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twitterCLARK COUNTY:
Revisiting public workers’ pay
Local governments are asking unions to give them unprecedented breaks
Sam Morris
Clark County Commission Chairman Rory Reid talks with reporters Thursday after a meeting in which he asked the heads of three unions — police, fire and the SEIU — for adjustments to existing contracts that would help the county avert layoffs and keep labor costs under control. “A meeting like we had has never been seen,” Reid said.
Saturday, Nov. 22, 2008 | 2 a.m.
In a state that prizes small, limited government, public employees have always been the exception, insulated from the economic ups and downs of the private sector. That is, until now.
Beyond the Sun
For the first time in Nevada’s history, county and city governments are turning to public employee unions, strongly suggesting labor leaders reopen existing contracts and make some concessions — or face the prospect of layoffs.
Clark County officials, led by Commission Chairman Rory Reid, met with leaders of the Service Employees International Union and the police and fire unions Thursday to deliver the grim news. Expenses are outpacing revenues, Reid said. Thus, current labor costs are simply unsustainable, he said.
The three unions represent 12,000 workers, and their leaders bristled.
“A meeting like we had has never been seen,” Reid said later. Prior to this week, reopening contracts has “never even been suggested as an option.”
In labor-friendly Las Vegas, it’s a striking development. Indeed, the sensitivity of such a suggestion was clear, with labor leaders saying Reid tactically waited until a news conference to utter: “Everything is on the table.”
Similarly, Las Vegas, facing a $150 million deficit over the next five years, has met with four unions to discuss labor costs, which account for 75 percent of the city’s budget. The City Council is expected to address the issue Dec. 3.
Nationally, the move is hardly unprecedented. Citing budget shortfalls, counties and state governments across the country are examining the possibility of revisiting labor pacts to save money.
California and New York, typically labor-friendly states, are looking to temper costs by reducing state employee pay.
In California, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wants to mandate monthly, one-day unpaid furloughs for all state employees for the next 19 months. He is also proposing to slash Columbus Day and Lincoln’s birthday from the calendar and stop premium pay for those who work on the remaining 11 paid holidays. State agencies would also be encouraged to establish 10-hour, four-day workweeks.
Those changes would require legislative approval.
In New York, Gov. David Paterson is asking unions to forgo next year’s negotiated 3 percent pay hike.
Public employee unions are fighting back in both states.
Richard Hurd, a labor relations expert at Cornell University, said the country has not seen such a widespread movement toward labor renegotiation since the 1992 recession. Back then, New York City municipal workers, for instance, gave back millions in wages to avert layoffs.
Still, Hurd noted that such union concessions are typically voluntary. “Unless an agreement is reached, the contract is binding and the employer’s options are limited,” he said. “They always have the option of eliminating jobs or laying people off.”
Concessions often take the form of reduced pension contributions and postponed or waived raises, Hurd said. Generally, a union’s first step is to work with the government to find cost savings. Indeed, all three unions here have asked to examine the county’s books before revisiting their contracts.
For its part, the county began instituting a three-part cost containment plan in May, curtailing employee travel, restricting overtime to “critical purposes” and leaving 350 budgeted positions vacant. Last month, County Manager Virginia Valentine asked department heads to examine their individual budgets to identify further cuts. Those officials will report back next month. Also, The County Commission approved a plan this week to cut a dozen programs and services at University Medical Center, including its outpatient oncology center and high-risk obstetrical unit.
With part three comes possible layoffs.
The county is in this position, in part, because of considerable overtime costs, which until this year had been increasing. From 2002 to 2007, county overtime jumped 151 percent. The county knocked off — “with some tweaking here and there” — $3.5 million this year, bringing costs down to $26 million from last year’s $29.5 million, according to county spokesman Erik Pappa. (The Sun reported in February 2007 that Southern Nevada has three times the national average of public employees making six-figure salaries.)
One union, the Las Vegas Police Protective Association, which represents Metro and corrections officers, is refusing to reopen its contract, saying it would be all but pointless because the union’s contract expires in June and is accounted for in the county budget.
President Chris Collins is less than thrilled with the prospect of his union being the first to negotiate a new contract because it could set the standard for public-employee contracts in the new economy.
The jockeying has begun and the police union’s stance could foreshadow some inter-union tension.
If layoffs are necessary, Collins said, workers in nursing and fire and police services should be treated differently from other county employees.
“I think if you ask someone on the street if they would rather cut a police officer or cut county employee ‘B’, they’ll pick B,” he said. “The people who provide for the safety and welfare of the citizens in our valley, that should be our very last cut.”
Ed Burke, executive director of SEIU Local 1107, wasn’t as quick to abandon solidarity, but defended his members’ value: “I can make the same case for child protection. We’re just as important as the others.”
Discussion: 17 comments so far…
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Put all government employees on fixed salaries. No overtime! That will save millions and will not hurt services!
odog - Nope. Do both. At least for now.
This is just the start. Much more to come. Get ready for the Democrats tax assualt. Just the change you wanted eh??????
The 'heads' need to lead by example - step up to the plate, take a pay cut, decline any and all 'bonuses and other perks' and then perhaps others will follow suit. The 'average joe' worker is NOT gonna listen to someone who hasn't taken a paycut themselves when they try to convince people that a paycut is in order.
Exactly azsk8fan,
Please tell me how much we pay the administrations and even big Rory himself. Take the first dive in there chief! Do it for your people. Oh wait, just in it for yourself are you? These so called leaders that we have at all levels of government are clowns. From beanbag Reid all the way to bozo Gibbons. At least Mr. Gov said he would start with his pay. Anywho, these career politicians need to hit the road, starting with the Reids!!!!
