North Las Vegas: Concerns raised over police contract

Sonya Padgett

Thursday, July 22, 1999 | 10:10 a.m.

Claiming unfair representation from their union, North Las Vegas corrections officers unsuccessfully asked city officials Wednesday to delay ratification of the $561,500 Police Officers Association supervisor contract and launch an investigation into a possible fixed union vote.

Corrections supervisors Lt. Filippo Liani and Sgt. Rick Bonvicin raised concerns over the union vote to ratify the new contract, which was approved by 59 percent of the 44 members.

The council, however, had no choice but to ratify the contract because the city has no jurisdiction over the police union and can't investigate the supervisors' claims, Councilwoman Stephanie Smith said. The council approved the contract 5-0.

Liani and Bonvicin said 13 votes were counted for the contract ratification when it wasn't clear if the 13 union members had actually voted.

Union members were told they could vote only one of two ways: by proxy or in person at the official time, Liani said.

"There were 13 police (supervisors) who weren't at the vote. We were told they did an office vote. There's no such thing as an office vote in the association bylaws," Bonvicin said.

Liani and Bonvicin also told the City Council that contract negotiations between the association and city officials were biased because corrections supervisors didn't have a representative on the negotiating committee.

"They're not representing us fairly and equally. There are no corrections officers on the board at all. We're trying to get a neutral party to look into this," Bonvicin said.

Liani and Bonvicin wanted the City Council to look into the questionable votes and tell the union to provide a corrections supervisor representative.

Corrections supervisors asked the union six weeks ago to appoint their representative to the five-member negotiating board, Liani said. Union officials said that couldn't be done until the association bylaws were changed in November.

"We don't have a one-to-one vote. It's almost two-to-one," Bonvicin said. "How can you get close to that (number)?"

There are a total of 44 supervisors -- 28 police and 16 corrections supervisors.

The corrections supervisors appear to be losers in the new contract, Liani said. Over three years, police lieutenants would receive an 18 percent raise while corrections lieutenants only a 9 percent raise, he said.

Police sergeants will receive a 12.25 percent raise spread throughout three years, Liani said, with corrections sergeants receiving a 5 percent raise over the same time period.

Currently, corrections sergeants earn a yearly base salary of $66,883 while police sergeants earn $68,195.

Corrections lieutenants make $74,928 yearly; police lieutenants earn $79,703.

The contract will take effect, but corrections supervisors are going to continue to fight what they perceive as a tremendous injustice, Bonvicin said.

"We don't know where we're going to go from here. We'll meet with the other supervisors and decide what to do collectively," Bonvicin said.