SUNY Bulletin No. SU-266

Subject

2016 and 2017 Retroactive Salary Increases for PSNU Employees Represented by the United University Professions (UUP)

Date Issued

November 8, 2018

Status

REVISED

Status Date

December 5, 2018

Purpose

To inform campuses of OSC’s automatic processing of the 2016 and 2017 Retroactive UUP Salary Increases and provide instructions for payments not processed automatically

Affected Employees

Employees in the State University Professional Services Negotiating Unit (PSNU) – BU08 who meet the eligibility criteria, except employees in the following titles:

Title	Job Code
Assistant Instructor (12 Mo)	003836
Assistant Instructor (HS)	003837
Clinical Assistant Instructor (12 Mo)	003861
Clinical Assistant Instructor (HS)	003862

Background

Chapter 263 of the Laws of 2018, which implemented the 2016-2022 Agreement between the State of New York and the United University Professions, provides for retroactive increases of 2.00% to basic annual salaries for 2016 and 2017.

The 2016 and 2017 UUP Retroactive 2% Salary Increases will be split in two (2) equal amounts and paid in Pay Period 16 Lag and Pay Period 7 Lag.

Effective Date(s) and Eligibility Date(s)

Payments will be made in Administration Pay Periods 16L for paychecks dated 11/28/2018 and 7L for paychecks dated 07/24/2019:

Pay Basis Code(s)	Effective Dates – 2016 Increase	Eligibility Dates – 2016 Increases	Effective Date – 2017 Increase	Eligibility Dates – 2017 Increases
ANN and CYF	06/30/2016	06/30/2016	6/29/2017	6/29/2017 and 06/30/2017
21P and CYP	08/25/2016	06/30/2016 and 08/25/2016	8/24/2017	06/30/2017 and 08/24/2017
CAL	09/08/2016	06/30/2016, 09/01/2016 and 09/08/2016	9/07/2017	06/30/2017, 09/01/2017 and 09/07/2017
HRY, BIW or FEE	Based on Date of Obligation	Based on Date of Obligation	Based on Date of Obligation	Based on Date of Obligation

In addition to all other eligibility criteria, employees MUST have a Payroll Status on the date of ratification (9/05/2018) of Active, Leave With Pay, Leave Without Pay (MLS only) or Retired.

Employees not eligible for processing in Pay Period 16L who become eligible:

If an employee was not eligible at the time of the first payment, but becomes eligible on or before February 6, 2019, the campus must NOT submit the 2016 and/or 2017 UUP Retroactive 2% Salary Increases until, and only in, Pay Period 22 Lag in order to process the 50/50 split of retroactive monies due in paychecks dates 02/20/2019 (Administration 22L) and 07/24/2019 (Administration 7L).

If an employee was not eligible at the time of payment in either Administration 16L or Administration 22L, but becomes eligible in Pay Period 23 or later, the campus must NOT enter the 2016 and/or 2017 UUP Retroactive 2% Salary Increases until the paycheck date 07/24/2019 (Administration 7L). There will be no split of the retroactive monies due for this check.

Eligibility Criteria

Employees who meet the following criteria are eligible to receive the 2016 and/or 2017 UUP 2% Retroactive Salary Increases:

Bargaining Unit = 08
Salary Grade = 980
Pay Basis Code = ANN or CYF, 21P or CYP, CAL, BIW, HRY, FEE
Payroll Status on Date of Ratification (9/05/2018) = Active, Leave With Pay, Leave without Pay (MLS only) or Retired
Payroll Status on the payment effective dates (as referenced above) = Active, Leave With Pay, Leave without Pay (MLS only)

Annual salaried employees receive a 2% increase of their 06/30/2016 and/or 06/30/2017 salary, rounded to the nearest dollar.

Hourly, Biweekly and FEE employees receive a 2% Increase of their 06/30/2016 and/or 06/30/2017 salary, rounded to the nearest cent.

