For the purposes of this article and articles eight, nine and nine-a of this chapter, the following words have the meanings ascribed to them unless the context clearly indicates a different meaning:

(1) “Benefits” means programs that an employer uses to supplement the cash compensation of employees and includes health and welfare plans, retirement plans, pay for time not worked and other employee prerequisites.

(2) “Compensation” means cash provided by an employer to an employee for services rendered.

(3) “Compensatory time” and “compensatory time off” mean hours during which the employee is not working, which are not counted as hours worked during the applicable work week or other work period for purposes of overtime compensation and for which the employee is compensated at the employee’s regular rate of pay.

(4) “Employee classification” or “employee class” means those employees designated as classified employees; nonclassified employees, including presidents, chief executives and administrators and faculty, as these terms are defined in this article and articles eight, nine and nine-a of this chapter.

(5) “Full-time” means a regular employee whose employment, if continued, accumulates to a minimum total of one thousand forty hours during a calendar year and extends over at least nine months of a calendar year

(6) “Health and welfare benefit plan” means an arrangement which provides any of the following: Medical, dental, visual, psychiatric or long-term health care, life insurance, accidental death or dismemberment benefits, disability benefits or comparable benefits.

(7) “More senior employees” means an employee who has greater longevity with the institution than another employee who is also subject to layoff as part of a reduction in force.