ess-title-hed2
Maintain employee information
and pay remittances – with a Click
of a Button!
CLICK HERE TO LOG IN >
WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR

Glossary of Terms

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
401(K) Plan – is the feature of the 32BJ Supplemental Retirement and Savings Plan (SRSP) which allows workers to defer a portion of their pay prior to taxes being taken out.

401(K) Invoice – is the statement (bill) that specifies the amount each employee has authorized the employer defer from his/her pay for the SRSP. This amount is input by the employer based on each employee’s deferral form. It is remitted separately from the employer contribution to the SRSP and must be paid at the close of each payroll period (usually weekly).
Account – in ESS, a unique combination of employer, work location and Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Audit – The goal of the Building Service 32BJ Benefit Funds Audit Program is to ensure compliance by our contributing employers. In order to ensure this compliance, and accomplish it in an equitable manner, the Trustees determined to conduct a 100% audit program. Each employer will be audited for every contribution period.
Benefit Contribution Invoice (BCI) – a statement (bill) to the Employer for their contribution to the 32BJ Benefit Funds for their employee’s benefits such as Health, Pension, Profit-sharing (SRSP), Legal and Training, as required by the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Collective Bargaining Agreement – an agreement between employers or an association of employers (such as the RAB) and the Union (on behalf of employees) that regulates the terms and conditions of their employment and the responsibilities of the employer. It specifies the amounts owed to each of the benefit funds.

Contact – person the employer or managing agent designates to be point of contact for the Benefit Funds or Union.
ERISA (Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974) – is a federal law that regulates most pension and health plans in private industry.

Employee Roster – a comprehensive list detailing the names and positions of all employees associated with a given employer or employer account.

Employers – companies that have entered into a Collective Bargaining Agreement with SEIU Local 32BJ.

Employer Self Service System (ESS) – is a web-based system used by employers to maintain employee roster information, remittance of required Benefit Fund Contributions and 401(k) wage deferrals, Union Dues and American Dream Fund  wage deferrals.

End of Year Wages (EOY) – salary data generally includes all compensation reported on the Form W-2. IRS regulations require the Supplemental Retirement Savings Plan (SRSP) performs annual Non-Discrimination Testing. Employers are required to provide salary information for all employees covered under a Collective Bargaining Agreement that includes SRSP.

Export – export is an ESS feature that allow employers to pull information from a grid or a report within a webpage. The exported information can be formatted in PDF, EXCEL or CSV (EXCEL) in use outside the system. For example, any grid in ESS can be exported into these different formats.

Fund or Benefit Fund – trust funds jointly administered by Union and Employer trustees to which Employers contribute as required by a Collective Bargaining or Participation Agreement, in order to provide benefits to employees.


Fund Family – a group of Benefit Funds usually with common trustees and similar groups of participants and contributing Employers. For example, the Building Service 32BJ Pension, Health, Legal Services, Training and SRSP are a family of funds. Similarly, the 32BJ North Pension, Health and Legal Services Funds are a family of funds. Employers may contribute to more than one family of funds.

Historical Roster – employer self-service (ESS) provides a roster of all employees employed by a participating employer over time. This will include both active and former employees.

Import/Import File – importing copies of existing data from a text file to your database. Additionally, it saves you the trouble of typing it in by hand (importing 401k deferrals, hours, wages etc. in ESS to process invoices). Import Files are used by Employers to eliminate keying in participant specific information on a invoice that would be used to calculate the due amount for all invoice types or to provide the Supplemental Retirement Savings Plan end of year wage data: Benefit Contribution Invoice (BCI), 401k invoice (401kI), Union Dues Invoice (UDI), American Dream Fund Invoice (ADFI) and EOY Wage Data.

Internet Browser – is the program you use to access the internet and view web pages on your computer. Some common internet browsers are: Microsoft Edge, Mozilla FireFox and Google Chrome.

Interest Invoice – an invoice (bill) that is generated when there is an overdue unpaid balance (late payment, underpayment and/or non-payment.)

Job Classifications – job titles specified in the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Job Type – Describes if an employee is full time or part time according to the applicable collective bargaining agreement.
Monthly Contribution Amount – a sum of money that you regularly pay pursuant to a Collective Bargaining or Participation Agreement to one or more Funds for benefits provided to your employees.

Monthly Invoice Obligation – a bill generated each month.

Monthly Contribution Summary – provides an overview of all payments made each month.

Mozilla FireFox – is a free/downloadable open source internet web browser.
Payroll Program – is a payroll software solution provided by an outside vendor or done in house. Some commonly used payroll programs are ADP, Paychex, Ceridian, etc. ESS works with any payroll program.

Paymentus – the payment system used by employers to make payments electronically in ESS. through ACH (Automated Clearing House) as of September 2023.
Real Time Data – information that is updated immediately after entry/collection. There is no delay in the timeliness of the information provided.

Released Invoice – is an invoice that has been created, reviewed and approved by the Employer. The invoice is “locked” and no further edits are allowed. The invoice is ready for payment.

Report – a formatted document that can be run in ESS. It allows you to query, filter, sort and group your data to give you the specific answers you’re looking for. You are then able to output those results in any format that works best (such as a PDF).
Status Change – events that change an employee’s employment status, such as termination or commencement of employment and the beginning and end of a leave.

Security Administrator – is the person responsible for the upkeep, configuration and reliable operation of your company’s computers and IT systems.
Union – SEIU Local 32BJ- Negotiates Collective Bargaining Agreements with Employers and/or Employer’s Association.

Union Dues Invoice (UDI) – an invoice generated to Employers for the members required union dues.