STATE OF CONNECTICUT
NANCY WYMAN COMPTROLLER	OFFICE OF THE STATE COMPTROLLER 55 ELM STREET HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT 06106-1775	MARK OJAKIAN DEPUTY COMPTROLLER

INTERDEPARTMENTAL MEMORANDUM

May 20, 2002

TO THE HEADS OF ALL STATE AGENCIES

I. AUTHORITY

The arbitration award between the State of Connecticut and the Connecticut State Employees Association concerning the Education Professionals (P-3B) bargaining unit, for the period July 1, 2001 through June 30, 2005, which became effective on May 4, 2002.

Pursuant to Section 5-276b of the Connecticut General Statutes, an interest penalty of 5% per annum is to be paid for late implementation of the provisions of the P-3B Interest Arbitration issued March 23, 2002. The 5% is payable for the period March 23, 2002 until the date an employee receives all the retroactive amounts due him/her under the award.

II. COMPENSATION (Article 19)

A. General Wage Increases

General wage increases will be effective as follows:

B. Annual Increments

Employees will continue to be eligible for and receive annual increments during the term of this contract in accordance with existing practice except the 2002-2003 payment will be delayed by five months and paid accordingly in the pay period which includes December 1, 2002 for those with July increments or June 1, 2003 for those with January increments.

C. $500 Lump Sum Payment

State School Teachers (12 month), Pupil Services Specialists (12 month) and Correction Department Vocational Instructors (12 month), who were employed as of July 1 and remained employed through October 1, will receive a lump sum payment of $500.

D. Longevity

Employees will continue to be eligible for longevity payments for the life of the contract in accordance with existing practice. An employee's total length of state service, including war service, will be utilized to determine longevity eligibility.

E. Shift and Weekend Differential

Mental Retardation Adult Services Instructors, State School Teachers, Correctional Recreation Supervisors and Correction Department Vocational Instructors are eligible.

F. Annual Skill Premium (EMT's)

Emergency Medical Technicians who are regularly assigned E.M.T. duties are eligible to receive a $400 stipend on or about October 1 of each contract year.

G. Additional Steps (New)

Effective July 1, 2002, an additional step will be added to all P-3B pay plans. The additional step will be 3% above the preceding step. Effective July 1, 2004, an additional step will be added to all P-3B pay plans. The additional step will be 3% above the preceding step.

H. Teacher Pay Plans (New)

Effective July 1, 2002 and July 1, 2004, Step 1 will be deleted from the teacher salary schedules and the salary schedules will be renumbered. Employees on Step 1 of the old salary schedules will be placed on Step 1 of the new salary schedules.

I. Daily Pay Rates For Substitute Teachers and Substitute Instructors

Daily pay rates will be as follows:

Effective thereafter, the daily pay rates for substitute teachers and instructors shall be increased by the same percentage as any subsequent general wage increase in the P-3B bargaining unit.

Effective July 1, 2002, prior to the July 1 annual increment, all employees in the Vocational Rehabilitation (Blind) classification series will receive the following upgrading: 

The Vocational Rehabilitation Assistant Counselor (Blind) classification will have the same pay grade as the Vocational Rehabilitation Assistant Counselor classification. 

The Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor (Blind) classification will have the same pay grade as the Vocational Rehabilitation Senior Counselor classification.

The Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling Coordinator classification will be two salary groups higher than the Vocational Rehabilitation Senior Counselor classification.

The Vocational Rehabilitation Supervisor (Blind) classification will have the same pay grade as the Vocational Rehabilitation Supervisor classification.

Employees will be placed at the step closest to but not less than their current salary.

III. TUITION REIMBURSEMENT (Article 24)

The State will allocate for tuition reimbursement each contract year the following:

Unspent funds will carry over to the next fiscal year but will expire at the end of the contract. Applications submitted and approved within the final six months of the contract may be paid with available funds up to three months following expiration of the contract.

The tuition reimbursement rate, for credit and non-credit courses at accredited institutions of higher education, will be 100% of the cost of tuition, laboratory fees and community college service fees up to a maximum of 75% of the per credit rate for undergraduate and graduate courses at the University of Connecticut at Storrs.

