NYCERS appears to be under the impression that its Tier 6 members are subject to an overtime ceiling with respect to both payroll pension contributions and to calculating the member’s final average salary when the member retires.
NYCERS has notified its membership that it is in the process of refunding pension contributions made by members who work for the MTA.
NYCERS does not have a legal opinion on this issue from the Law Department. There are two other city pension funds (TRS and BERS) covered by the Tier 4/6 term "wages". In addition, I guarantee you that the Tier 3/6 NYPD and FDNY pension members are not subject to the overtime ceiling that applies to Tier 5/6 state police and fire pension members.
NYCERS has been notified twice that they are in error and NYCERS appears to be intent on pursuing this incorrect interpretation.
Statutory Background
In 2009 NYS passed a pension modification law (Chapter 504 of the Laws of 2009) for state police and firefighters. This was a response to the fact that in July of 2009 new city and state police and firefighters lost their Tier 2 coverage and were dumped into Tier 3.
The state unions negotiated a compromise law (Tier 5 for state police and fire) which allowed the new state police and firefighters to return to Tier 2 with some benefit reductions. As of today, however, new city police and firefighters are still trapped in Tier 3.
In addition to the Tier 5 component, there were some secondary pension reductions in Chapter 504 which applied to regular state workers and members of the city’s UFT union.
One of those limitations was a modification of the Tier 4 definition of "wages".
Wages impact member contributions (Section 613/ NY RSSL) and a member's final average salary (Section 608/ NYS RSSL) at retirement Members’ pension contributions are a percentage of member’s wages including overtime pay (OT). Member’s final average salary is also based on member’s wages including overtime. The final average salary is the compensation base for calculating a member’s annual pension benefit when he/she retires.
This 2009 modification created two new definitions, "overtime compensation" and "overtime ceiling" which applied to all Artile 15 (Tier 4) members. These terms were used to modify the term "wages" by imposing the "overtime ceiling" on wages for only new members of the NYSLERS and the NYSTRS who join after 1/1/2010. There is also a NYS Constitutional benefit protection for Tier 4 members who have membership dates prior to the effective date of Chapter 504.
The terms "overtime compensation" and "overtime ceiling", however, legally applies to all city and state Tier 4 members as of the effective date of Chapter 504. These terms by themselves have no direct impact on Tier members' benefits. It is only through the the term "wages" that Tier 4 members' benefits are impacted. Therefore only NYSLERS and NYSTRS members are effected. Correctly, there was no attempt in 2009 by NYCERS to impose an overtime ceiling on wages for of new post 1/1/2010 Tier 4 members because the limitation was only authorized for the two state pension systems.
As of today, despite two subsequent laws in 2012 and 2017, the definition of wages with the overtime ceiling limitation still only applies to post January 1, 2010 members of NYSLERS and NYSTRS.
The only place that the term “overtime ceiling” appears in Article 15 is in the definition of wages. This is how it has an impact on a member’s contributions and final average salary.
In 2012, with the passage of the Tier 6 (Chapter 18) law, the definition of "overtime ceiling" was changed. That change entailed adding a second overtime ceiling but restricted to new Article 15 (Tier 4/6) members who join after 4/1/2012. The law, however, did not alter the definition of wages with respect to the overtime ceiling limitation. It still only covered the two state pension syetems and did not add any of the city pension systems.
The legislature did, however, specifically add new limits to the term "wages" for new Article 15 members as of 4/1/2012:
For members who first join a public retirement system of the state on or after April first, two thousand twelve, the following items shall not be included in the definition of wages: 1. wages in excess of the annual salary paid to the governor pursuant to section three of article four of the state constitution, 2. lump sum payments for deferred compensation, sick leave, accumulated vacation or other credits for time not worked, 3. any form of termi- nation pay, 4. any additional compensation paid in anticipation of retirement, and 5. in the case of employees who receive wages from three or more employers in a twelve month period, the wages paid by the third and each successive employer.
NYCERS incorrectly thinks that since the law restricted the definition of "overtime ceiling" to only new Tier 4/6 members that it then allowed NYCERS to modify the definition of wages to impose an overtime ceiling on Tier 4/6 NYCERS members' wages. Legally all NYCERS Tier 4 members subject to the term "overtime ceiling" since 2009. Making some new part of overtime ceiling applicable to new NYCERS members does not change its impact on wages.
If the legislature wanted to modify the definition of wages it could have easily added NYCERS to the restrictive list in the term "wages" along with NYSLERS and NYSTRS. It did not. Whether or not you think that the legislature meant to do that, administrators have to assume the legislature intentionally did not change the definition of wages and wanted to keep the overtime ceiling limit applicable to only NYSLERS and NYSTRS.
