Your CSEA Contract Negotiations team met with UCS on August 10th and September 28th, 2011. The majority of our contract proposals have been delivered to UCS, and we have held extensive discussions regarding whether certain proposals are a mandatory or non-mandatory subject of negotiations. UCS indicated that any proposals with a fiscal attached, they would be looking to go in the opposite direction.
We were scheduled to meet with UCS on October 27th, but the day prior to the scheduled meeting, management cancelled, saying they were not yet prepared to proceed with their proposals.
A new program called "PEP," Product Enhancement Program, will be taking the place of the "HOP" program, which expired with our last contract. This program allows employees Grade 23 and below the opportunity to exchange six annual leave days for up to $1,000 to be applied to the employee's share of their health insurance premiums during 2012. The attached file will give you complete information. Each Judicial District should be contacting employees to inform them of the program guidelines and to advise them of the enrollment cut-off date of November 25th. Click here for "PEP" Information
(Source: James Hennerty, CSEA Dep. Director of Contract Administration, 9/28/11) We have just learned that changes in the New York State Health Insurance Plan, NYSHIP, negotiated by CSEA for its Executive Branch members will apply to CSEA-represented court employees, non-unionized court employees, and judges as of October 1st of this year. It is the responsibility of the NYSHIP Office to inform all affected employees about the details. We do not yet know if this is being done at present. Further developments will be posted on the web site.
(James Hennerty, CSEA Dep. Director of Contract Administration, 10/2/11) Some CSEA members working for the court system are asking why the Empire Plan is changing before we have completed negotiating a new contract. The reason is that Article 8 of the CSEA-UCS contract specifies that CSEA-represented court employees receive the same health insurance benefits (including co-pays, premium contributions, etc.) as our fellow NYS Executive Branch State empoyees do. Now that we have made some changes in the Executive Branch, they become effective for our court employees pursuant to Article 8 of the contract. And the expired agreement stays in effect until a new contract is completed.
(December 12, 2008, Donald Lynskey, Local 334 President) The new Court Reporter Page Rate Agreement and Minute Agreement Form have been deemed to be effective as of November 18, 2008, the date upon which the Administrative Board of the Courts approved the change and Part 108 of the Rules of the Chief Administrator was amended. CSEA would have liked a smoother transition to the new rates, so that our members did not have to deal with "retroactive" negotiation of page rates, but UCS nonetheless has specified November 18th as the date of implementation. All CSEA members received a copy of the new agreement with the ratification materials included in the ratification process earlier this year. CSEA-represented reporters must still complete the new Minute Agreement Forms for private party transactions, but reporters now retain the forms themselves for a two-year period. In the event a request is made of a reporter for production of a Minute Agreement Form, that request must be in writing stating a valid reason for the request. If a reporter feels the reason for the request is inappropriate, please contact your union representative as there is a committee in place to review requests, if necessary. CSEA-UCS 2008 Court Reporter Page Rate Agreement
The 2007-2011 UCS-CSEA contract and salary schedules are available in pdf format by clicking below. If you need to install Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to view the pdf file, it is available under the Member Services section on our website's home page. CSEA-UCS '07-'11 Contract CSEA '07-'11 Salary Schedules
(September 3, 2008, James Hennerty, Dep. Director of Contract Administration) CSEA has been told that the pay increases and retroactive pay for UCS employees will tentatively be in the paycheck of October 15 of this year. Please note that the date is subject to change if there are complications in pay calculation.
(July 29, 2008, James Hennerty, Dep. Director of Contract Administration) CSEA believes that the Office of the State Comptroller has given a preliminary indication that pay raises (including retroactive pay) for employees of the Unified Court System will be issued in a paycheck in October of this year. That estimate could change, but it is the only one we have so far.
