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By Paul Takahashi (contact) 
Thursday, June 16, 2011 | 1:55 a.m.
Police layoffs
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KSNV coverage of North Las Vegas Police Department layoffs, June 15, 2011.
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Sun archives
- North Las Vegas plans to cut 83 police positions, including 17 officers (6-15-2011)
- Police union, North Las Vegas reach tentative agreement (12-16-2010)
- Federal grant to save 16 police officers’ jobs in North Las Vegas (12-15-2010)
- NLV Police Union offers to give up pay raises next year (12-9-2010)
- North Las Vegas OKs police supervisors bargaining unit (11-8-2010)
- North Las Vegas OKs budget cuts that include job losses (11-1-2010)
- NLV reaches tentative agreement with Teamsters to avoid layoffs (10-28-2010)
- North Las Vegas announces proposal to cut 251 jobs (10-20-2010)
- North Las Vegas City Council votes to cut jobs at detention center (10-6-2010)
The North Las Vegas Police Supervisors Association filed a civil lawsuit against the city on Wednesday, alleging a breach of a bargaining agreement that union leaders argue protects its members’ pay and positions.
In the lawsuit, filed Wednesday morning in the Clark County District Court, the union claimed the North Las Vegas City Council violated a memorandum of understanding between the city and the Police Officers Association Union.
The tentative agreement protected police officer union positions until June 2012 in exchange for about $8 million in concessions, such as increased employee retirement contributions and deferred holiday payouts, cost of living increases, sick leave sell-backs and clothing allowances.
In the lawsuit, the police supervisors union alleges that while it split from the police officers union in November 2010, city officials promised to apply the terms of the bargaining agreement to the newly formed and city-recognized union.
The lawsuit points to a September 2010 letter from city officials in which the city said it intended “to apply the terms of the existing collective bargaining agreement to any newly established employee organization until at least such time as the City and the new bargaining agent can negotiate a new agreement.”
The city, however, approved its fiscal 2012 budget on May 17 that outlined 83 police department layoffs, including five police supervisor union positions, to plug a $30 million budget shortfall. The city confirmed Wednesday that pink slips would be sent out starting next week.
“It’s a little beyond frustration,” said union President Leonard Cardinale. “Our supervisors have children, some have children on the way, and they are concerned about their jobs, their bills and supporting their families.”
The police supervisors union sat down with the city last week to negotiate further concessions to save positions slated for elimination, but they were not able to reach an agreement, Cardinale said. The union is still open to negotiations, he said.
“It’s probably a mistake to lay off more police, more corrections officers, more police supervisors,” he said. “The city does have a rise in crime in certain areas, and it’s going to get a whole lot worse. The safety of the public is No. 1 in our minds and I think the layoffs would only inhibit our ability to keep the public safe.”
In the lawsuit, the union requested damages in excess of $10,000, restoration of benefits and compensation under the tentative agreement and attorney’s fees.
"Our supervisors have children, some have children on the way, and they are concerned about their jobs, their bills and supporting their families."
Well I guess that they are the ONLY ones in the Las Vegas Area that have this problem... Ummmmmm think again .... we are all not lucky enough to have been part of YOUR system at all , ever,, be glad u had it while u had it ...
I am paying your salary with my taxes and I want more from my Dollar..
Do what you have to do to correct the budget problem,,,
And this is why unions don't belong in the public sector. The money is not there.
"The city does have a rise in crime in certain areas"
Let's just give those areas back to Clark county. Problem solved!
Unions don't belong in the public center. All Las Vegans are feeling the pinch right now. I think we all agree that the unions for a time were exempt from reccession.
Well now join the club.
Mr. Common Sense says;
"I think we all agree that the unions for a time were exempt from reccession."
Justin, I am purdy sure we all do not agree, sir.
There have been SEVERAL ROUNDS of cuts and pay concessions and job losses and benefit reductions in the "public center".
Public employees are being used like ATM's to balance a budget over which they have no control.
"Unions don't belong in the public center."
I a purdy ure we all do not agree on that, either.
Why is it that you Anti-Unionista's are adamantly opposed to your friends and neighbors having collective bargaining rights? What in the world makes you think that, just because it's "public", that American citizens should be denied the same rights in the public sector as in the private sector? Certain PROTECTIONS are NECESSARY no matter where the employment is. The SAME PROBLEMS and potential ABUSES are inherent in the public sector just the same as they exist in the private sector.
Just because the PAY comes out of TAXES, you feel you can SCREW the public employee, right? And that that is okay, right? Because it's YOUR "tax money", right?
And you think it's HONORABLE to break contracts and commitments, like the one described in this particular story, right?
WRONG, WRONG, WRONG.
gmag39, we don't believe in PUBLIC unions. Private sector unions are different. Public unions are strife for fraud and corruption.....which is exactly what is happening in most public unions today across the country.
It's only now being exposed due to the economic conditions we are all facing.
You go UNIONS.. Check this out.. if there is no money..THERE IS NO MONEY!!! But do not worry the sheep (rank and file) will follow and grip about not getting more tax dollars. While paying UNION LEADERS. I say find a better job and we can replace you, with POST. Yep, you were a POST grad at one time, happy to find a job. Now, you want more, but you used to be happy, just having a JOB. Where has the taxpayer gone wrong?
