Governor vetoes bill to allow state employee negotiations

Thursday, June 4, 2009 | 6:13 p.m.

Download a copy of AB 395.

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CARSON CITY – Gov. Jim Gibbons has vetoed a bill that would give the 15,000 state employees the right to negotiate with the administration over such things as hours and working conditions, grievances and discipline.

The bill, sponsored by a group of Democrats including Assembly Speaker Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas, would have opened the door for some negotiations that are now barred for state workers.

The governor said the bill “would implement collective bargaining for state employees” and increase the cost of government.

“I find it unfathomable and unconscionable that the Legislature would pass a bill that would result in further increases in state spending and would require even further tax increases to fund that spending,” the governor said in his veto message regarding Assembly Bill 395.

The bill passed the Assembly 28-14 and the Senate 13-8. It required the state “to recognize, negotiate and discuss workplace relations with employee organizations that represent state employees.”

Dennis Mallory, representing the State of Nevada Employees Association, said Gibbons, while campaigning for governor in 2006 said he would sign a collective bargaining bill for state workers.

Mallory said state employees should have the same rights as county and city employees to bargain collectively. “It’s unfortunate but we expected it,” he said.

The 2011 Legislature will have the opportunity to try to override the two vetoes.

Employee organizations will work hard on the campaign trail next year to elect more lawmakers favorable to the measure to try to put enough legislators into office to override the veto on the negotiations bill, Mallory said.

He also said that the negotiations don’t increase the cost. But when the cases on appeal reach the Nevada Supreme Court, that raises the cost, he said.

The governor said, “I hope that by the time this veto message is read to the Legislature some modicum of common sense has returned to the process and we can all focus on satisfying the needs rather than the wants of state government.”

The governor also turned down Senate Bill 376, saying it would increase the cost of county public works projects.

The bill dealt with the prevailing wage required for county public works. The bill on the first vote in the Senate failed on a 10-10 tie. But three days later it passed 12-7 along party lines with Democrats supporting it and Republicans voting against the bill.

The vote in the Assembly was 27-13 also along party lines.

The state Labor Commissioner, in setting the prevailing wage in each county, is required to survey contractors who performed jobs during the preceding year. The bill clarifies that the survey encompasses both private and public nonresidential construction work and specifies the classes of workmen for which the commissioner is required to survey.

Discussion: 9 comments so far…

By afveteran

6/4/09 at 7:37 p.m.

Suggest removal

I fail to see how passing this bill would increase costs to the state government.
Governor Jim makes another senseless decision.
By gmag39

6/4/09 at 7:41 p.m.

Suggest removal

How HORRIBLE that would have been! Open lines of communication are VERBOTEN! Collective bargaining is EVIL! We MUST NOT LET the workers
UNITE! What do you think this is, America?
Good work, Gov'ner Gym!
By neiman1

6/4/09 at 8:28 p.m.

Suggest removal

Look how well California's public employee unions have worked out. The plan doesn't look so doable.
By Mandy

6/4/09 at 9:28 p.m.

Suggest removal

neiman1:
Why don't you just move to California since you are always comparing NV and California. You have yet to make any sense in your posts.
By LasVegas2009

6/4/09 at 10:15 p.m.

Suggest removal

Good job Jim! Stick it to 'em!
By pk

6/4/09 at 10:34 p.m.

Suggest removal

Don't you know, Jim-Bo is in the "Pocket" of big business here in Nevada. NOTHING will change until he's gone.
By renomuse

6/4/09 at 11:35 p.m.

Suggest removal

LOL! That's at least 15,000 votes he won't be getting! And then when you add in spouses, significant others, adult kids, aunts, uncles, friends, etc., Gibbons may have cooked his own ugly goose by fecking over these people "collectively"!

Can this clown get any funnier?
By tsume

6/5/09 at 1:19 a.m.

Suggest removal

This bill probably would increase government costs, and I'm against it.

It will probably eventually win though, because Mr. Gibbons won't be re-elected. Ever.
By Pug_nation

6/5/09 at 11:07 a.m.

Suggest removal

Is Jim Gibbons getting senile?? It seems as time goes on, his brain is turning into melted ice cream or something. Other republicans are distancing themselves away from Mr idiot as much as possible as can be seen in other stories. I think maybe his wife was the voice of reason for this moron and now hes showing an IQ comparable to say....a walnut...sorry, that's insulting to walnuts..:O)

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