OSAunion

OSA Newsline - April 25, 2022

Ukraine still lives.

One bit of good news. The state legislature has modified Pension Tiers V and VI in a very beneficial way. Many of our newer members are covered by Pension Tier VI and that tier required ten years of service before fiscal vesting. If a member chose to retire after nine years, the City would return pension contributions, but no pension at all. As of two weeks ago, this was changed to require only five years of service for fiscal vesting. This is a major improvement and we congratulate the public service unions that fought for that change.

There were also changes to the rate of pension deductions as affected by overtime, again beneficial, although far less important than the five year fiscal vesting. Please note, however, that for full health coverage in retirement, members must complete ten years of service.

One problem, for some of our members. Our union has not been successful in convincing all the agencies to coordinate their hiring pool dates.

As a result, members can find themselves asked to go to two or three or even four separate hiring pools, the same day, same time, but different places. Since none of us can do that, members go to one pool and are marked as failing to report to each of the other pools.

Failure to report can knock you off a civil service list.

Sheila Gorsky, after many tries, was able to persuade the Department of Citywide Administrative Services to set up a procedure to hold members harmless in a case of multiple pools on a single day.

If you go to one pool and skip the others, you send DCAS a letter enclosing the invites, as well as the one proof of attendance. Keep copies of all this. You will receive a letter in return telling you that you are restored to the list without cost to you.

However, recently, the letters from DCAS have sometimes, in error, charged you for one or more of the three restorations you are allowed. This is wrong and, in such a case, contact Danielle or Sheila at the union office. Then, follow their instructions.

If you would like to listen to this newsline as an audio file, please click on this link:

AUDIO - April 25, 2022

OSA Newsline - April 19, 2022

A special newsline update. We regret to inform you that Joseph Sperling, the former president of the Social Service Employees Union and, for many years afterward, an organizer for the Organization of Staff Analysts, has passed away.

The arrangements are as follows. His funeral will be on Wednesday, April 20,2022 at 12 Noon at the Harmon Funeral Home,571 Forest Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10310, (718)-442-5056.

The interment will follow at the Garden of Memories Cemetery, 300 Soldier Hill Road, Washington Township, Paramus, NJ,(201) 262-2722.

A repast will follow at LiGreci's Staaten Restaurant, 697 Forest Ave, Staten Island, NY 10310, (718) 448-6000.

We will all miss Joe.

If you would like to listen to this newsline as an audio file, please click on this link:

AUDIO - April 19, 2022

OSA Newsline - April 18, 2022

Ukraine still lives.

We are still working on the legal details of the staff of the Public Advocate's office joining OSA. We have the support of the staff who organized themselves and of their employer, Jumaane Williams. The only delay is working out legal details with the Office of Labor Relations. We are hoping for our brothers and sisters in the Advocate's office to join us soon.

Our April membership mailing is out and should have been received by you already or at the latest by mid-week. If you do not get it by this Friday, call George at the union office (212) 686-1229 so we can send you a copy and also check your mailing address.

If you would like to listen to this newsline as an audio file, please click on this link:

AUDIO - April 18, 2022

OSA Newsline - April 11, 2022

Ukraine still lives.

Our union learned of a program called the Voluntary Defined Contribution Program. Two of our recently unionized members from the Associate Directors title filled us in on the program.

It turns out that, as of October 1, 2020, New York City began offering this VDC program as a substitute for the normal retirement program.

So, if you did not want the retirement program, you could choose this other program, but only if you were a new employee and not represented by a union.

The VDC program has one good aspect. The City will add 8% of your annual salary to your required Deferred Compensation payment. Balancing this is that you are not allowed to be part of this program and also the NYCERS retirement system. Since even the Tier 6 retirement plan costs the City far more than 8% a year, most workers would be better off with a pension plan rather than the VDC program.

If we throw in the City's obligation to provide, after ten years' service, lifetime Health and Welfare Fund coverage, there is no contest. Pension wins and VDC is a bad choice.

However, for some employees who cannot and will not serve for ten years, the VDC option could be more attractive. Unions have long fought for defined benefit pension plans and employers have tried to escape them. The combination of the Tier 6 requirement to serve 10 years before vesting and the VDC extra contributions from the City create an odd circumstance. Further complicating the issue, employees who choose the VDC plan, but who thereafter achieve the right to representation are automatically discharged from the program.

All of this is a new problem for our union. Only a small number appear to have been affected so far, but this will merit close attention, since it would appear to, in effect, create a disincentive to being made eligible for a union. Other news. Our April mailing was sent to the mailing house. If you can't wait for it to arrive, you can view it digitally on our website.

And, for those that are being appointed, we still wish you to call OSA and speak to Sheila or Danielle, especially if you are invited to attend a hiring pool. We depend on you for this information.

If you would like to listen to this newsline as an audio file, please click on this link:

AUDIO - April 11, 2022

OSA Newsline - April 4, 2022

Ukraine still lives.

Our contract negotiations on behalf of School Safety and Traffic Enforcement appear to be nearing completion. This is the first of three outstanding contracts. Credit is due to Adam Orgel and the team of representatives from School Safety and Traffic Enforcement. The other contracts will follow.

We will be sending a letter to the mailing house this week. One novelty, after all this time, is a membership meeting has been setscheduled for Thursday, May 19th, at the union office. It is a tentative meeting, since we are wary of the latest COVID variant, but if all stays well, we can go forward.

Our guest speaker for that evening's delegate training session will be Kevin Sullivan, a senior member of the Municipal Labor Committee's Health Technical Subcommittee. We would like our delegates to know what goes on with that committee and how it affects us all.

Those recently appointed to an OSA title, please call Danielle or Sheila at the union office. Also, there are many hiring pools scheduled. If you are invited to a hiring pool, again, please call Danielle or Sheila at the office. Details are important.

If you would like to listen to this newsline as an audio file, please click on this link:

AUDIO - April 4, 2022