Yes, I've always contended that ANY politician is in it for their own greedy self-serving purpose. They want/need to be in position to call whatever shots necessary to protect THEIR wallets (first and foremost). This country is indeed in a world of hurt - corrupt, greedy, rich-guys who stick it to average joe worker every chance they get. They want people to work for less, pay more for products and they want us to apparently just accept this situation as an 'it is what it is' situation. I don't see anyone except average joe worker being asked to work for lower wages, take home lower percentages of their paycheck - I don't see Mr. Bigshot CEO, or Mr. Bigshot government employee- from the lowest guy right up to the White House, I don't see them working for lower wages.....
AND THEY HAVE TO BUILD A NEW CITY HALL RIGHT NOW TOO
why not file for chapter 11 and then start over,cut unions pay
washington wants GM to do it
seems ok with me
Many states are saying this same stuff but gosh when it comes to raise's for lawmakers its like yup,sure ,great,done........but if the taxpayer want services they all tell us well it can't be done and need to raise TAXES?
ever notice who-ever gets money from local,state,or federal government these same companies also give hugely to lobby firms and or election funds?
now if you ask me the only firms,companies,ect are the ones that have NEVER got a red cent, never,had there hand out could be allowed to do so on a 1 to 1 basis
GM has doled out $350 MILLION to lawmakers and lobby firms?
FM/FM Hundreds of Millions of Dollars
AIG
the list goes on and on
and in the Medical field last year alone near $100 million just for federal elections and they want to raise medicare/medicaid to the states?
the states over spend what they have now and give them selves raise's
look at the state level how much is given to re-election funds from Nursing homes,hospitals,doctors?
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article...
That the State of Iowa was quietly funneling $8 million in Medicaid "bonuses" to Iowa nursing homes each year.
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article...
and now congress want to raise Medicare money to the states again? gee how much will Iowa get and give out to the medical industry only to get more to there re-election funds in return?
I went to www.congress.org and said NO to more funding
Look at www.taf.org and ask your self why?
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH
"I think if you ask someone on the street if they would rather cut a police officer or cut county employee 'B', they'll pick B," he said. "The people who provide for the safety and welfare of the citizens in our valley, that should be our very last cut."
I bet this same people you ask would answer if you had a choice to protection from 2 dif. government bodies A.a corrupt highly paid police force or B. a branch of the U.S. Armed Forces it would be B and if you look at the cost it may well be less and done better?
look at who gets called up to provide for curfew and protection when cities need it!!
If layoffs are necessary, Collins said, workers in nursing and fire and police services should be treated differently from other county employees.
"I think if you ask someone on the street if they would rather cut a police officer or cut county employee 'B', they'll pick B," he said. "The people who provide for the safety and welfare of the citizens in our valley, that should be our very last cut."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
How about we stop paying Laughline firefighters over $50,000 a year n overtime because not all of them are water trained. For getting remote pay, there is a waiting list of firefighters to work here because the stations in Laughlin get about 4 calls a day....that's right...4!!!
And they make over $150,000 a year!!!!
How about instead firefighters get a salary?
Oh and if OT is the one killing it, how about someone tell the unions that they are no longer entitled to a minimum of 3 hours OT even if they work only 15 minutes....that is right! they are guaranteed 3 hours no mater how lnog they work.
And if they did layoffs, you know who goes? The cheaper newer workers that are probably better educated and more up to date. The ones that stay according to contracts? The senior ones who are capped out getting the most OT.
So before we go around saying firemen deserve the pay, figure out if a Laughlin Firefighter who gets 4 calls a day deserves over $150,000 due to OT and why this is considered the cush assignment.
The majority of OT in the County according a public report I saw was the firefighters and the IT people. IT people everywhere else are salary. Why are the counties not salary? OH YEAH!!!! The union.
The 'heads' need to lead by example - step up to the plate, take a pay cut, decline any and all 'bonuses and other perks' and then perhaps others will follow suit. The 'average joe' worker is NOT gonna listen to someone who hasn't taken a paycut themselves when they try to convince people that a paycut is in order.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The management in the county is taking the lead. They have already choosen not to take any pay raises for this year and they do not get bonuses like private companies give.
Put all government employees on fixed salaries. No overtime! That will save millions and will not hurt services!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I agree with this.
the problem with the unions is that they generally do not care for the newly hired who are the ones laid off. So they stick in on the contracts and let the COunty wipe out the newer, highly educated, lower paid employees that will be there for years and they keep they high paid stick in the muds who do nothing and are close to retirement. Most companies lay off by performance. The county would not because of the unions.
Some of you may not realize you're commenting about people that look after the worst of Nevada-criminals in our prisons. You're also commenting on people that fight the horrible fires that have occured in Nevada. Don't forget the juvenile justice and demands are endless. State workers do not have collective bargaining unlike city and county employees.
Some of you may not realize that Nevada has limited resources for information you may need when you are a patient waiting for an operation- my staff and I work very hard to make sure we provide everything your doctor needs to make sure he has all the information he needs.
Please, please be careful what you wish for public employees- I hope none of you want to see the unemployment lines grow even longer.
library person, you are so right. A LOT of public employees do work that no sane person would do if the pay & bennies were not very good.
Kudos to those public servants who do thankless jobs and get bashed by morons who don't have a clue. They think they are "paying your salary", and therefore are somehow "experts" on the work involved. I wish they were.
Agreeing to not take a raise is not quite the same as asking someone to take a cut.......kudo's if they're really NOT asking for raises but take it a step further and if you're gonna ask someone else to take a pay cut be sure your pay is being cut as well.