Facebook
Fark
Digg
Reddit
Stumble
By Dave Toplikar (contact) 
Thursday, Oct. 21, 2010 | 12:55 p.m.
Oscar Goodman
Sun Coverage
- City Council OKs union agreement on four-day work week (10-20-2010)
- Las Vegas’ largest city employees union, city reach tentative pact (10-6-2010)
- Union: City spending too much on mob museum (5-25-2010)
- Mayor: City employees ‘glum’ after 200 job cuts (5-20-2010)
- City Council cuts 200 Las Vegas city jobs amid budget shortfall (5-18-2010)
- Downtown Mob Museum set up to be self-supporting (4-21-2010)
- Downtown museum to tell story of mob in Las Vegas, elsewhere (3-25-2010)
When most Las Vegas city employees go to a four-day work week in January, you won't just get a recording on Fridays saying that city offices are closed.
If you, for example, need a building permit or have a question, your calls will be answered by a live person. And kiosks will be set up in City Hall to help people electronically continue to do business on Fridays, says Mayor Oscar Goodman.
Police, fire protection, parks and recreation, and municipal courts will also continue to operate on their current schedules.
"I don't think anybody's going to be debilitated by this," the mayor told reporters today at his weekly press conference at City Hall.
The four-day schedule at City Hall is part of an agreement the city worked out this week with its largest employees union, which represents about 1,500 workers whose jobs range from engineers to office clerks.
The Las Vegas City Council on Wednesday unanimously approved changes made in its contract with the Las Vegas City Employees Association, which amount to major concessions from the city's largest employees' union, but a savings of about $22 million to the city's budget for the next two years.
The concessions are part of the city's efforts to deal with a $47 million budget deficit projected for the next two years.
One of those concessions is that employees will be paid for a 38-hour week, rather than a 40-hour work week as a cost-cutting measure for the city.
Under the agreement, most employees will work 9.5 hours, 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday, then take Fridays off.
Goodman said the city's municipal court clerks, who will work on Fridays, will be trained to respond. And parks and recreation department employees who are also working Fridays will be trained to take incoming calls, he said.
The public will still be able to call, ask questions or conduct business at an electronic kiosk or on the city's website.
"If they have any business they want to do, any inquiries they want to make, there will be live people — not like some other jurisdictions that have a voice tape — able to answer their questions and to direct them to appropriate places," Goodman said.
Salaried employees, including administrators, will also help field calls on Fridays as part of the effort to cut the city's budget without resorting to massive layoffs.
When he first learned of the negotiated agreement, Goodman wanted assurances that the public would still be able to do business with the city on Fridays.
Friday was picked because it traditionally has been a light day for people seeking services, while Mondays are the heaviest days, according to City Manager Betsy Fretwell.
"The good news is this: unilaterally, the city can return to the 40-hour work week. That's part of the agreement," Goodman said. "... I like a five day work week myself. I work seven. So I would like everybody to work at least five."
I'm not a City Employee and I'm not related to one.
The idea that operations will not be afffected and the public won't notice a difference on Friday is a joke.
Read the second half of the article again, where the reporter describes how the City will make up the fact that their employees are gone. Others will be doing two jobs at once, and the extra one they will be doing will be something they've not done before and have no experience at. Sure, people will be working, but the public will get long waits to talk to people who don't normally do the job that needs done.
Typical Republican Race to the Bottom. Nevada citizens get less quality of service that takes longer, less pay, less benefits for private and public employees-but hey, at least Wal-Mart and other box stores don't have to pay their fair share of taxes since the working class will take it on the chin for them every time!
Vote Republican. Be a sucker.
what a wimp, pay cops 150K and fire 174K
THESE are 3Xs and 3.5Xs national average
DECLARE bankruptcy, fire all gov employees
re-hire FOREVER at national average/public sector and NEVER NEVER again allow politicians to negotiate pay;
Nevada should pay national average/private sector forever and EVERYONE will always know what they are paying and what they will get paid and the politicians who sold u out to the public unions can go to //// forever
William H.,
I don't read anywhere in the article where they promise that the public won't notice a difference on Friday. I don't read the promise that Friday will be a smooth running event at city hall. What I did read is that the city can save $22 million dollars over two years. To me that means a lot of people still working. The promise that I read is that they will do their best to answer questions and provide kiosk services at city hall on Fridays. I for one am willing to plan my city business Monday through Thursday so that others can keep their jobs. Maybe it is the Republican thinking that allows us to solve employment problems in other ways although some might be a bit inconvenienced. I think it is wrong to think that thinking of others is just a Republican concept. If so, I would be proud to be Republican. On the other hand maybe it is a good thing for everyone, regardless of political affiliation, to be slightly inconvenienced at times in order to keep people working.
City Services ? LOL
Not related but........Since the city went to the expense of installing a parking lot at the south end of the strip to take pictures of the Welcome to Las Vegas sign, it would be nice if they could at least replace the bulbs in the sign. I passed there last night and the 'Welcome' sign was dark on the 'Wel' Don't tell me the city doesn't have money to replace the bulbs!
PGelsman...the Welcome to Las Vegas sign is located in unincorporated Clark County and serviced by Clark County, not the City of Las Vegas.
"If you, for example, need a building permit or have a question, your calls will be answered by a live person."
However, you still won't be able to actually get a building permit, or actually have your questions answered, but you will be able to talk to a real live person. I wonder how long you will have to wait on hold before that live person gets on the line.
"YOUR CALL IS VERY IMPORTANT TO US, SO PLEASE STAY ON THE LINE AND IT WILL BE ANSWERED BEFORE THE END OF THE BUSINESS DAY"