Legislative Track
Pre-2009
Prior to 2009, Article 15 wages were defined as follows:
"Wages" shall mean regular compensation earned by and paid to a member by a public employer.
2009
Chapter 504 (2009) changed the definition to:
"Wages" shall mean regular compensation earned by and paid to a member by a public employer
, except that for members who first join
the New York state and local employees' retirement system or
the New York state teachers' retirement system
on or after January first, two thousand ten,
overtime compensation paid in any year in excess of the overtime ceiling,
as defined by this subdivision,
shall not be included in the definition of wages.
"Overtime compensation" shall mean, for purposes of this section,
compensation paid under any law or policy under which employees are paid at a rate greater
than their standard rate for additional hours worked
beyond those required, including compensation paid under
section one hundred thirty-four of the civil service law and
section ninety of the general municipal law.
The "overtime ceiling" shall mean fifteen thousand dollars
.
per annum on January first, two thousand ten, and
shall be increased by three per cent each year thereafter
2012
In 2012, NYS passed a general modification of Article 15, Chapter 18 of the Laws of 2012, for all city and state workers. Chapter 18 modified the definition of “overtime ceiling” as follows but left the definition of wages was left intact.
There was a modification applying to wages but it was independent of the OT ceiling. Its main feature was capping wages at the governor's paid salary, a truly fascinating idea.
The change is listed below:
"Wages" shall mean regular compensation earned by and paid to a member by a public employer
, except that for members who first join
the New York state and local employees' retirement system or
the New York state teachers' retirement system
on or after January first, two thousand ten,
overtime compensation paid in any year in excess of the overtime ceiling,
as defined by this subdivision,
shall not be included in the definition of wages.
"Overtime compensation" shall mean, for purposes of this section,
compensation paid under any law or policy under which employees are paid at a rate greater
than their standard rate for additional hours worked
beyond those required, including compensation paid under
section one hundred thirty-four of the civil service law and
section ninety of the general municipal law.
The "overtime ceiling" shall mean fifteen thousand dollars per annum on January first, two thousand ten, and shall be increased by three per cent each year thereafter,
provided, however, that for members who first become members
of a public retirement system of the state
on or after April first, two thousand twelve,
"overtime ceiling"
shall mean fifteen thousand dollars per annum on April first, two thousand twelve, and
shall be increased each year thereafter by a percentage to be determined annually
by reference to the consumer price index
(all urban consumers, CPI-U, U.S. city average, all items, 1982-84=100),
published by the United States bureau of labor statistics, for each applicable calendar year.Said percentage shall equal the annual inflation as determined from the increase in the consumer price index in the one year period ending on the December thirty-first prior to the cost-of-living adjustment effective on the ensuing April first.
For members who first join a public retirement system of the state on or after April first, two thousand twelve, the following items shall not be included in the definition of wages:
- 1. wages in excess of the annual salary paid to the governor pursuant to section three of article four of the state constitution,
- 2. lump sum payments for deferred compensation, sick leave, accumulated vacation or other credits for time not worked,
- 3. any form of termi- nation pay,
- 4. any additional compensation paid in anticipation of retirement, and
- 5. in the case of employees who receive wages from three or more employers in a twelve month period, the wages paid by the third and each successive employer.
2017
In 2017, NYS again modified (Chapter368) the definition of “overtime ceiling” but left the definition of wages intact.
Specifically, Chapter 368 of the Laws of 2017 modifying the definition of “overtime ceiling” had only two fiscal notes, one from the NYSLERS actuary and one from the NYSTRS actuary. New York State pension legislation requires fiscal notes from all pension systems effected by the legislation.(c) The "overtime ceiling" shall mean fifteen thousand dollars per three per cent each year thereafter, provided, however, that:
(i) for members who first become members of a public retirement system of the state on or after April first, two thousand twelve, "overtime ceiling" shall mean fifteen thousand dollars per annum on April first, two thousand twelve, and shall be increased each year thereafter by a percentage to be determined annually by reference to the consumer price index (all urban consumers, CPI-U, U.S. city average, all items, 1982-84=100), published by the United States bureau of labor statistics, for each applicable calendar year. Said percentage shall equal the annual inflation as determined from the increase in the consumer price index in the one year period ending on the December thirty-first [prior to] preceding the [cost-of-living] overtime ceiling adjustment effective on the ensuing April first.
(ii) Commencing January first, two thousand eighteen, and each year thereafter, the overtime ceiling percentage shall be increased by an amount equal to the annual inflation as determined from the increase in the consumer price index in the one year period ending on the September thirtieth prior to the overtime ceiling adjustment effective on the ensuing January first.
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