and because the process for initiating and severing union membership varies by union, OSC must rely upon the unions for the information necessary to determine whether and when a member/union relationship has been initiated, severed, or otherwise changed. To ensure that all actions taken in PayServ regarding union membership and union dues deductions are accurate and properly authorized, requests for the initiation, cessation or modification of dues deductions must come from a union via electronic file submissions to OSC.

Currently, certain unions submit membership and dues deductions transactions via electronic file submissions directly into PayServ. Other unions do not currently have the capability to do so. Agencies will no longer be allowed to process union dues deductions via direct entry into PayServ for those unions that submit membership and dues transactions via electronic file submissions to OSC.

OSC will process all union dues-related transactions submitted by the unions as soon as practicable consistent with payroll processing requirements. In most cases, the transaction will be processed in the next pay cycle following submission.

Effective Date(s)

Friday, August 24, 2018 for paychecks dated:

September 5, 2018 (Administration)
September 13, 2018 (Institution)

OSC Actions

OSC will remove the functionality in PayServ that allows agencies to initiate, discontinue or modify the payroll deduction for union dues for the following unions:

Agency Actions

Notify employees to contact their union to initiate, terminate or modify their membership status.

Questions

Please send questions to the payroll deduction mailbox.