Facebook
Fark
Digg
Reddit
StumbleLabor:
SEIU members vote on contract this week — and they could say no
Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012 | 2 a.m.
More than a few members of the union representing county service workers are unhappy with terms of a proposed two-year contract that eliminates pay raises over the next two years but preserves longevity pay for new hires.
To them, the contract pits older, dues-paying members against workers who have yet to get the job.
Leaders of the Service Employees Union Local 1107 are sending out emails and holding about 18 meetings, like one Friday afternoon, to give more information about the deal to its 5,000 members.
Some members, though, think it’s propaganda.
Q: Like who?
A: Like Clara Thomas, a District Court clerk who has worked for Clark County 12 years. She was a member of the union’s Contract Action Team, which meant she attended county/union contract talks last fall and relayed information to other union members. At a downtown coffee shop last week, Thomas said many more members are angry, thinking the union should have taken the deal the county offered in October.
That offer eliminated longevity for future hires but offered merit raises of 1 percent in the first year and 3 percent in the second year. The union wanted to keep longevity for future hires and came back with the deal now under consideration: eliminating merit raises in the first two years but preserving longevity for new hires. Longevity pay for current employees will be frozen for one year, meaning workers will still receive longevity pay, but the rate won’t increase for two years.
The deal will save the county about $20.4 million and, officials say, reduce the odds of more layoffs.
Making $42,000 a year, Thomas thought the merit raises looked good. Bills are going up, after all — the Southern Nevada Water Authority promises to add new fees, NV Energy just won rate increases through the Public Utilities Commission and the price of gasoline seems to rise each spring.
On top of that, $23 of Thomas’ paycheck — about $600 per year — goes to the union.
Q: Isn’t she angry at the county? After all, they’re the ones looking for concessions.
A: “I don’t blame the county, they’re just doing their job,” she said. “But why didn’t our negotiators see it? Saving longevity for new hires? They need to be worrying about dues-paying employees.”
Another court clerk, Jackie McGowan, said she quit the union but her pay and benefits are still determined by the union contract. She can’t vote on the proposal but said she sees nothing in this deal that makes her want to join the union again so she would have that right.
“I don’t see the incentive to join,” she said.
Q: What is the union’s argument for taking this deal?
A: Its website gives the answer. Voting “no,” it says, will send negotiations to an arbitrator.
“Unions in Nevada have done poorly” when contracts get to that step, it says. “The risk is too great to take.”
It adds that a fact-finder “will have the option of taking Clark County’s initial proposal of a 1.5 percent across-the-board wage cut.
Voting “yes,” the union says, means the SEIU will be one of the few unions to save longevity for future hires. No pay cuts would ensue. Longevity is preserved, though it would be frozen for current employees who would get the same amount for two years.
Q: What else does Thomas say about longevity pay?
A: She’d be willing to give it up for new hires because as the economy gets better Clark County will obviously be fighting, once again, to find good employees. When that happens, the union can negotiate to get longevity back.
Q: Does she really think members might vote no? And if they do, what happens?
A: “I know it doesn’t happen often,” she said. “But it might.”
If that happens, negotiators go to arbitration, which has been set for the end of February.
Q: When do union members vote?
A: Thursday and Friday.
Discussion: comments so far…
Comments are moderated by Las Vegas Sun editors. Our goal is not to limit the discussion, but rather to elevate it. Comments should be relevant and contain no abusive language. Comments that are off-topic, vulgar, profane or include personal attacks will be removed. Full comments policy. Additionally, we now display comments from trusted commenters by default. Those wishing to become a trusted commenter need to verify their identity or sign in with Facebook Connect to tie their Facebook account to their Las Vegas Sun account. For more on this change, read our story about how it works and why we did it.
Only trusted comments are displayed on this page. Untrusted comments have expired from this story.
No trusted comments have been posted.
