| OSA Newsline -- December 14, 2020
The normal slowdown around holiday time is exaggerated this year by the impact of the pandemic.
At the same time, our hopes of an early retirement package are being held in limbo since the state is awaiting a stimulus package that may or may not come and may or may not contain sufficient help for the City and State.
So, we have no major news at present and may not have any until next year. We will schedule the next newsline for January 4th, but if something does happen we will update this newsline as fast as we learn about it.
There is one important time-sensitive announcement for active members who may have health impacts from rescue, recovery or cleanup work after the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks.
In the fall of 2018, the City and various unions, including OSA, signed an agreement to provide unlimited paid sick leave to eligible active employees who participated in those activities. Since that agreement was signed, eligible employees who provide the appropriate medical documentation have been able to take unlimited sick leave without impact on their sick leave bank.
Now, DCAS has finally issued its policy for recovering previously used sick leave from the period 2001-19. We have posted the policy, outlined in Personnel Services Bulletin 440-17 (Updated October 15, 2020) on this website, along with forms you must file to recover previously used sick leave time. Go to "Member Services," then click on "World Trade Ctr Health Issues." The information is linked near the top of that page. Or you can click on this link.
There is a deadline of January 15, 2021 to submit your request to recover previously used sick leave totaling more than 150 hours in any single calendar year from 2001-19. So, if this applies to you, promptly review the policy and forms and gather the needed doctors support documentation.
Those seeking restoration of lower amounts of sick leave for any year will have the opportunity to submit requests at a later stage of the process.
If you are no longer in the agency that employed you when you took the sick leave, you will need to reach out to the employing agency rather than your present one.
In closing, we wish all of our members and their families a happy and safe holiday season and we can only look forward to a better year next year.
If you would like to listen to this newsline as an audio file, please click on this link:
The City has not yet agreed to address our contract and the State has not yet decided upon an early retirement incentive offer.
Even so, we did win one minor victory last week.
Most members are unaware of the custom practiced at the New York City Housing Authority for many years. The Authority had always allowed their workers a few hours off for shopping at Christmas time and that time was not charged to annual leave.
It was not a big deal, and it was unique to the New York City Housing Authority, but it was a nice recognition of the extent to which Christmas shopping could be difficult in crowded New York City stores.
And then, this year, we were informed that the practice was discontinued, without negotiations. Our negotiations team went to work and the practice has been restored - and that is a victory, although a small one.
If you would like to listen to this newsline as an audio file, please click on this link:
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