Committee balks at raises for Supreme Court executive secretaries.

Monday, June 2, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

Raises for seven secretarial positions are part of a staff reorganization proposed by Chief Justice Miriam Shearing which she says is vital to plans aimed at reducing a 2,100-case backlog in the court.

As part of the reorganization, she asked lawmakers for salary reclassifications that would boost pay for 21 of the court's 55 employees.

Ways and Means members went along with senators in agreeing Saturday to raise staff attorney salaries and the pay of two management assistants. But they balked at boosting pay for the secretaries, some of whom already make $42,160 a year.

Assemblywoman Vonne Chowning, D-Las Vegas, said her subcommittee reviewed salaries of similar positions in the state's district courts and found the Supreme Court salaries already at or above most others who do similar work.

"Their argument is that they are doing work above and beyond," said Chowning, adding that Shearing testified those secretaries have taken on paralegal responsibilities in the past couple of years.

"We need to pay people for what they're doing," said Assemblywoman Chris Giunchigliani, D-Las Vegas. "If they're paralegals we need to classify them as such."

But she pointed out the committee has very little explanation for their duties and how they have changed.

Assemblywoman Kathy Von Tobel, R-Las Vegas, also said the committee should get much better information to explain the proposals. And Assemblywoman Barbara Cegavske, R-Las Vegas, pointed out that earlier testimony from the court indicated the secretaries work only seven hours a day instead of eight.

According to staff analysts, the requested increases, added to proposed cost-of-living adjustments, would raise the maximum pay for those positions to $48,881 by 1999. And four of the seven are at the top pay level because of their length of service with the state.