Post a comment
Most Popular
- Viewed
- Discussed
- E-mailed
- Three dreams come true for Flamingo headliner Marie Osmond
- MGM results improve on Las Vegas Strip spending, China growth
- Federal agents join probe into fire at site of future Islamic funeral home
- Strip Scribbles: Shania Twain in town planning Caesars Palace residency
- Judge tosses out suit challenging motorcycle helmet law enforcement
- 15-month-old toddler tests positive for hallucinogenic drug
- Construction project — possibly for a mosque — damaged by fire
- Henderson man pleads guilty to kidnapping 7-year-old girl
- Mother left 3-year-old twins, 5-year-old alone prior to fire, Metro Police charge
- Highs to hit low 70s in Las Vegas
Blogs
The Kats Report
Post it: House of Blues tuning up for a Santana residency
In pursuing a tribute to Frank Sinatra, Robert Davi is no bad actor
High School Sports Scene
High School Basketball State Championship Picks
The Kats Report
Oscar Goodman goes Shecky as Mob Museum opening prompts a mob scene (2 Comments)
Elsewhere
MGM Resorts, Ameristar form marketing alliance to draw visitors
High School Sports Scene
High School Hoops Picks: Updated with Friday's regional finals (3 Comments)
The Kats Report
What a Whitney Houston residency in Las Vegas might have looked like (5 Comments)
The Sun
Locally owned and independent for more than 50 years.
The mentality of this union and "some" of it's members is quite baffling. As a union member, these individuals would rather see their co-worker get laid off then make a true concession. When a co-worker gets laid off, it affects the current worker in: 1)The more duties they have to assume; and 2) the more money that is lost contributing to their PERS retirement because county is not hiring and those new hires would help the people already in the system to fund their retirement. Some union memebers need a reality check, not a paycheck!
Oh, and by the way, why do we need to preserve longevity for new hires? Condition the contracts so that the last person in the system gets what they hired into. When that person retires, people who entered county employment after a certain date would not get longevity. Longevity was designed to keep workers who are skilled in their position at their position within the county instead of moving on to the other local government entities that have a "sweeter" compensation package. Since entities are not hiring, then longevity is not needed. If they were hiring, then there's plenty of qualified people out of work who need a job! Let's not be greedy and the public trust will be restored. I would seriously consider a YES vote on this contract.
Maybe the county service workers should be taxed individually so they can get a raise and keep their benefits. The general tax payers should not be held hostage. If the money is not there the money is not there, you do not go in debt just for the sake of a few thousand workers. If the county service employees do not like their pay, benefit or job, then quit, this is a free country. I will gladly do the job for the county, I think the county should solicit volunteers to do certain jobs within the county away. There are many that would love to just serve the community and do what it can to save money.
Let the bums go on strike. Better yet, why doesn't SEIU stop filling the political coffers and use that money ACTUALLY help its members.
As a member of SEIU 1107 I am in the "some" membership. I am a believer like the woman quoted in the article. Her voice dares to ask the Union why would they agree to a poor contract that affects so many paying members. The union didn't bargain with the members in mind their agenda was for the good of the SEIU 1107. Membership is down and this is their way of raising membership funds. The county in October only asked for 1 year of freezing income but they wanted no longevity for new hires. Which was a better deal then the 2year freezing of salary and longevity for new hire. Just so we don't lose the point have you realized that the County has a hiring freeze? We are living in the "now" with people loosing their homes, raising fees from every cornor of the economy and SEIU thinks freezing income for a 2years is a good deal. I say perhaps new leadership should be considered next election. Unfortunately, in the next two years every entity will have increased and salary for county employees will remain IF the union membership ratifies a contract that benefits the Union Leadership. I say NO to ratification. Remeber longevity for new hire will not prevent the County from laying off employees. Remeber a few months ago when the Union brought us the "save" jobs rhetoric and WE believed. We had ratified a 2% pay cut and that was to save jobs, it didn't! Employees were let go a whole department in the county was let go. So when the Union uses scare tatics to say, "we will save jobs and/or the new hires will help in the work load that we are now experiencing I said NOT SO! Ask yourself does County management really care that your workload has doubled. They say you're lucky to have a job. The union didn't do a good job in bargaining like in the past when we really had GREAT leadership. Those were the days, my friends!
Go ahead go on strike and stay out as long as you want. The longer the better. Look at all the money saved. See if you can live on the peanuts the Scum employees union gives you.
And make sure you vote like they tell you so they can take all your union dues and give it to the demorats. How does it feel walking in lock step and obeying exactly what they tell you to do. Pray to the almighty Andy Stern and Barry Hussain Omoron.