In addition, the following employees may be eligible for the salary increase:

2016:

Employees who were incumbents of positions on 06/30/2016 but were on Leave Without Pay may be eligible for the increase when the employee returned from leave, provided the employee remained in an eligible bargaining unit upon the return from leave and were in a status of Active, Leave with Pay, Leave without Pay (MLS only) or Retired on the date of ratification (09/05/2018).
An employee in service during a portion of the 12 month period commencing on 07/01/2015, for at least one (1) semester, or equivalent, but whose employment expired prior to the effective date of 06/30/2016, shall be eligible for the salary increase if the employee was reemployed in an equivalent position for a least one (1) semester, or the equivalent, of the 12 month period commencing on 07/01/2016 and was in a status of Active, Leave with Pay, Leave without Pay (MLS only) or Retired on the date of ratification (09/05/2018).
An employee in service on 4/30/2016 whose employment expired prior to the effective date 06/30/2016 and who would have been eligible for the salary increase if the employee’s employment had continued through 06/30/2016 shall be eligible for the salary increase if the employee was reemployed in an equivalent position for at least one (1) semester, or the equivalent, of the 12 month period commencing on 07/01/2016 and was in a status of Active, Leave with Pay, Leave without Pay (MLS only) or Retired on the date of ratification l(09/05/18).
An employee who otherwise meets the eligibility criteria but is on a Leave without Pay on the date of ratification (09/05/18) MAY be eligible for the retroactive increase upon return to the payroll.
An employee who is not on payroll on the date of ratification shall be eligible for the retroactive payment resulting from this increase if the employee is reemployed in an equivalent position for at least one (1) semester or equivalent of the 12 month period commencing July 1, 2018.

Note: The salary increase for employees covered in Article 19 or withheld by the Chancellor or the Director of Employee Relations is excluded.

2017:

Employees who were incumbents of positions on 06/30/2017 but were on Leave Without Pay may be eligible for the increase when the employee returned from leave, provided the employee remained in an eligible bargaining unit upon the return from leave and were in a status of Active, Leave With Pay, Leave Without Pay (MLS only) or Retired on the date of ratification (09/05/2018).
An employee in service during a portion of the 12 month period commencing on 07/01/2016, for at least one (1) semester, or equivalent, but whose employment expired prior to the effective date of 06/30/2017, shall be eligible for the salary increase if the employee was reemployed in an equivalent position for a least one (1) semester, or the equivalent, of the 12 month period commencing on 07/01/2017 and was in a status of Active, Leave With Pay, Leave Without Pay (MLS only) or Retired on the date of ratification (09/05/2018).
An employee in service on 4/30/2017 whose employment expired prior to the effective date 06/30/2017 and who would have been eligible for the salary increase if the employee’s employment had continued through 06/30/2017 shall be eligible for the salary increase if the employee was reemployed in an equivalent position for a least one (1) semester, or the equivalent, of the 12 month period commencing on 07/01/2017 and was in a status of Active, Leave With Pay, Leave Without Pay (MLS only) or Retired on the date of ratification (09/05/2018).
An employee who otherwise meets the eligibility criteria but is on a Leave Without Pay on the date of ratification (09/05/18) MAY be eligible for the retroactive increase upon return to the payroll.
An employee who is not on payroll on the date of ratification shall be eligible for the retroactive payment resulting from this increase if the employee is reemployed in an equivalent position for at least one (1) semester or equivalent of the 12 month period commencing July 1, 2018.

Note: The salary increase for employees covered in Article 19 or withheld by the Chancellor or the Director of Employee Relations is excluded.

Salary Minimums

As provided in the agreement and the salary schedules as approved in the Board of Trustees UUP Salary Resolution, salary minimums have been established for employees paid on an annual salaried basis. Part-time employees who are paid on a prorated annual salaried basis are eligible for a prorated amount of the salary minimum that corresponds to the employee’s work percentage.

If, after applying the 2016 and/or 2017 UUP Salary Increase, an employee’s annual salary is less than the salary minimum for the employee’s title and salary level, the employee is eligible to receive the minimum salary.

If an employee is appointed or promoted on or after the appropriate payment effective date, the employee is eligible to receive not less than the salary minimum of the new position.

Campus Actions in Pay Period 16L, 22L or PP7

For Administration Pay Periods 16L or 22L:

To ensure the accuracy of the 50/50 split of the retroactive monies due from the 2016 and/or 2017 UUP 2% Salary Increases, campuses must NOT enter any other salary transactions for UUP employees for Administration Payroll Period 16L or 22L, except for transactions related to the 2016 and/or 2017 UUP Salary Increases, unless the transaction is an on-time new hire, rehire or concurrent hire.

For Administration Pay Period 7L:

There are no restrictions on entering UUP salary transactions during Pay Period Administration 7L.

Processing of Employees not Paid Automatically

Campuses may ONLY submit the 2016 and/or 2017 Retroactive 2% Salary Increases in the following pay periods.