IV. PROFESSIONAL CONFERENCE AND WORKSHOP FUND (Article 25)

The State will allocate to the Professional Conference and Workshop Fund each contract year the following:

These funds are to be used for defraying expenses incurred for attendance by permanent employees at professional seminars, workshops, or conferences. Unspent funds from one fiscal year will carry over into the next fiscal year. The conference fund will expire at expiration of the contract. Applications submitted and approved within the final six months of the contract may be paid with available funds up to three months following expiration of the contract.

Each eligible employee will be entitled to a maximum of $500 reimbursement per contract year toward the cost of fees, travel, food and/or lodging related to attendance at such events. An employee may use the fund once in a two year period for an expenditure in excess of $500 but not greater than $1,000. Use of the fund for expenditures of less than $500 will not entitle the employee to use the fund for an additional expenditure in excess of $500 in any two year period (no carry over credit). Reimbursement shall be consistent with standard state travel regulations.

 V. TRAVEL REIMBURSEMENT (Article 28)

Meals

When authorized in accordance with the Standard State Travel regulations, any employee who is required to travel on employer business will be reimbursed at the following rates:

*Applicable to out-of-state travel or when authorized in accordance with the Standard State Travel Regulations issued by the Commissioner of Administrative Services. 

(1) Taxes on meals will be fully reimbursed.

(2) Gratuities will be reimbursed to a maximum of 15% of the allowable maximum. 

Personal Vehicle 

Employees required to utilize a personal vehicle for State business for 50% of the assigned monthly work days (which must be at least nine work days) will be paid a daily auto usage fee of $4.25 for each day of required usage, in addition to mileage reimbursement. 

Mileage reimbursement will be paid at the GSA rate (currently 36.5 cents effective February 20, 2002) subject to readjustment with the U.S. GSA rate.

VI. QUALITY OF WORKLIFE FUND (Article 59)

The State will allocate to the Quality of Worklife Fund each year of the contract the following:

Unspent funds will carry forward into the next contract year and be added to that year's allocation. The quality of work life fund will expire on expiration of this contract. Application for funds which are submitted and approved within the final six months may be paid with the remaining available funds up to three months following expiration of this agreement. The funding from 2000-2001 will be carried over to fund proposals submitted during the 1997-2001 contract

VII. MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING - DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTION MEAL MONEY

Employees in the Correction Department Vocational Instructor job classification are eligible for the department of correction meal allowance in those correctional facilities in which the employees have opted for the meal allowance and the meal rate will be $5.00 per meal for each shift actually worked and will be adjusted in accordance with the rate provided to the majority of correctional employees.

VIII. RETROACTIVE PAYMENTS

For the period June 29, 2001 through May 30, 2002, check date June 14, 2002, agency staff must calculate and process the following retroactive payments manually. Checks dated June 14, 2002 should reflect updated additional compensation; e.g., shift differentials, overtime, etc., for the particular bi-weekly pay period. 

Payments will be separately identified and subject to mandatory deductions only; i.e., federal withholding tax and state income tax annualized, social security tax, retirement contributions, and garnishments (if applicable).

A. Retroactive Annual Increments

B. Retroactive General Wage Increase - (Effective July 13, 2001)

C. Retroactive $500 Lump Sum Payment

 

Agencies may have already paid this lump sum payment to appropriate employees. If this was not paid, please process payment as follows:

D. Retroactive EMT Premium

Agencies may have already paid this EMT Premium to appropriate employees. If this was not paid, please process as follows:

IX. SCHEDULED PAYMENT DATES

A. General Wage Increase

B. Annual Increments

Annual Increments will be entered centrally for agencies on the Automated Personnel System (APS) interface for employees on the standard pay plan at the proper time as follows:

All Other Agencies 

Employees on the P-3B extended pay plans must have their rates manually adjusted.

All other agencies must manually adjust their employees' masterfile record with the correct bi-weekly salary amount and rate of pay. 

C. $500 Lump Sum Payments

D. $400 Annual Skill Premium for EMT's

E. Additional Steps

X. CALCULATION OF INTEREST PENALTY

An interest penalty of 5% is payable for the period March 23, 2002 until the date the eligible employees receives all the retroactive amounts due him/her under the arbitration award.

83 days/360 days multiplied by 5% multiplied by the lump sum payment.

