Purpose
To provide agencies with processing instructions for the Uniform Maintenance (Uniform Blazer) Lump Sum Payment and June 2017 Uniform Maintenance (Uniform Blazer) Payment.
Affected Employees
Employees of the NYS Unified Court System (UCS) in Bargaining Unit 87 who meet the eligibility criteria
Background
Chapter 164 of the Laws of 2017 and the 2017-2020 Agreement (Section 34.4) between the UCS and the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) provide for a uniform maintenance allowance to all eligible members effective April 1, 2017, payable in June and December of each year.
The Agreement also provides for a one-time lump sum payment that represents the equivalent of any maintenance allowances that these employees would have been eligible during the period beginning December 2014 and ending December 2016, subject to the title eligibility requirements under Section 34.4 of the Agreement.
Effective Date(s)
The Uniform Maintenance (Uniform Blazer) Lump Sum Payment and the June 2017 Uniform Blazer Allowance Payment will be processed in a separate check dated 10/04/2017.
There is no direct deposit for these payments.
Eligibility Criteria
Uniform Maintenance (Uniform Blazer) Lump Sum Payment
An employee must be active on 07/24/2017, the ratification date of the 2017-2020 Agreement, and also meet the following criteria on 11/30/2014, 05/31/2015, 11/30/2015, 05/31/2016 and/or 11/30/2016 in order to receive a Uniform Maintenance (Uniform Blazer) Lump Sum Payment:
- Be in Bargaining Unit 87; and
- Be in a title in the Court Clerical series and assigned to trial courts in the First and Second Department; and
- Have a Payroll Status of Active, Leave With Pay or Leave of Absence with an Action/Reason code of Leave of Absence/WDL (WC Dis Lv), Leave of Absence/MLS (Mil Stip) or Leave of Absence/MTS (Military Training Stipend).
June 2017 Uniform Maintenance (Uniform Blazer) Payment
An employee must meet the following criteria on 05/31/2017 in order to receive the June 2017 Uniform Maintenance (Uniform Blazer) Payment.
- Be in Bargaining Unit 87; and
- Be in a title in the Court Clerical series and assigned to trial courts in the First and Second Department; and
- Have a Payroll Status of Active, Leave With Pay or Leave of Absence with an Action/Reason code of Leave of Absence/WDL (WC Dis Lv), Leave of Absence/MLS (Mil Stip) or Leave of Absence/MTS (Military Training Stipend).
An employee who otherwise meets the June 2017 Uniform Maintenance (Uniform Blazer) Payment eligibility criteria but is on an authorized leave of absence with a Payroll Status of Leave of Absence (except with an Action/Reason code of Leave of Absence/WDL, Leave of Absence/MLS or Leave of Absence/MTS) and who returns to the payroll prior to 11/30/2017, may receive the June 2017 payment upon the return from leave.
An employee who has lost wages exceeding five workdays during the six months preceding the payment as a result of a disciplinary action is not eligible for the June 2017 payment.
Agency Actions
Agencies are responsible for entering a Time Entry transaction for all employees eligible for the Uniform Maintenance (Uniform Blazer) Lump Sum Payment and/or the June 2017 Uniform Maintenance (Uniform Blazer) Payment.
Uniform Maintenance (Uniform Blazer) Lump Sum Payment
To pay the Uniform Maintenance (Uniform Blazer) Lump Sum Payment, agencies must submit the following information on the Time Entry page or the Time Entry Interface (NPAY502) using Earnings Code UA5.
| Earnings Begin Date: | 09/07/2017 |
| Earnings End Date: | Same as the Earnings Begin Date |
| Earn Code: | UA5 |
| Amount: | $462.50 for each date eligible. See Calculation of Lump Sum Payment below. |
Calculation of Lump Sum Payment
Employees meeting the eligibility criteria on one or more of the eligibility dates will receive the amount equivalent to the maintenance allowance, $462.50, for each instance the eligibility criteria is met.
For example, an employee eligible for the June 2016 and December 2016 payments would receive $925.00 ($462.50 x 2 dates eligible). An employee eligible for the December 2014, June 2015, December 2015, June 2016 and December 2016 payments would receive $2,312.50 ($462.50 x 5 dates eligible).
June 2017 Uniform Maintenance (Uniform Blazer) Payment
To pay the Uniform Maintenance (Uniform Blazer) Lump Sum Payment, agencies must submit the following information on the Time Entry page or the Time Entry Interface (NPAY502) using Earnings Code UA5.
| Earnings Begin Date: | 05/31/2017 or the date the employee returns from an authorized leave of absence |
| Earnings End Date: | Same as the Earnings Begin Date |
| Earn Code: | UA5 |
| Amount: | $462.50 |
Retirement and Overtime Information
The Uniform Maintenance (Uniform Blazer) Lump Sum Payment and the June 2017 Uniform Maintenance (Uniform Blazer) Payment are not included as salary for retirement purposes and are not included in the calculation of overtime compensation.
Tax Information
The UA5 payments are supplemental taxable income, will be included in the employee’s taxable gross and is subject to employment taxes 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. Yonkers Flat Rate withholding is 1.61135% for Yonkers residents and 0.50% for non-residents.
Payroll Register and Employee’s Paycheck/Advice
The Earnings Code UA5 and the amount paid will be displayed on the Payroll Register. The Earnings Description Uniform Allowance UCS and the amount paid will appear on the employee’s paycheck stub and, if applicable, direct deposit advice.
This payment will be made in a separate check regardless of when it is paid. The separate check will be issued with the employee’s regular paycheck or direct deposit advice, based on the information for that check date.
Questions
Questions regarding this bulletin may be directed to the Payroll Earnings mailbox.