News
Paid Parental Leave (PPL)
After extensive negotiations with CSEA State Operations and Judiciary Local Presidents, the Office of Court Administration has made Paid Parental Leave (PPL) available to its employee’s represented by CSEA.
In the following links please find the two (2) leave forms – with instructions – which became effective April 1, 2024. In implementing this benefit OCA has created a new form, specifically for Child Care Leaves – Application for Child Care Leave, UCS-48-CL (UCS-48-CL, Instructions_Eff April 1, 2024) and have modified the existing Application for Leave – UCS-48 (UCS-48, Instructions_REV April 1, 2024) to eliminate all references to Child Care Leaves and FMLA for childbirth/childcare. . As of Monday April 1st, 2024 all Child Care Leaves must be made on the UCS-48-CL. These forms are both formatted in fillable pdf. for easy completion/sign off and will be available on the “Forms” tab of the Division of Human Resources page on Monday.
Any employee that had a qualifying event between January 1, 2024 and March 31, 2024, i.e., gave birth, adopted or fostered a child between these dates, or any employee that has already submitted a UCS-48 for a Child Care Leave to commence in the future, must complete the new UCS-48-CL to update their leave request to incorporate PPL and any other applicable changes to their leave, e.g., end date, charging/order of personal accruals etc.
Employees that had a qualifying event between January 1, 2024 and March 31, 2024 are eligible to apply for retroactive PPL by checking the blue “retro” box on the UCS-48-CL. Upon receipt of your UCS-48-CL with the “retro” box selected, your local administrative office will provide you with the appropriate form to request restoration of accruals previously charged for a qualifying event that occurred between January 1, 2024 and March 31, 2024 and/or prospective use of PPL, i.e., from April 1st forward. Prior unpaid service is not eligible for retroactive PPL. Only employees that are still out on their Child Care Leave on April 1, 2024 for a qualifying event that occurred between January 1, 2024 and March 31, 2024 are entitled to elect prospective use of PPL on the UCS-48-CL (Retro) form, i.e., if the employee has already returned to work, they are not entitled to go back out to use PPL. Please refer to the attached PPL Reference Guide for additional information about this new benefit.
Questions regarding leaves should be referred to the OCA Division of Human Resources at OCA-HRLeaves@nycourts.gov
Paid Parental Leave benefit
PAID PARENTAL LEAVE POLICY
CSEA is happy to announce that CSEA Judiciary Locals and the Unified Court System have agreed on a Paid Parental Leave benefit which will go into effect on April 1, 2024.
Under the terms of the agreement, upon the birth, adoption or foster date, CSEA represented employees will be entitled to 12 weeks of Paid Parental Leave during which they will continue to accumulate accruals and receive full pay. This Agreement also allows households where both parents work for the Courts to each take 12 weeks of Paid Parental Leave.
PPL must be taken in consecutive weeks and cannot be taken intermittently. This Agreement provides for retroactivity back to any birth, adoption or foster date on or after January 1 through March 31, 2024. If an employee gave birth, adopted or fostered a child beginning on a date between January 1 and March 31 of 2024, and were on paid leave utilizing their accruals, once the PPL forms are available, the employee should fill them out and submit them as the form advises.
If an employee was out on unpaid leave upon the birth, adoption or foster date, they will not be eligible to retroactive PPL, but may be eligible for prospective PPL if they are currently out on leave as of April 1. The PPL benefit is ONLY available within 7 months of the date of birth, adoption or fostering. So if one adopts a child on January 5, 2024, on or about April 1, 2024 they can use the forms that UCS will develop to apply for PPL for any 12 week period between 1/5 and 8/4/24. Please reach out to your Local President if you have any questions.
Stay Union, Stay strong!
The Federal Pregnant Workers Fairness Act of 2023
2021-2026 UCS Contract
COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Mandate Discontinued
Salary Schedule April 1, 2021 through April 1, 2025
CSEA Judiciary unit and UCS reached a Tentative Agreement
As you may be aware, CSEA Judiciary unit and UCS reached a Tentative Agreement on November 8, 2022. Here is a side-by-side comparison between the current 2020-2021 collective bargaining agreement and the new Tentative Agreement. On November 21, 2022 CSEA will send ballots to vote on this Tentative Agreement via electronic means Election Buddy to members whose non-work email addresses are on record with CSEA; and a paper ballot and return envelope to members for whom CSEA does not have a non-work email address.
To check/correct/ or add an email address please call: 800-342-4146 or send an email informing them of a correct email address at : membersolutionscenter@CSEAINC.ORG no later than Friday, November 18, 2022.
For those members whose email addresses are on record and who will receive the Election Buddy notification, please DO NOT forward the notification you receive to another party or email address. Once the email is forwarded, and anyone else uses it, that will count as YOUR vote. Once you have voted on Election Buddy, the email will disappear, but you will receive a receipt confirming your vote. All ballots, paper and electronic, are due back to CSEA by close of business on December 21, and all ballots will be counted on December 22, 2022.
CSEA will be sending out reminder emails to vote periodically to emails which have not cast a vote. Each reminder will contain a valid ballot that you can use to vote, so you do not need to search your emails to find a ballot. Anyone who has cast a vote through Election Buddy will not receive any further reminders.
Please check back here election reminders and updates.
In Solidarity,
Contract Negotiations
Your CSEA Negotiating team met with OCA in August and September. We have made great strides towards reaching a tentative agreement but still have several important issues that need to be addressed before we can present a tentative agreement to the members. We expect the structure of our contract to have many similarities to the CSEA Executive Branch contract that was overwhelmingly ratified. We are scheduled to meet again with OCA in October. Upon reaching a tentative agreement, we will be scheduling ratification meetings ahead of ballots going out to the membership. Remember, only members of CSEA will be allowed to have a vote and final say on the contract. We thank all of you for your continued support as we work toward obtaining the best contract, we can for you.
Contract Negotiations
CSEA met with OCA on August 3rd and had a productive negotiating session. We will meet again for negotiations on August 24th and will keep the membership updated. Enjoy the end of summer!
COVID Testing
CSEA is aware that some health insurance plans have ceased paying the cost of surveillance COVID testing and are now only covering the cost of symptomatic testing. CSEA is discussing this issue with the Empire Plan and as members notify us of other health insurance plan notifications, we are speaking with them about this issue. As you may know, CSEA was the only Union that filed an Improper Practice charge at PERB last October specifically claiming that the cost of testing was a mandatory subject. That IP was consolidated with the mandated vaccine IP and was heard in April; CSEA is awaiting a determination on both cases from the Administrative Law Judge.
In the meantime, CSEA asked OCA last week whether members could perform home COVID tests and then if positive, be tested at a pharmacy. OCA said no, they would not accept the results of home tests. CSEA will continue to push for changes to this policy.
As you know, the CSEA negotiating team representing the Executive branch agencies has a Tentative Agreement and votes to ratify it will be counted on August 2nd. The contract is a good one with many improvements for members in those agencies; a description of the contract is in the current Workforce.
Meanwhile closer to home, our Judicial unit negotiating team is back at the table with OCA on August 3rd.
CONTACT YOUR LOCAL
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