Guinn looks for way to boost state salaries

Thursday, Nov. 30, 2000 | 11:37 a.m.

Salary hikes

Since 1995, the consumer price index has risen 18 percent. Here are area government salary increases for the same period:

Source: Nevada Personnel Division

CARSON CITY -- Salaries of state workers lag 26 percent behind pay of local governments and private industry in Nevada and Gov. Kenny Guinn says the state is losing "good people because our pay scale doesn't measure up."

Guinn does not say what he's going to do about raises for workers. But he will be keeping an eye on the Economic Forum that meets today in Carson City to predict how much the state will collect in tax revenues during the next two years.

That forecast will give Guinn an idea of how much he can afford for salary increases as he prepares his budget for the 2001 Legislature.

Bob Gagnier, director of the 4,500-member State of Nevada Employees Association, said the state "must find a way to provide adequate pay raises." He said his organization is working with Guinn to alleviate the problem.

There are about 14,000 workers and a 1-percent pay raise would cost $10 million a year from all sources of revenue.

Gagnier said his organization is asking for a 5 percent cost-of-living raise in 2001 and 3 percent in 2002 to close the gap.

While Nevada's state workers trail badly in the comparison of wages in this state, they only are 5.5 percent lower than the pay of other state workers in the West. And benefits for Nevada workers are on the average 2.1 percent better than state employees in other western states.

The state Personnel Division released the results of its survey Tuesday comparing wages with the major local governments, the big casinos, hospitals and utilities and 10 other states. It found that since 1995, the salary increases for cities and counties have totaled 23.4 percent compared to 16 percent for the state. In that period the consumer price index has risen 18 percent.

The biggest pay increases during this period were made to employees of Las Vegas at 30.8 percent, Henderson at 28 percent and Clark County and North Las Vegas both at 25 percent.

But the survey also found the 16 percent increase to state workers was higher than the 14.8 percent pay raises for the Nevada school districts.

"With the current inequity in salaries for state workers compared to those who work for city or county governments, Nevada is becoming nothing more than a training ground for other government entities," Guinn said.

For example, he said 652 people quit the state Department of Motor Vehicles and Public Safety in the past 16 months, a turnover rate of more than 27 percent.

The state's overall employee turnover rate for the past year is 13.4 percent, according to Gagnier.

The study shows the salary of correctional officers is 51.6 percent lower than what is paid in the Nevada market. And the turnover is 20.9 percent in the last year. A social worker makes on the average of 28.8 percent less in state government than in other places in Nevada. And there's a 24.7 percent turnover in that category.

Pay for auditors in state government is 42 percent below the Nevada average but the employee turnover is only 6.3 percent.

Engineers in state government make anywhere from 24 to 35 percent less than in other places in Nevada. And the turnover is about 10 percent. Administrative aides are paid 26.9 percent less and their state turnover is 23 percent.

While there is much talk about lagging salaries of highway patrol troopers, the study shows the salaries are only 4.8 percent behind and the turnover rate is 7.8 percent.

The survey also offered comparisons of benefits such as insurance, retirement, sick and annual leave and holidays. In state government the employee benefits are pegged at $16,671 a year compared to $16,311 in other western states.

The state lags, however, when its benefits are compared to cities and counties in Nevada whose benefit costs average $23,807 a year.

Some of the best benefit packages are in Southern Nevada: Metro Police, $28,130; Las Vegas, $26,394; North Las Vegas, $26,012, and Clark County, $25,281.

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