"Those disputing, contradicting, and confuting people are generally unfortunate in their affairs. They get victory, sometimes, but they never get good will, which would be of more use to them." - B. Franklin (1708-90) Autobiography
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Thomas....
NOOOO, what is happening "in most public unions today across the country" is outright theivery & downright dishonesty by those that signed off on contracts & made agreements they are no longer feeling "obligated" to honor, despite their legal standing, because they say they're "broke", and can't afford to honor them...what they REALLY MEAN?
"This is a GREAT time to do some Union Busting! Let's get rid of those pesky unions! That way, we can FIRE PEOPLE AT WILL, CUT THEIR WAGES AND BENEFITS, AND GENERALLY MAKE THEIR LIVES MISERABLE without any potential ramifications!"
In County of Clark, the Firefighter's have become the Poster Children for ALL PUBLIC EMPLOYEES, with the general public lumping all public employees into the same mold, when the facts show otherwise.
Here's an idear...
Why not lay your anger & dissatisfaction on the people from the OTHER SIDE that negotiated and signed off on contracts that you are unhappy with.
"Tentative agreement". "Memorandum of understanding". Kinda not the same thing as a CONTRACT.
And even if they had a contract, I can't believe the members are so self righteous they push theirs so called brothers under the water to drown just to keep themselves afloat!
That is not really the kind of person I want out there protecting me, knowing that when the going gets tough, they would only protect themselves. Stunning!
gmag, the problem with collective bargaining in public unions is that the unions are literally bargaining against......us, the taxpayers who are paying for their salaries and benefits. For example, the police officer who might live next door is essentially battling me and other neighbors for his "rights".
Collective bargaining in public unions pit citizen against citizen, and that's not right.
Collective bargaining is fine in private businesses, then they are battling the owners and management of the company, not neighbor vs. neighbor.
Niondex-
Respectfully, you have certainly taken bargaining and public unions to a new level, it's borderline insanity. The workers allow the unions to bargain for them, while the politicians direct the attorneys and city managers to bargain on their end. I hear people say public workers have a sense of "entitlement", but this same sense is from you the taxpayer. Since your police officer is your neighbor, is he not a taxpayer too? So is he battling himself? Simply a crazy thing to say. As a republican, I have little faith in government and politicians. Why would I expect them to pay those protecting me fairly, or treat them fair? The government and politicians are so corrupt, yet they will treat their employees fairly? Absolutely nothing wrong with public unions trying to beat back the greedy politicians. NONE. This story is a prime example. They came to the union and said we need this money or we'll start laying you off. The union says ok, you can have your money if you don't lay us off. Deal. Thanks for the money, we'll be laying you off. How can you defend this practice?
1-true-taxpayer, I blame the politicians just as much as the unions. They did sign off on it.
What it has become is a circle of funds from unions to democrats who get re-elected then right back to the unions when the democrats give them what they want in their union contracts. How does this cycle help the general public? It doesn't, it screws us financially.
The bottom line is the benefits and retirement plans are unsustainable. Something has to be done.
I'm open to suggestions.
the problem with public unions is the taxpayer does not have a seat at the negotiating table, only short sighted and short term politicians who will give away anything to get votes figuring when the huge bills come due they will be long gone and the taxpayers stuck with the mess.
The City of North Las Vegas wrote me a ticket one year ago on Sat. for a "non compliant helmet" The officer could not tell me what specifically makes a helmet compliant, or not. I was found guilty in North Las Vegas Muni court (Court of NON record) By Judge Van Landshoot who said "The law does not matter in my court" So I appealled to District court, and Boy was that a game changer, Not only did NLV dismiss like quickly, (wait wasn't I guilty?) the district court judge still is holding there feet to the fire to see how much of my fees and costs should be paid.
*** if only they would have followed the law, there recources could have gone to cases that were worthwhile. and the officer could have been chasing real criminals, with real Probable cause.
The Moral of this story is that all City employees can help prevent waste. Which helps preserve their job.
The union needs to take some blame since rather than accept cuts to overtime the officers chose to accept layoffs.
Long term it is better for NLV to retain the firefighters and police officers rather than layoff. In a couple years they'll need those positions again and by then they'll have to pay to retrain all new people. Both sides aren't doing the best they can in this situation.
I don't follow...they don't have the money to keep these officers on payroll but they do have enough money to upgrade their duty motorcycles to high-tech BMW motorcycles?
You know whats funny all these people complaining cops make to much are probably the same people that use to tell cops when they meet them, "You don't make enough for me to do your job, I wouldn't do your job for a million dollars, come work for me in the private sector you will make more, You will never get rich doing that job." Now it's a differnet tone because the carrer path these officers choose turned out better then your private sector job. You had the same chance to test for their spot like they did but choose to go a different route, so stop your crying. I'M A TAX PAYER I PAY YOUR SALARY! You know what guess what, cops pay taxes to, so are they paying their own salary. So how about this, when you go to work tomorrow, tell your boss, I want to take a pay cut or better yet just lay me off because I think the cosumer is paying to much for our product, bet that will never happen.