(June 25, 2008) CSEA members by a 25-to-1 ratio have overwhelmingly ratified a tentative agreement with the Unified Court System. Members approved the agreement by 2,876 to 114. The four-year pact, retroactive to April 1, 2007, includes salary increases in every year of the agreement, improved downstate and mid-Hudson Valley location pay, enhancements in longevity bonuses for long term employees, improved payments to the Employee Benefit Fund and Labor-Management programs and increases funding for body armor for security personnel. There were no significant changes to health insurance provisions. Ratification ballots were counted June 25.
(June 5, 2008) The 3% increase that was negotiated for 2007, as well as the 3% increase from April 1, 2008 until the date the increases are paid will be retroactive. This money will probably be paid in one lump sum in a payroll check, date to be determined.
Click on the following link to view the tentative 2007-2011 CSEA-UCS contract highlights. View 2007-2011 Contract Highlights
(As posted on the CSEA Web Site, www.csealocal1000.org, May 8, 2008)
"CSEA Reaches Contract Settlement for 6,000 Court Employees Across New York"
CSEA - New York's Leading Union - has reached a tentative agreement with the New York State Office of Court Administration on a new contract covering more than 6,000 non-judicial employees in the state's Unified Court System.
"CSEA and the Unified Court System have reached a fair and responsible agreement that recognizes the value and importance of the court employees who make the system work every day," said CSEA President Danny Donohue. "These were challenging negotiations and I am extremely proud of the focus and commitment of the CSEA bargaining team."
The four-year agreement retroactive to April 1, 2007 includes salary increases in every year of the agreement, improved downstate and Mid-Hudson Valley location pay, enhancements in longevity bonuses for long-term employees, improved payments to the Employee Benefit Fund and Labor-Management programs and increased funding for body armor for security personnel. There were no significant changes to health insurance provisions.
Across-the-board cost of living adjustments are as follows:
CSEA also agreed to a salary increase deferral for employees earning more than $115,000 annually until a judicial pay raise is enacted. Employees at or above that level will have their salaries held harmless but will receive the contract provisions once the judicial pay raise issue is resolved. If it is not resolved by the end of the contract, the employees will receive all of the contract cost of living adjustments retroactively. This issue would affect about 500 individuals out of the bargaining unit's 6,000 members.
CSEA-represented court employees work in a range of non-judicial jobs, from court clerks to clerical and administrative staff to security officers in the court system in every part of New York.
Additional details about the agreement will be posted on the CSEA website www.csealocal1000.org shortly. The agreement will be presented to the CSEA rank and file members for review and ratification in the weeks ahead. It must also be approved by the state legislature and signed by the governor. [Editor's note: Additional details will also be available here at the CSEA Judiciary web site, www.cseajudiciary.org]
(James Hennerty, Dep. Director of Contract Administration, May 7, 2008)
CSEA and UCS have made a tentative agreement on a new contract for 2007-2011. The deal includes increases in compensation, location pay, and other benefits. More details will follow once final wording is agreed upon.
(James Hennerty, Dep. Director of Contract Administration, April 24, 2008)
After abruptly breaking off contract negotiations with CSEA on April 16, the Unified Court System (UCS) has apparently had a change of heart. CSEA is pleased that UCS has agreed to keep negotiating sometime during the week of May 6. (Details are still being worked out.) We hope to make significant progress on the remaining issues on the bargaining table. We made considerable progress last time, which is why we were puzzled by UCS's walk-out. Now both sides have another opportunity to reach an agreement.
(James Hennerty, Dep. Director of Contract Administration, April 22, 2008)
CSEA and Unified Court System management met April 15 in Albany for negotiations, after months of efforts by the union to force UCS to negotiate an agreement in good faith for CSEA-represented court employees.
Despite some progress, UCS continues to be unreasonable and declared impasse on CSEA on April 16 after only 15 hours of negotiations. That day, UCS shockingly told CSEA that unless we reached an agreement by the morning of April 17, UCS would declare impasse with PERB. CSEA is by far the largest of UCS's 11 bargaining units. CSEA finds it ironic that UCS, which stalled and avoided negotiations for a year, would demand an immediate agreement.
