CSEA Local 834 settles compensation time grievance with County
In June of 2019, Local 834 was made aware that in some County departments, administrators were refusing to pay cash overtime and forcing employees to work for comp time. This practice was in direct violation of Article 12 – Overtime Compensation Premium of our collective bargaining agreement.
During the grievance process, multiple departments and hundreds of employees were identified as having been affected.
The County Executive froze the ability to cash out comp time balances in the Fall of 2019 in order to calculate the liability this would have on the County. At that time, they did not want to order departments to discontinue the practice until they could calculate the full impact.
By the end of 2019, the County determined that the liability could be over one-million and advised us that they would be willing to settle. Settlement negotiations began at the beginning of 2020 and were progressing until the Covid-19 pandemic delayed them.
We are happy to announce that we have reached a final settlement agreement, which can be found on csealocal834.org with the following language:
“The County shall “cash out” CT balances to employees’ credit on December 31, 2020, at the current rate of pay, for all employees covered by the current agreement (January 1, 2020 – December 31, 2022) to levels provided for in Article 12 – Overtime Compensation Premium, Paragraph F, Subparagraph 4 (i.e. 35 hours for a 70-hour title or 40 hours for an 80-hour title). Covered employees with a CT balance on December 31, 2020 at or below the levels provided for in Article 12.F.4 shall receive no “cash out” payment.
“Cash out” payments shall be made via the Onondaga County payroll system on or before April 30, 2021.
CSEA Local 834 is pleased to have achieved a resolution to this matter and we view this as a win for our members.
Please remember that overtime should always be paid in cash unless you request, and it is approved by your department head, to receive comp time in lieu of cash. If you have any questions, please reach out to the Local 834 Office at 315-446-0330 or send a ‘contact us’ form on csealocal834.org