Administration Pay Period 16L or
Administration Pay Period 22L (for employees who become eligible Administration Pay Periods 17L through 22L) or
Administration Pay Period 7L (for employees who become eligible Pay Periods 23L through 7L)

Eligible Employees

Any employee who is paid HRY, BIW or FEE.
Any employee who changed pay basis codes any time on or after the effective dates of the increases in 2016, 2017 and/or 2018, the increases will need to be processed manually.
Any annually paid employee who retired after 06/30/2016 but returned to the payroll and was then terminated prior to the ratification date (09/05/2018).
Employees on a LWOP on the effective dates of the increase will not be processed automatically. If an employee on a LWOP other than the effective dates of the increase returns to the payroll and is active on the date of ratification OSC will process the increases automatically.

Pay Basis Code BIW or HRY: To pay the 2016 and/or 2017 UUP Retroactive 2% Salary Increases to employees with a Pay Basis Code equal to BIW or HRY, campuses must submit a Pay Change on the Job Action Requests page using the Reason Code SAC (Mass Salary Increase) and the appropriate effective date based on the employee’s obligation. The Pay Rate field should be populated based on the employee’s increased rate.

Excluded Titles: To pay the 2016 and/or 2017 UUP Retroactive 2% Salary Increases to employees in the titles of Assistant Instructor (12 Mo), Assistant Instructor (HS), Clinical Assistant Instructor (12 Mo) or Clinical Assistant Instructor (HS) who are eligible for the increase, campuses must submit a Pay Change on the Job Action Requests page using the Reason Code CFS (Cor Fy Sal) and the appropriate effective date. The Pay Rate field should be populated based on the Post Graduate Year (PGY) Salary Schedule.

Pay Basis Code Change: To pay the 2016 and/or 2017 UUP Retroactive 2% Salary Increases to employees whose pay basis code changes between 06/30/2016 and the date of payment, campuses must submit a Pay Change on the Job Action Requests page using the Reason Code SAC (Mass Salary Increase) and the appropriate effective date. The Pay Rate field should be populated based on the employee’s increased rate.

Subsequent Rows: If the employee has rows on the Job Data page subsequent to the effective date of one of the above transactions, the campus must submit a Pay Change on the Job Action Requests page using the Reason code CRT (Chg Rate) (Pay Basis Codes HRY and BIW only) or 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.

Pay Basis Code FEE: For eligible employees with a Pay Basis Code of FEE, no pay change is required on the Job Action Request page. However, if an employee who is paid with a FEE pay basis code is eligible for any retroactive increases, the campus must calculate the retroactive amount of the increases for 2016 and/or 2017 UUP Retroactive 2% Salary Increases and divide the amount in half in Administration Pay Periods 16L or 22L. No split is required for Administration Payroll Period 7L. The campus must enter half of the amount in time entry using a code of AJR with the effective dates of either Administration Pay Periods 16L or 22L and enter a General Comment as to the amount of the payment. The other half of the retro amount must be tracked by the campus and entered for the check dated July 24, 2019.

Retired Employees: If a UUP employee retired for health insurance purposes, but their status shows as Terminated in PayServ and they otherwise meet the eligibility criteria, the campus must process the retroactive increase(s) manually. SUNY System Administration will provide a list of those employees and instructions.

For additional instructions and examples please refer to the document provided to the campuses by SUNY System Administration.

OSC Actions

2016 2% Retroactive Salary Increase

OSC will process the UUP 2016 2% Retroactive Salary Increase for eligible employees as follows:

A row will be inserted on the employee's Job Data page using the Action/Reason code of Pay Rate Chg/SAC (Mass Salary Increase) to reflect the increased rate, provided the eligible employee meets the criteria defined below:

The employee must be in Bargaining Unit 08.
In a status of Active, Leave with Pay, Leave without Pay (MLS only) for the following Pay Basis Codes on the dates below:
- ANN and CYF: 06/30/2016
- 21P and CYP: 08/25/2016 and 06/30/2016
- CAL 06/30/2016, 09/01/2016 and 09/08/2016
Has had no change in Pay Basis Code from 06/30/2016 through date of payment.
In a status of Active, Leave with Pay, Leave without Pay (MLS only) or Retired on the date of ratification (09/05/2018).

If OSC applies an automatic increase and there is a row in the employee’s Job Data record that is effective after the Effective Date of Payment of the increase, provided the employee remained in Bargaining Unit 08 and in the same Pay Basis Code of ANN, 21P, CAL, CYP or CYF through the date of payment, OSC will automatically increase the salary by a flat amount equal to 2% of the 06/30/2016 salary (rounded to the nearest dollar) using the Action/Reason code of PAY/CSL (Pay Rate Change/Correct Salary).