The good news is that UCS offered pay raises, location pay increases, longevity bonuses, child and elder care benefits, uniforms and equipment allowances, QtP funding and other areas.
Despite this progress, CSEA and UCS still disagreed on several issues. First, UCS management proposed insufficient funding for the benefits provided by the CSEA Employee Benefit Fund. The court system's plan also includes insufficient progress on providing body armor for court officers. Additionally, UCS wants to cap annual salaries at $115,000 until or unless judges get a pay raise.
CSEA will oppose the impasse declaration and ask PERB to order UCS back to the negotiating table. The stalling has gone on too long.
(James Hennerty, Dep. Director of Contract Administration, April 8, 2008)
Due to behind-the-scenes efforts by CSEA, the Unified Court System appears ready to negotiate for real on a new contract for court employees. CSEA has added two April days for negotiations with UCS, in addition to dates already scheduled in May. We are hoping that we will make real progress towards a new contract, and we will keep our members updated.
(James Hennerty, Dep. Director of Contract Administration, February 6, 2008)
The CSEA Court Employee Negotiating Team met with the UCS team on Jan. 29, 30, and 31. UCS still did not have its final new proposals, as had been promised. UCS said it expects to have them in 2 weeks. Both sides reviewed and clarified CSEA's proposals on grievance procedure, discipline and discharge, overtime pay, Employee Benefit Fund, educational benefits, productivity enhancement program, child care and elder care, flexible spending benefits, uniform and equipment allowance, personal history folders, performance evaluations and QtP funding.
Regrettably, UCS was not prepared to make any counterproposals, much less reach agreements on any of these issues. Given that we have been negotiating since March of 2007, it seems astonishing that UCS has been so slow in getting to the heart of the matter. We suspect they are stalling as a way of pressuring us and the Legislature to raise judges' salaries. Obviously, CSEA represents our members, not the judges, and it would be wrong to hold our members hostage to something only the politicians can give to UCS.
CSEA informed UCS that, if it did not agree to a date to submit final new proposals, we will take whatever legal action is necessary to force it to do so. The parties are tentatively scheduled to meet again on May 6 and 7.
(James Hennerty, Dep. Director of Contract Administration, December 3, 2007)
Despite CSEA Executive Branch member's tentative contract agreement with New York State, our negotiations with the Unified Court System for a new contract remain stalled. UCS is finally ready to make our next bargaining session the last date for either side to make new proposals. We are attempting to have that next session sometime in January. We hope the Executive Branch agreement will ease the path for CSEA to reach an agreement. However, UCS seems determined to insist on givebacks and a cap on member salaries (the latter is tied to the lack of a pay raise for judges). It may be a long time before significant progress is made. Please check back periodically for further developments.
(Kathy Guild, Contract Adminstration Specialist, CSEA Headquarters)
CSEA published a summary of the Unified Court System's contract proposals after we received them. Following is a summary of some of CSEA's proposals to the Unified Court System.
SICK LEAVE
LOCATION PAY
ON-CALL PAY
UNIFORM AND EQUIPMENT ALLOWANCE
HOLIDAYS
REIMBURSEMENT FOR PROFESSIONAL LICENSE
VACATION BUY-BACK
CSEA EMPLOYEE BENEFIT FUND
CHILD/ELDER CARE REIMBURSEMENT
WORKING CONDITIONS
INSPECTOR GENERAL
GRIEVANCE AND ARBITRATION PROCEDURES
CONTINUING EDUCATION
(James Hennerty, Dep. Director of Contract Administration)
CSEA and UCS met during the first week in August to continue negotiations for a new contract. For the first time, UCS presented some of their proposals. Management had indicated earlier in talks that it intended to suggest cutbacks in benefits. Nevertheless, the enormity of the reductions proposed is shocking:
PAY
WORKWEEK
OVERTIME
QTP MONEY (used for employee education vouchers and payment to defray health insurance costs)
CHILD CARE/ELDER CARE
EMPLOYEE ORGANIZATION LEAVE
UCS further indicated that this was about 75% of its proposals. We expect more demands which would cut our members' benefits even more. Take particular notice of an increased work week, the elimination of child care and elder care payments, and the severe reductions in contributions to the CSEA Employee Benefit Fund. EBF benefits would have to be reduced, and UCS wants retired employees completely removed from the program!
