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More than 2,000 state government workers will altogether receive nearly $3 million in back pay for working overtime during the height of the pandemic, the office of Governor Kathy Hochul said.
According an agreement with the two biggest public-sector unions representing state workers, the Public Employees Federation and the Civil Service Employees Association, the state will pay 1,727 PEF members and 428 members of CSEA and other unions, as well as an undisclosed number of unrepresented employees, an average of $1,375.
“This agreement honors the tremendous contributions of New York State workers who went above and beyond to protect, inform, and serve their fellow New Yorkers at the height of the pandemic,” Hochul said in a statement.
Employees on Administration Payroll will be paid Dec. 20, while employees on Institution Payroll will receive payments on Dec. 28, Hochul’s office said.
“CSEA is pleased to say we were yet again able to work with Governor Hochul in an amicable way to resolve these pay issues on behalf of our members. We look forward to our continued collaboration with the Governor and thank her again for her support and willingness to work with us on this and many other issues we face,” CSEA’s president, Mary E. Sullivan, said.
The PEF’s president, Wayne Spence, said the union was committed to getting the payment for all of its members who worked OT during the pandemic.
“This was money they earned with their sacrifice, and we thank Governor Hochul for making sure public employees are fairly compensated. These hours were worked at great personal risk and helped keep New York operating during an unprecedented state of emergency,” he said.
Both unions recently negotiated new contracts with the Hochul administration.
Workers with the Public Employees Federation, which represents more than 3,000 titles in every state agency, approved their three-year deal in July. Workers with the Civil Service Employees Association, the largest affiliate union of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, ratified a five-year deal in August 2022.
— Richard Khavkine
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