Relates to terms and conditions of employment of certain nonjudicial officers and employees of the unified court system

There are 5,545 employees in the Statewide Judiciary Unit. They serve in courts in all areas across the State, from western New York to the eastern tip of Long Island, from the north country by the Canadian border to the southern tier.

This measure authorizes the following for affected nonjudicial officers and employees during the period covered by the collective bargaining agreement:

-Effective April 1, 2011, all graded employees shall receive an increment, if eligible therefor, and if they have not already received one on such date.

-Effective April 1, 2012, all graded employees shall receive an increment, if eligible therefor, and if they have not already received one on such date.

- Effective April 1, 2013, all graded employees shall receive an increment, if eligible therefor, and if they have not already received one on such date.

- Effective April 1, 2014, all graded employees shall receive an increment, if eligible therefor, and if they have not already received one on such date.

- Effective October 1, 2014, all employees shall receive a pay increase of 2%.

- Effective April 1, 2015, all graded employees shall receive an increment, if eligible therefor, and all employees shall receive a pay increase of 2%.

- Effective April 1, 2016, all graded employees shall receive an increment, if eligible therefor, and all employees shall receive a pay increase of 2%.

- Effective March 31, 2017, all employees shall receive a one-time lump sum payment of $750.

In addition to authorizing the foregoing pay increases, this measure

- Provides for the payment of pensionable annual bonuses, through fiscal year 2015, to employees who have been continuously employed in the courts for 20 years or more, as follows:

- if so employed for less than 25 years, $1,900;

- if so employed for at least 25 years but less than 30 years, $2,000;

- if so employed for more than 30 years, $2,100.

Provides for pensionable annual longevity payments, commencing April 1, 2016, to graded employees who have completed at least 4 years of continuous service at a basic annual salary equal to or greater than the maximum salary of their salary grade, as follows:

- for those employees who have completed less than 8 years, $2,250;

- for those employees who have completed at least 8 years but less than 13 years, $4,600;

- for those employees who have completed more than 13 years, $6,900.

These payments will replace the longevity and extra-longevity increments heretofore provided on the salary schedules on which graded nonjudicial officers and employees affected by this measure are placed. This emulates the longevity payment system adopted for Executive Branch employees.

- Provides for the payment of pensionable annual location pay, during each fiscal year commencing with the 2011-12 fiscal year, for certain affected employees as follows:

- for employees whose principal place of employment is in New York City, Nassau County, Rockland County, Suffolk County or Westchester County, location pay of $3,697;

- for employees whose principal place of employment is in Dutchess, Putnam or Orange County, location pay of $1,848;

- for employees whose principal place of employment is in Monroe County and who were receiving location pay in 1985, $200.

Where any of these employees already has received location pay during the periods indicated pursuant to any other law, the amounts specified herein will be offset by the amounts received.

- Provides that, for all employees, increments and partial increments, longevity increments and extra-longevity increments* shall not be paid unless an otherwise eligible employee shall have received other than an unsatisfactory performance rating for his or her services during the year immediately preceding (pursuant to a performance evaluation system set forth by the Chief Administrative Judge, for unrepresented employees, or in the collective bargaining agreements between the parties, for represented employees).

- In the fashion of past legislation implementing collective bargaining agreements between the Judiciary and its employees, provides that, where appropriate, the salary increases authorized in this measure shall be extended to unrepresented nonjudicial employees

of the courts. Also, this measure provides that, should the Judiciary reach agreement in the future with any other public employee union negotiating on behalf of court employees in a negotiating unit other than the State Judiciary Unit, and should the terms of that agreement be the same as those memorialized in this measure, the provisions of this measure may be applicable to those court employees.

This measure would take effect retroactively to April 1, 2011.

Legislative History:

None. New proposal.

* N.b., beginning April 1, 2016, there shall no longer be provision for longevity and extra-longevity increments on the salary schedules on which graded nonjudicial officers and employees affected by this measure are placed. As noted, supra, they will be replaced by annual longevity payments to eligible employees.