Committee Okays Bill For City Electronic Pay Stubs; At Workers' Option

By ARI PAUL

The Chief-Leader/Adrienne Haywood-James SAVING MONEY AND PAPER: Manhattan Councilwoman Jessica Lappin praised the City Council's Civil Service and Labor Committee June 24 for passing a bill that would replace paper pay stubs for city employees with electronic ones. Despite some union opposition, Committee Chair Joseph P. Addabbo expected it to pass the full Council.

A measure to make pay stubs for city employees electronic, giving any worker the option to request a paper version, took a step forward when it was approved by a City Council Committee June 24.

Council Civil Service and Labor Committee Chairman Joseph P. Addabbo noted that the bill had been revised to solve several problems with its original language since it was first discussed during a committee hearing in April.

To Take Effect End of '09

"There is a new provision for city agencies to provide computer kiosks for some of their employees who may not have access to computers, so we will help those employees out," he said before the committee vote.

The change would begin December 2009. Currently, more than 70,000 city workers at 46 agencies can access their payroll information electronically. The bill affects most city employees including elected officials and their staffs.

"There's also going to be an implementation schedule that really deals with each individual agency's issues in terms of implementation," said the bill's sponsor, Manhattan Councilwoman Jessica Lappin.

Ms. Lappin has estimated that the change would save the city 27 cents on each paycheck, amounting to $2 million a year, in addition to being more environmentally friendly.

Less Prone to Identify Theft

"Our hope would be - and since over 70 percent of city employees get electronic direct deposit checks - that those employees would most likely prefer to receive electronic pay stubs," Ms. Lappin said. "They are much more secure than the paper stub in terms of identity theft and I think much easier to find when you have them all in one place on-line."

Unions appeared split on the bill, as District Council 37 opposed it while Teamsters Local 237 President Greg Floyd said, "I don't see this bill hurting anyone."

Mr. Floyd added that if the city can make pay stubs for its workers electronic, then workers should receive them a day in advance.

Ms. Lappin noted that similar bills have been introduced in the State Legislature and in the U.S. House of Representatives, while other state and municipal governments have already made the switch.

"I think we're ahead of the curve," she said.

The full Council is expected to vote on the bill this week, and Council Members were optimistic that Mayor Bloomberg would enact the measure.

"We agree with the concept of the Council bill," said mayoral spokesman Jason Post, "and we have worked with the Council to resolve several issues with the legislation."