ARTICLE 8 AS AMENDED

 

RELATING TO LONGEVITY PAYMENTS

 

     SECTION 1. Section 36-4-17.1 of the General Laws in Chapter 36-4 entitled "Merit

System" is hereby amended to read as follows:

 

     36-4-17.1. Longevity payments. -- A state employee in the classified or unclassified

service who terminates employment and is subsequently reemployed by the state, notwithstanding

any rule, regulation, or provision of the general laws to the contrary, shall be eligible to receive an

aggregate longevity increase for the period of initial employment and subsequent employment.

The provisions of this section shall be applied retroactively to those persons reemployed prior to

June 1, 1980, and thereafter.

 

     36-4-17.2. Future longevity payments. Beginning on July 1, 2011, notwithstanding

any rule, regulation, or provision of the public laws or general laws to the contrary, there shall be

no further longevity increases for state employees; provided, however, for employees with

longevity provisions pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement in effect on June 1, 2011,

longevity increases shall cease beginning on July 1, 2011 or beginning upon the expiration of the

applicable collective bargaining agreement, whichever occurs later. To the extent an employee

has previously accrued longevity payments, the employee shall continue to receive the same

longevity percentage in effect on June 30, 2011, or in the case of an employee with longevity

provisions pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement in effect on June 1, 2011, the same

longevity percentage in effect on June 30, 2011 or upon the expiration of the applicable collective

bargaining agreement, whichever occurs later.

 

     SECTION 2. Section 16-59-7.2 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-59 entitled "Board of

Governors for Higher Education" is hereby amended to read as follows:

 

     16-59-7.2. Longevity payments -- Nonclassified employees. -- (a) The non-classified

employees of the board of governors for higher education, except for faculty employees and

except for non-classified employees already receiving longevity increases, shall be entitled to a

longevity payment in the amount of five percent (5%) of base salary after ten (10) years of

service and increasing to a total of ten percent (10%) of base salary after twenty (20) years of

service. The provisions of this section will apply only to employees under the grade of nineteen

(19). The longevity payments shall not be included in base salary.

      (b) The board of governors is authorized to promulgate regulations implementing the

provisions of this section.

     (c) Beginning on July 1, 2011, notwithstanding any rule, regulation, or provision of the

public laws or general laws to the contrary, there shall be no further longevity increases for

employees of the board of governors; provided, however, for employees with longevity

provisions pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement in effect on June 1, 2011, longevity

increases shall cease beginning on July 1, 2011 or beginning upon the expiration of the applicable

collective bargaining agreement, whichever occurs later. To the extent an employee has

previously accrued longevity payments, the amount of the longevity payment earned by the

employee for the last pay period in June, 2011 shall be added to the employee’s base salary as of

June 30, 2011, or in the case of an employee with longevity provisions pursuant to a collective

bargaining agreement in effect on June 1, 2011, the amount of the longevity payment earned by

the employee for the latter of the last pay period in June or the last pay period prior to the

expiration of the applicable collective bargaining agreement shall be added to the employee’s

base salary as of June 30, 2011 or upon the expiration of the applicable collective bargaining

agreement, whichever occurs later.

 

     SECTION 3. Section 16-60-7.2 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-60 entitled “Board of

Regents for Elementary and Secondary Education” is hereby amended to read as follows:

 

     16-60-7.2. Longevity payments -- Nonclassified employees. -- (a) The non-classified

employees of the board of regents for elementary and secondary education, except for non-

classified employees already receiving longevity increases, shall be entitled to a longevity

payment in the amount of five percent (5%) of base salary after ten (10) years of service and

increasing to a total of ten percent (10%) of base salary after twenty (20) years of service. The

provisions of this section shall apply only to employees under the grade of nineteen (19). The

longevity payments shall not be included in base salary.

      (b) The board of regents is authorized to promulgate regulations implementing the

provisions of this section.

     (c) Beginning on July 1, 2011, notwithstanding any rule, regulation, or provision of the

public laws or general laws to the contrary, there shall be no further longevity increases for

employees of the board of regents for elementary and secondary education; provided, however,

for employees with longevity provisions pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement in effect

on June 1, 2011, longevity increases shall cease beginning on July 1, 2011 or beginning upon the

expiration of the applicable collective bargaining agreement, whichever occurs later. To the

extent an employee has previously accrued longevity payments, the amount of the longevity

payment earned by the employee for the last pay period in June, 2011 shall be added to the

employee’s base salary as of June 30, 2011, or in the case of an employee with longevity

provisions pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement in effect on June 1, 2011, the amount of

the longevity payment earned by the employee for the latter of the last pay period in June or the

last pay period prior to the expiration of the applicable collective bargaining agreement shall be

added to the employee’s base salary as of June 30, 2011 or upon the expiration of the applicable

collective bargaining agreement, whichever occurs later.

