Unified Court System Bulletin No. UCS-252

Subject
Judicial Ratification Bonus for Bargaining Unit DR
Date Issued
November 9, 2017

Purpose

To inform agencies of OSC’s automatic processing of the 2017 Judicial Ratification Bonus for Bargaining Unit DR

Affected Employees

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

Court Officers Benevolent Association of Nassau County Bargaining Unit DR

Background

Chapter 98 of the Laws of 2017, in conjunction with Chapter 400 of the Laws of 2014, which implemented the 2011-2019 Agreement between the Unified Court System of the State of New York (UCS) and the Court Officers Benevolent Association of Nassau County (COBANC) provides for a one-time lump sum payment for the Judicial Ratification Bonus for all eligible members.

Effective Date(s)

The 2017 Judicial Ratification Bonus for Bargaining Unit DR will be paid in Administration Pay Period 16L, paychecks dated 11/29/17

Eligibility Criteria

Employees who meet the following criteria on the date of the Memorandum of Agreement of 07/17/17 are eligible to receive the 2017 Judicial Ratification Bonus.

  • Bargaining Unit = DR
  • Payroll Status = Active, Leave With Pay or Leave of Absence (except if the Action/Reason Code is LOA/RPD)

OSC Actions

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

Earnings Code: JRB
Effective Date: 07/17/17
OT Eff Date: 11/02/17
Annual Addl Earnings: $750.00 or prorated amount for employees working less than full time
End Date: 10/31/18

Overtime Calculation Information

The Judicial Ratification Bonus 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 Judicial Ratification Bonus for eligible employees in Bargaining Unit DR 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 JRB.

If an employee is appointed to an ineligible position effective after receiving the 2017 Judicial Ratification Bonus, the payment cannot be included in the compensation calculation of any overtime earned after the date of the appointment. Therefore, agencies must insert a row on the Additional Pay page at the Effective Date level of Earnings Code JRB 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)

Retirement Information

The Judicial Ratification Bonus shall not be part of basic annual salary, but shall be pensionable.

Tax Information

The 2017 Judicial Ratification Bonus is supplemental taxable income, will be included in the employee’s taxable gross subject to employment 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 Yonkers non-residents.

Payroll Register and Employee’s Paycheck/Advice

The Earnings Code JRB and the amount paid will be displayed on the Payroll Register. The Earnings Description Judicial Ratification 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 Deduction mailbox.

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