Unified Court System Bulletin No. UCS-240

Subject
2017 Unified Court System CSEA End of Contract Bonus Payment
Date Issued
April 7, 2017

Purpose

To inform agencies of OSC’s automatic processing of the 2017 CSEA End of Contract Bonus Payment and to provide instructions for payments not processed automatically.

Affected Employees

Employees in the following bargaining units who meet the eligibility criteria:

Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) Bargaining Unit 87
Unrepresented Non-Judicial Employees Bargaining Unit 86, 88, CT

Background

Chapter 400 of the Laws of 2014, which implemented the 2011-2017 Agreement between the Unified Court System of the State of New York (UCS) and the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) (Bargaining Unit 87), provides for a one time, lump sum bonus payment in the amount of $750.00, effective 03/31/2017. This lump sum is not added to annual salary and is not prorated, but is pensionable.

Consistent with prior practice, when a CSEA agreement is reached, the negotiated changes detailed in the Labor Relations Memorandum are extended to Management/Confidential and Unrepresented employees in Bargaining Units 86, 88 and CT.

Per correspondence issued by the UCS Executive Director dated 3/22/2017, the payment for NS (salary grade 560) employees in Bargaining Units 86 and 88 will be withheld.

Effective Date(s)

The 2017 CSEA End of Contract Bonus Payment (Bargaining Units 86, 87, 88, CT) will be paid in Administration Pay Period 26L, paychecks dated 04/19/2017

Eligibility Criteria

Employees who meet the following criteria on the effective date of 03/31/2017 are eligible to receive the 2017 End of Contract Bonus Payment:

  • Bargaining Unit
    • 86, 87, 88, or CT
  • Salary Grade
    • 501-538 for all above Bargaining Units
    • 560 for BU 87 only
  • Pay Basis Code
    • ANN for all eligible bargaining units
    • HRY for BU 87 only
  • Payroll Status
    • Active
    • Leave With Pay
    • Leave of Absence – Except if the Action/Reason code is LOA/RPD (Remove Pending Determination)

OSC Actions

OSC will automatically insert a row on the Additional Pay page for employees who meet the eligibility criteria using Earnings Code BON as follows:

Earnings Code: BON
Effective Date: 03/31/2017
OT Eff Date: 04/06/2017
Annual Addl Earnings: $750.00
End Date: 04/04/2018

Agency Actions

To make the April 2017 CSEA End of Contract Bonus Payment to eligible hourly employees (Pay Basis Code HRY) in Bargaining Unit 87, agencies must submit the following information on the Additional Pay page using Earnings Code BON:

Earnings Code: BON
Effective Date: 03/31/2017
OT Eff Date: 04/06/2017
Annual Addl Earnings: $750.00
End Date: 04/04/2018 OR the last date the employee is in an eligible position (see Overtime Calculation Information)

Overtime Calculation Information

The CSEA End of Contract Bonus Payment is included in the calculation of overtime compensation (refer to the Online Payroll Manual accessed from the PayServ Bulletin Board – Payroll Manual > Earnings Manual > Payments/Withholdings > Overtime Compensation). The 2017 CSEA End of Contract Bonus Payment for eligible employees in Bargaining Units 86, 87, 88 and CT will be included in the calculation of overtime earned from the OT Eff Date through the End Date on the employee’s Additional Pay page for Earnings Code BON.

If an employee is appointed to an ineligible position effective after receiving the 2017 CSEA End of Contract Bonus Payment, the payment cannot be included in the compensation calculation of any overtime earned after the date of appointment. Therefore, agencies must insert a row on the Additional Pay page at the Effective Date level of Earnings Code BON and enter the following information:

Effective Date: Last date in eligible position (date prior to appointment)
OT Eff Date: Same as original OT Eff Date
Annual Addl Earnings: Same as original amount (populates automatically)
End Date: Same as Effective Date
Goal Balance: Same as Annual Addl Earnings (to prevent making another payment)

Control-D Reports Available After Processing

After the automatic processing of the April 2017 CSEA End of Contract Bonus Payment, the following Control-D report will be available for agency use:

NPAY770 – One Time Payment Report

This report identifies all employees who received the April 2017 CSEA End of Contract Bonus Payment effective 03/31/2017.

Retirement Information

The CSEA End of Contract Bonus Payment shall not be part of the basic annual salary, but shall be pensionable.

Tax Information

The CSEA End of Contract Bonus Payment is taxable income, will be included in the employee’s taxable gross and is subject to all employment taxes and income taxes.

The income taxes will be calculated using the Supplemental Flat Rate Method.

Payroll Register and Employee’s Paycheck/Advice

The Earnings Code BON and the amount paid will be displayed on the Payroll Register. The Earnings Description Bonus and the amount paid will appear on the employee’s paycheck stub or direct deposit advice.

Questions

Questions regarding eligibility and payment information may be directed to the Payroll Earnings mailbox.

Questions regarding retirement may be directed to the Payroll Retirement mailbox.

Questions regarding withholding taxes may be directed to the Tax and Compliance mailbox.