 

     SECTION 4. Section 16-61-8.1 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-61 entitled "Rhode

Island Public Telecommunications Authority" is hereby amended to read as follows:

 

     16-61-8.1. Longevity payments -- Nonclassified employees. -- (a) Non-classified

employees of the Rhode Island public telecommunications authority, except for non-classified

employees already receiving longevity increases, shall be entitled to a longevity payment in the

amount of five percent (5%) of base salary after ten (10) years of service and increasing in a total

of ten percent (10%) of base salary after twenty (20) years of service. The provisions of this

section shall apply only to employees under the grade of nineteen (19). The longevity payments

shall not be included in base salary.

      (b) The telecommunications authority is authorized to promulgate regulations

implementing the provisions of this section.

     (c) Beginning on July 1, 2011, notwithstanding any rule, regulation, or provision of the

public laws or general laws to the contrary, there shall be no further longevity increases for

employees of the Rhode Island public telecommunications authority; provided, however, for

employees with longevity provisions pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement in effect on

June 1, 2011, longevity increases shall cease beginning on July 1, 2011 or beginning upon the

expiration of the applicable collective bargaining agreement, whichever occurs later. To the

extent an employee has previously accrued longevity payments, the amount of the longevity

payment earned by the employee for the last pay period in June, 2011 shall be added to the

employee’s base salary as of June 30, 2011, or in the case of an employee with longevity

provisions pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement in effect on June 1, 2011, the amount of

the longevity payment earned by the employee for the latter of the last pay period in June or the

last pay period prior to the expiration of the applicable collective bargaining agreement shall be

added to the employee’s base salary as of June 30, 2011 or upon the expiration of the applicable

collective bargaining agreement, whichever occurs later.

 

     SECTION 5. Chapter 36-6 of the General Laws entitled "Salaries and Traveling

Expenses" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section:

 

     36-6-22. Longevity payments. -- Beginning on July 1, 2011, notwithstanding any rule,

regulation, or provision of the public laws or general laws to the contrary, there shall be no

further longevity increases for officers, secretaries, and employees of the legislative branch, the

judicial branch, the office of the governor, the office of the lieutenant governor, the department of

state, the department of the attorney general, and the treasury department; provided, however, for

employees with longevity provisions pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement in effect on

June 1, 2011, longevity increases shall cease beginning on July 1, 2011 or beginning upon the

expiration of the applicable collective bargaining agreement, whichever occurs later. To the

extent an employee has previously accrued longevity payments, the employee shall continue to

receive the same longevity percentage in effect on June 30, 2011, or in the case of an employee

with longevity provisions pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement in effect on June 1, 2011,

the same longevity percentage in effect on June 30, 2011 or upon the expiration of the applicable

collective bargaining agreement, whichever occurs later.

 

     SECTION 6. Title 36 of the General Laws entitled "Public Officers and Employees" is

hereby amended by adding thereto the following chapter:

 

CHAPTER 16.2

QUASI PUBLIC CORPORATIONS – LONGEVITY

 

     36-16.2-1. Longevity payments – Quasi public employees. - (a) Beginning on July 1,

2011, notwithstanding any rule, regulation, or provision of the public laws or general laws to the

contrary, there shall be no further longevity increases for employees of the quasi- public

corporations; provided, however, for employees with longevity provisions pursuant to a collective

bargaining agreement in effect on June 1, 2011, longevity increases shall cease beginning on July

1, 2011, or beginning upon the expiration of the applicable collective bargaining agreement,

whichever occurs later. To the extent an employee has previously accrued longevity payments,

the amount of the longevity payment earned by the employee for the last pay period in June, 2011

shall be added to the employee’s base salary as of June 30, 2011, or in the case of an employee

with longevity provisions pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement in effect on June 1, 2011,

the amount of the longevity payment earned by the employee for the latter of the last pay period

in June or the last pay period prior to the expiration of the applicable collective bargaining

agreement shall be added to the employee’s base salary as of June 30, 2011 or upon the expiration

of the applicable collective bargaining agreement, whichever occurs later.

     (b) For purposes of this section "quasi-public corporation" means a body corporate and

politic acting as a public corporation, which has been organized pursuant to law and granted

certain powers, rights and privileges by the general laws, while exhibiting a distinct legal

existence from the state, and not constituting a department of the state government, in order to

perform a governmental function.

 

     SECTION 7. This Article shall take effect upon passage.