BILL NUMBER: S1739
SPONSOR: JACKSON
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the civil service law, in relation to longevity payments
 
PURPOSE:
To provide for longevity payments for M/C employees.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1. Adds adding a new section 137 to civil service law, to add
longevity payments for management or confidential employees: 12 year
$1,500; 17 year - $1,500; 22 year - $1,500
Section 2. Enacting Clause
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Eligible CSEA and PEF-represented State employees at ALL Salary Grade
levels receive Longevity Payments, also known as Performance Awards,
after a qualifying number of years on the job. By contrast, this payment
is limited to M/C employees at or below Grade 17. Accordingly, almost
9,000 hardworking M/C employees above Grade 17 do not receive ANY
Longevity Payments/Performance Awards even though their union-represent-
ed counterparts can earn payments as high as $4500 per year!
This unequal treatment is problematic and unfair. It destroys the morale
of career M/C employees who are denied this compensation! Further, the
absence of a Longevity Payments/Performance Awards for M/C positions is
a disincentive for union-represented employees to accept promotions to
an M/C position; accepting an M/C position could result in the loss of a
Longevity Payment/Performance Award of between $1500 and $4500 per year.
Finally, certain titles in State service may be either M/C-designated or
union-represented; as such, a union-represented employee in a title
could receive the Longevity Payment/Performance Award while their
coworker in an M/Cdesignated position in the IDENTICAL title will
receive NO such payment! This bill updates the eligibility thresholds
for this compensation to mimic those already in place for union-repre-
sented employees in fiscal year 2025-26 and expands M/C employee eligi-
bility for this compensation that has long been denied to the majority
of the State's M/C employees.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New Legislation
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
To be determined
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
First of April after it shall have become a law.