2017 2% Retroactive Salary Increase

OSC will process the UUP 2017 2.00% Retroactive Salary Increase for eligible employees as follows:

The employee must be in Bargaining Unit 08.
In a status of Active, Leave With Pay, Leave Without Pay (MLS only) for the following Pay Basis Codes on the dates below:
- ANN and CYF: 06/29/2017 and 06/30/2017
- 21P and CYP: 08/24/2017 and 06/30/2017
- CAL 06/30/2017, 09/01/2017 and 09/07/2017
Has had no change in Pay Basis Code from 06/30/2016 through date of payment.
In a status of Active, Leave With Pay, Leave Without Pay (MLS only) or Retired on the date of ratification (09/05/2018)

If OSC applies an automatic increase and there is a row in the employee’s Job Data record that is effective after the Effective Date of Payment of the increase, provided the employee remained in Bargaining Unit 08 and in the same Pay Basis Code of ANN, 21P, CAL, CYP or CYF through the date of payment, OSC will automatically increase the salary by a flat amount equal to 2% of the 06/30/2017 salary (rounded to the nearest dollar) using the Action/Reason code of PAY/CSL (Pay Rate Change/Correct Salary).

Exception:

If the employee’s status on a Job row is Paid Leave of Absence with a Reason of Military Stipend (PLA/MLS), a row will not be automatically inserted. However, employees who were placed on Military Stipend Leave due to new military orders on or after the effective date of the increase are eligible for a recalculated military stipend based on the salary. Eligible employees’ records will be updated manually by OSC to reflect the increase.

OSC Automatic Retroactive Processing

OSC will automatically calculate retroactive adjustments for regular earnings and Time Entry earnings that are calculated by the system based on annual salary, such as OT at 1.5 (OTA), and Lump Sum Annual (LSA), resulting from payment of the 2016 and/or 2017 UUP 2% Retroactive Salary Increases for employees in Bargaining Unit 08.

If an employee receives a payment and has been paid in the same Employee Record Number since the effective date of the payment, all retroactive adjustments will be paid in the most current campus.

If an employee receives a payment 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 campus of the Employee Record Number in which the payment was made.

The total amount of the calculated retroactive increases will be divided in half and paid in the form of two (2) lump sum payments to be distributed in the paycheck dates listed in the Effective Date(s) section of this bulletin.

Campus Action – Retroactive Processing

Reporting Retroactive Adjustments

Time Entry earnings codes that are submitted with an amount will not be adjusted automatically. Therefore, beginning in Administration Pay Period 16L, 22L or 7L campuses must report the adjustment amount for earnings codes such as Balance of Contract (BAL), Lump Sum Payment Override (LSI) and FEE.

Correcting an Automatic Retroactive Adjustment

When certain conditions exist in an employee’s record, the automatic retroactive adjustment may be incorrect. Therefore, the campus is responsible for identifying employees who meet the following conditions and submitting the necessary adjustment.

If an employee has a check returned or exchanged on an AC-230 for dates on or after the effective date of the payment, the payroll system does not consider the AC-230 when calculating the automatic retroactive adjustment.
If earnings were previously reported using Earnings Code RGS and a date range that exceeded the number of days reported, the system will calculate the adjustment of earnings based on the number of workdays within the range.
Adjustments for earnings that are calculated automatically, such as OT for Annuals (OTA), will be calculated incorrectly if the dates previously reported as a single entry on the Time Entry page overlap the effective date of the payment. The system will calculate an adjustment for all earnings reported in a single entry based on the salary in effect on the Earnings End Date.
For employees who had a change reported on the Job Data page, since the effective date of the payment and the action resulted in an overpayment of earnings, the automatic negative retroactive adjustment may not have been processed because the overpayment was either not recoverable or was recovered using an overpayment earnings code or an AC-230. In this case, the negative retroactive adjustment may be re-generated when the payment is processed. OSC will turn off (not process) the automatic negative adjustment for these employees since in most cases these overpayments were either not recoverable or recovered using another method.

If an overpayment of earnings is identified after the automatic payment is processed, the employee must be notified of the overpayment and the adjustment and the adjustment that will be reported in a subsequent pay period.

