This agreement is subject to ratification by the members of the A, P, R and S bargaining units of the Communications Workers of America, AFL-CIO
Click here for printer friendly version CWA State Worker TA Summary
Term of Contract
The Contract begins July 1, 2015 and will expire June 30, 2019. The effective date of this Tentative Agreement is April 4, 2018 because that date is when we reached agreement on these terms.
Increments
All employees on the payroll as of April 4, 2018 who were eligible to receive any increments between July 1, 2015 and April 4, 2018, shall receive the increments they would have received had increments been paid on their anniversary dates.
Members eligible to receive annual increments between July 2018 and the end of the contract will be paid when those increments are regularly due.
Across-the-Board Wage Increases
There are two Across-the-Board (ATB) increases— 2% as of August 15, 2017 and 2% as of July 1, 2018.
Bonus for Members at Max
Any employee who already reached the Maximum salary for the Range for their title, and was not due any increment between July 1, 2015 and the effective date of this Agreement, will receive a bonus of $650. The bonus is a one-time lump sum payment, not added to base and not pensionable.
Workers Who RETIRED, but Were Eligible for Increments
Workers who retired prior to April 4, 2018 who did not receive increments that they were eligible for, will not receive retroactive increments and will not have their pensions adjusted. They will, however, receive a one- time $650 bonus.
Clothing Maintenance Allowance
All employees who were eligible for the Clothing Maintenance Allowance (CMA) and were receiving CMAs in 2014, and continued to meet the eligibility criteria in the contract, will receive CMA payments retroactive to July 2015. Employees eligible for retroactive CMA checks will also be eligible for a CMA payment in 2018 and going forward the rest of this new contract.
There are approximately 1,000 employees whose eligibility for CMA was disputed by the Christie Administration and for whom grievances were filed. These approximately 1,000 employees will receive CMA payments retroactive to 2015, and will continue payments for the remainder of this contract.
Employees hired after July 1, 2015 who would be eligible for the CMA because they meet the criteria in the Contract shall also receive any CMA they should have received.
CWA STATE OF NEW JERSEY EXECUTIVE BRANCH TENTATIVE AGREEMENT PAGE 2
Timing for All Raises and Retroactive Payments
A member has to be on the State payroll as of April 4, 2018 in order to receive retroactive payments.
Workers who left payroll prior to April 4, 2018 will not receive retroactive increments, retroactive across-the-boards, or Clothing Maintenance Allowance.
1. All employees should be placed on the new correct step that includes the two across-the-board increases of 2% each in their July 27, 2018 paycheck.* This places a person where they should be if they had received steps and ATBs since 2015. Your base salary will be adjusted to your new base.
2. Retroactive CMA payments will be made in separate checks for each CMA payment due under our Agreement and employees will begin to receive them in June 2018.
3. Retroactive increments* will be paid in a separate check and employees should receive them by the end of October 2018. These are retro payments— what is owed to you from prior years had steps been paid on time.
4. Retroactive payment for the August 15, 2017 2% across-the-board raise* will be paid in a separate check and employees should receive that check by the end of October 2018. These are retro payments— what is owed had the ATB been paid and applied to the increment guide in August 2017.
Deductions from Retroactive Checks
The Chapter 78 Schedule sets what percentage of premium an employee must pay for healthcare based upon their level of coverage (Single, Parent-Child, Spouse, Family). Had employees received increments on time and across-the-board raises, their Chapter 78 rate of contribution would have gone up for those Plan Years based upon the salary increase they received.
This Tentative Agreement provides, however, that there will be no calculation of Chapter 78 health care contributions deducted from retroactive pay. Other deductions (taxes, pension, FICA, dues, etc.) will be deducted from retroactive checks.
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Chapter 78 health care contributions will be recalculated as of July 27, 2018 from that point forward when members are placed into their new adjusted base salary (including all increments and ATBs applied). *Important Note about Timing of Payments: The State commits to make payments to employees in accordance with the schedule above. Please note: calculations must be made for every single quarterly increment, all of the across-the-boards, and adjusted for any employee who received a promotion, demotion, new title, or had a Leave of Absence. If that results in any delay of an employee or group of employee’s raises, CWA will be notified as soon as possible and action will be taken to correct the record and get checks out as soon as possible. A delay for an employee or group of employees should not delay checks for others. |
We know our members have fought for three years to get a fair contract. So we are moving into negotiations for the next contract a year in advance of expiration.
Negotiations for the next Contract starting in 2019: The State and CWA have agreed to begin negotiations on the July 1, 2019 Contract beginning in May 2018.