Example: If the retroactive lump sum was $300:

83 days/360 days x .05 x $300 = $3.46

Multiply the lump sum amount paid by the number of days between March 23, 2002 and the date of the payment, June 14, 2002 (which is 83 days) divided by 360, then the product multiplied by 5%.

Agencies should refer to Office of Labor Relations General Notice No. 96-23 - Payment of Interest Payments for Interest Arbitration Awards dated May 10, 1996.

XI. PAYROLL PROCEDURES

Agency staff must ensure that the employee's masterfile data (Pay Plan, Salary Group and Step, Hourly Rate and Bi-weekly Salary) are correctly coded. 

A. Payment of Retroactive Salary Increases and Retroactive Annual Increments 

1. On-Line: Screen 047 or 190; R1; Amount; D/OE Code 10.

2. Remote Job Entry: ZT Transaction; Same as above. 

B. Payment of Retroactive Lump Sum(s) and Retroactive EMT Stipend

1. On-Line: Screen 047 or 190; R1; Amount; D/OE Code 10.

2. Remote Job Entry: ZT Transaction; Same as above. 

C. Implementation of General Wage Increase - Agencies with Automated Personnel System (APS) Interface 

New pay plans will be implemented centrally with the new hourly rate and bi-weekly salary for the appropriate pay period. 

Split Pay Periods for General Wage Increases 

General Wage Increase effective July 1, 2003. The effective pay period is June 27, 2003 through July 10, 2003. Wages earned for the period June 27, 2003 through June 30, 2003 should be paid at the old rate. The wages earned for the period July 1, 2003 through July 10, 2003 should be paid at the new rate, effective July 1, 2003. 

General Wage Increase effective July 1, 2004. The effective pay period is June 25, 2004 through July 8, 2004. Wages earned for the period June 25, 2004 through June 30, 2004 should be paid at the old rate. The wages earned for the period July 1, 2004 through July 8, 2004 should be paid at the new rate, effective July 1, 2004. 

D. Implementation of General Wage Increase - All Other Agencies Entering New Salary Amounts on Bi-Weekly Payroll

1. On-Line: Screen 160; Change Rate and Salary

2. Remote Job Entry: ZT Transaction; Same as above. 

E. Interest Arbitration Award

1. On-Line: Screen 047 or 190; R-3; Amount; D/OE 1U.

2. Remote Job Entry: ZT Transaction; Same as above. 

Agencies should use Major/Minor 01-920, Interest Penalty - Payroll Awards as the expenditure object code. 

Interest paid on a wage award is not considered wages (IRS Revenue Ruling 72-268). Therefore, the subject interest penalty would not be subject to withholding for income taxes, employment taxes, and retirement contributions.

F. Payment of EMT Stipend

1. On-Line: Screen 047 or 190; R1; Amount; D/OE Code 24.

2. Remote Job Entry: ZT Transaction; Same as above.

G. Auto Usage

1. On-Line: Screen 047 or 190; R1; Amount; D/OE 1L; Major/Minor is 01-230

2. Remote Job Entry: ZT Transaction; Same as above.

H. Shift Differential

1. On-Line: Screen 047 or 190; R1; Amount (shift differential rate); Hours; D/OE 11; Major/Minor 108.

2. Remote Job Entry: ZT Transaction; Same as above.

XII. TUITION REIMBURSEMENT - 9916 Fund

Applications for tuition reimbursement for summer 2001, fall 2001 and spring 2002 should have been forwarded to the Comptroller's Management Services Division - Support Services Unit. If not sent, please submit on a new and separate Expenditure Batch List. 

XIII. GENERAL

Payroll staff should check with their Agency Personnel Officer to ascertain other possible wage increases. The Department of Administrative Services (DAS), Personnel Division, will be distributing revised salary schedules. 

Questions may be directed as follows:

Salary Schedules: DAS-Personnel Division, (860) 713-5205; 

Payroll Procedures: Office of the State Comptroller, Payroll Services Division, (860) 702-3463; 

Remote Job Entry: Office of the State Comptroller, Payroll Services Division, (860) 702-3458;

Memorandum Interpretation: Office of the State Comptroller, Policy Services Division, (860) 702-3440. 

9916 Tuition Reimbursement Processing: Office of the State Comptroller, Management Services Division, (860) 702-3346.

NANCY WYMAN
STATE COMPTROLLER

NW:CH

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