Story & Photo by MIKE LEE

Depending on the City agency you work for, whether you are employed at a cultural institution, or are in the nonprofit human services sector, the structure and terminology of your paycheck may vary.

One line in a paycheck is the Recurring Increment Payment (RIP), an additional amount of pay based on the length of City service, irrespective of previous titles. Another line added to the base salary, usually called either Longevity Differential or Service Increment, is based on years of continuous service in the same occupational group or the same Local. Past part-time service is prorated for either amount if employees become full time.

Recently, Local 375 member Omar Ortiz, a City Planner 1 at the NYC Department of City Planning, received $20,000 in back pay for RIP and Longevity Differential that he should have started to earn in 2014 when he transitioned from part time to full time serving as a City Planning Technician.

Ortiz began his career in the Department in October 2006 as a part-time City Planning Technician working 34 hours a week. In 2017, he passed the Civil Service Exam for City Planner 1 and was promoted.

“The first thing I did was go to Human Capital (at DCAS) and ask about the RIP,” Ortiz said. “I was told part-timers did not receive longevity, that I was starting from day one.”

It was not until last year that Ortiz learned what he was told was incorrect.

In August 2024, Ortiz met Local 375 Vice President Harry Donas, who was conducting paycheck reviews. Ortiz admitted he never thought there was going to be anything wrong with his pay — but they found an issue.

Although the Department employed Ortiz for 16 years, his RIP was only for five.

Donas and Ortiz wrote to the payroll specialist and received the same response.

In his research, Donas discovered an appendix to the contract stating that when a part-time employee becomes full time, their part-time years are prorated. They highlighted the section and sent it to payroll.

“We did their job for them,” Donas said. “I find errors in 20% of the pay stubs that members ask me to review.”

Due to the statute of limitations, the Department only compensated Ortiz for six years. However, he received a substantial pay increase as the result of checking his check.

“Get to know your pay stub,” Ortiz said. “Go through every single line and ask yourself why this is here, what the dollar amount is, and what it should be. Then contact your Union Rep if you have a question.”