Senate completes action on 4-day work week

By Cy Ryan

Sunday, Feb. 28, 2010 | 10:10 a.m.

CARSON CITY – The Nevada Senate has completed legislative action on a bill to put state offices on a four-day work week but does not penalize the state workers further.

“The state employees have given enough,” says Aldo Vennetilli, field director for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. “Some lost their homes and cars and some went bankrupt,” he said referring to the cuts made in 2009 on state workers.

Some of the employees are upset about the four-day work week, he said. But the majority supports it in view of the $887 million deficit facing the state.

The Senate approved the amendment adopted in the Assembly to Senate Bill 3 that eliminates a proposal to require the state workers to take 10 hours of unpaid furlough a month. That would have lowered their salaries by 5.75 percent.

Ron Bratsch, a lobbyist for prison correctional officers, said an agreement has been reached also not to close the 140-year-old Nevada State Prison in Carson City. That would have disrupted more than 120 correctional officers.

But there has been no confirmation from leaders in the Assembly and Senate.

The Assembly Saturday amended the office closure bill and then voted 41-1 for SB-3 to keep the state workers at an eight-hour unpaid furlough a month or lose 4.6 percent of their pay. State workers complained they were penalized 11 percent in 2009 with higher cost of insurance, less coverage and more premiums for retirement.

“State employees have been cut enough,” said Assembly Majority Leader John Oceguera, D-Las Vegas.

Senate Bill 3, which goes to Gov. Jim Gibbons for his signature, requires state agencies to be open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday and then closed on Friday. But those regulatory boards that are financed by fee from the industry will be exempt from the schedule.

Assembly Speaker Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas, said the furlough issue was top priority, not to hit state workers further. She said they do more and get paid less.

But the worker who does not take the eight-hour furlough will still lose 4.6 percent in his or her salary.

Buckley said cutting back from 10 hours to eight hours will cost $6.8 million in the budget.

The lone no vote was cast by Assemblyman Ed Goedhart, R-Amargosa Valley.

Assemblyman John Carpenter, R-Elko, said these boards should be subject to the same rules as state agencies. He said phone calls to some of these boards are unanswered and don’t get returned for three days.

The bill allows agencies and offices to seek exemptions from the 10-hour day. State departments would have to get approval from the state Board of Examiners consisting of the governor, attorney general and secretary of state.

The board of regents will determine exemptions for offices in the Nevada System of Higher Education. The Supreme Court, Legislative Commission and the Public Employees Retirement Board will decide on the exemptions in their units.

And any overtime plan must be approved in advance for many of these agencies.

The bill requires correctional officers at the prison to work 12-hour shifts, a move supported by the officers.

The bill originally gave local governments the authority to require furloughs. That has been deleted. But school districts are given the power to require employees to take unpaid furlough leave. However, the decisions cannot interfere with their contracts with school teachers.