Submitting an Adjustment in Pay Periods 16L or 22L

To process a retroactive adjustment, campuses must submit the following information on the Time Entry page or the Time Entry Interface (NPAY502) using the Earnings Code AJR:

The AJR amount must be split in half and paid in either the paycheck dated 11/28/2018 or 02/20/2019 as appropriate and as listed in the Effective Date(s) section of this bulletin.

Earnings Begin Date:	The first date of Administration Pay Period 16L or 22L (or last date of employment if retired)
Earnings End Date:	The last date of Administration Pay Period 16L or 22L (or last date of employment if retired)
Earn Code:	AJR
Amount:	Amount to be adjusted (First 50% of total for PP16L or 22L only)
Comments:	An explanation of the adjustment

Submitting an Adjustment in Pay Periods 7L

To pay the second half of the retroactive adjustment(s) made in either Administration Pay Period 16L or 22L on theTime Entry page or the Time Entry Interface (NPAY502) using the Earnings Code AJR.

Earnings Begin Date:	The first date of Administration Pay Period 16L or 22L (or last date of employment if retired)
Earnings End Date:	The last date of Administration Pay Period 16L or 22L (or last date of employment if retired)
Earn Code:	AJR
Amount:	Amount to be adjusted (Balance due (Second 50%) of total from PP16L or 22L only)
Comments:	An explanation of the adjustment

To pay an adjustment that will be due in Administration Pay Period 7 or to correct an automatic retroactive adjustment that occurred in Administration Pay Periods 16L or 22L, campuses must submit the following information on the Time Entry page or the Time Entry Interface (NPAY502) using the Earnings Code AJR in Administration Pay Period 7L ONLY.

The AJR amount must not be split if paid in paycheck dated 07/24/19.

Earnings Begin Date:	The first date of Administration Pay Period 7L (or last date of employment if retired)
Earnings End Date:	The last date of Administration Pay Period 7L (or last date of employment if retired)
Earn Code:	AJR
Amount:	Amount to be adjusted
Comments:	An explanation of the adjustment

Control-D and Other Reports Available After Processing

The following Control-D report will be available for campus review on the Monday after the automatic increases are applied. All reports will be sorted by campus code and then by employee name in alphabetical order.

Mass Salary Payment Report (NHRP704)

This report identifies all employees who received the automatic Salary Increase. The report will identify all employees' salaries that were automatically increased in an eligible bargaining unit. Other fields on the report include EmplID, Employee Record Number, Employee Name, Grade, Bargaining Unit, Pay Basis Code, Part Time Percentage, Action Reason and Increment Code.

Additionally, after processing for the checks dated 11/28/2018 and 02/20/19 is completed a report listing all of the employees and the calculated retro amount that has been split 50/50 will be forwarded to SUNY System Administration.

Deduction Information

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

Code	Narrative
406	Strike/Disp Fine
410	Health Care Spending Account
420	NY Dependent Care Contribution
425	Repay State Loans/Debt
426	Higher Ed Repay State Loan
428	Dependent Care
433	Total Unemployment Ins Owed
500	Medicare Deficiency
501	Social Security Deficiency
502	NYS SS/Medicare Deficiency
GARNSH	Garnishments
HIATRG	Regular After Tax Health
HIATSP	Special After Tax Health Adj

Military Stipend Leave

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 the 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 the Earnings Code AMS (Adjust Military Stipend).

Tax Information

The adjustments (AJR and Retro (RXX)) are supplemental taxable income, will be included in the employee’s taxable gross and are subject to all employment and income taxes.

Federal, State and New York City income tax withholding will be calculated using the Aggregate method, based on the employee’s current Tax Marital Status and Withholding Allowances on the Employee Tax Data page in PayServ. Yonkers income tax withholding will be calculated using the Flat Rate method. Yonkers Flat Rate Withholding is 1.61135% for Yonkers residents and 0.50% for Yonkers non-residents.

Please see Bulletin 1575 Supplemental Wages for more information.

Undeliverable Checks

If the campus has made an effort to deliver the check to the employee but the check has been returned and is undeliverable, the campus should forward the check to the NYS Department of Taxation and Finance, Division of Treasury, per instructions in Payroll Bulletin No. 908.

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.

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. Campuses should utilize Locked Query #49 to identify a complete list of regular earnings and retroactive adjustments if there are more than 13 earnings codes.

Questions

For additional instructions and examples please refer to the document provided to the campuses by SUNY System Administration.

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

Questions regarding position information may be directed to the Position Management mailbox.

Questions regarding military information may be directed to the Military Stipend mailbox.

Questions regarding deductions may be directed to the Payroll Deduction mailbox.