Needless to say, the CSEA Negotiating Team sees a long, hard slog in negotiations until we get to a point where we can agree with UCS on a new contract. The CSEA Team has no intention of making an agreement which would slash our members' benefits.
CSEA and UCS were scheduled to meet for another session of contract negotiations in mid-June. UCS informed CSEA that it did not expect to have its negotiating proposals ready by that time. Both CSEA and UCS have tentatively agreed to meet again in early August. The UCS proposals will seek concessions and reductions in a number of benefits, UCS has told us. CSEA has been preparing for these negotiations since last summer. The CSEA Negotiating Team has presented numerous written proposals to management and attempted to have some real bargaining on the contract. Apparently UCS is not yet impressed with the hard work the CSEA Team has done.
CSEA is deeply disappointed in the continuing pattern of UCS delay regarding negotiations for a new contract. The old contract expired March 31, and CSEA has energetically pushed for an agreement, only to be met by procrastination on the part of management.
UCS has come perilously close to committing an improper employer practice-bargaining in bad faith-by its actions thus far. CSEA is fully prepared, if necessary, to take appropriate legal action to force UCS to cease its dilly-dallying and get down to work on a new contract. Let's hope the August session takes place and is productive.
(May 17, 2007)
The CSEA Negotiations Team met on May 15, 16, and 17, 2007 for our second round of negotiations with the Unified Court System management.
CSEA submitted additional proposals (adding to our initial proposals in March). Regrettably, UCS did not submit any proposals and indicated that they were still, even at this late date, working on them. We discussed our proposals with UCS, and during that dialogue, UCS indicated that they are looking to cut back in many areas beneficial to our members.
Tentative dates are scheduled for mid June.
(March 21, 2007, James Hennerty, Dep. Director of Contract Administration)
The Court Employee Negotiating Team of CSEA began negotiations with the NYS Unified Court System for a new contract on March 20 and 21. The meetings took place in the Albany area. The CSEA Team had already sent UCS its initial proposals some weeks ago. UCS said it had not yet completed its analysis of CSEA's proposals but did engage in some discussion of the issues we presented.
UCS offered no proposals to CSEA yet, although the management representatives indicated they would do so no later than the next bargaining session, which will probably be in mid-May.
The 2003-2007 UCS-CSEA contract is available in pdf format by clicking below. If you need to install Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to view the pdf file, it is available under the Member Services section on our website's home page. CSEA '03-'07 Contract
CSEA and UCS have reached a tentative agreement on a new contract. CSEA members are receiving ballots for a ratification vote now. They were mailed on June 18 and must be returned NO LATER THAN 5 P.M., JULY 12. The ballots will be counted on July 13.
If you are a CSEA member and have not received a ballot by June 28, please call CSEA at 1-800-342-4146, ext. 1279, or (518-)257-1279 for a replacement ballot. Please remember, only CSEA members can vote. Agency shop fee payers are not eligible.
The ballot envelope, in addition to the ballot itself, contains all the changes in contract language, and a sheet of highlights in the tentative agreement. The highlights are as follows:
Compensation
Downstate Adjustment
Longevity Bonus
Health Insurance
Health Option Program (HOP)
Attendance and Leave
Death Benefit
Overtime
Pre-tax Transportation Benefit
Labor/Management Committees
Quality Through Participation Program
Out-of-Title Work
Uniform/Equipment Allowance
Employee Benefit Fund
There will be a reduction in current EBF benefits in order to stay within these contribution amounts. The EBF trustees will determine specific changes at a later date.
Work/Life Assistance Program (EAP)
Child Care/Elder Care
Reimbursement for Property Damage
Seniority
Forms & Member Information