Collective bargaining for state workers killed

Ignoring an amendment designed to make it cost neutral, the Senate Tuesday killed collective bargaining rights for state workers .

Scott MacKenzie, executive director of the State of Nevada Employees Association, said the amendment was designed to answer the concerns of opponents including Chairwoman Ann O'Connell, R-Las Vegas, about the potential cost of collective bargaining. Assembly Bill 65 as passed by the Assembly would have granted binding arbitration rights to state workers much like local government employees and teachers now have -- including bargaining for pay and benefits.

"We took all the economic issues out of it," he said.

The amendment would have established arbitration for state workers on workplace conditions and issues dealing with employee rights. It would not have given any arbitration rights over salary and benefits issues.

But when it was presented, O'Connell pointed to its size -- more than 50 pages -- saying, "I think it's a little much to be offering two days out from the end of time when we have to act on the bill."

With little discussion, the majority of the committee voted to kill the bill without considering the proposed amendment.

"There's no question that, with the amendment, it would have saved the state money," MacKenzie said. "But it's not about saving the taxpayers money. They just don't want state workers to have any rights at all."

He said that means state workers who are abused by their agency supervisors will continue to fall back on the court system and that, he said, costs both the state and the employees money.

"It's really shameful that it can't even be discussed," employee association lobbyist John Yacenda said.

The only supporters of the plan Wednesday were Las Vegas Democrats Dina Titus and Terry Care.

For several sessions, the Assembly has approved legislation to give state workers collective bargaining rights and the Senate -- usually in the Government Affairs Committee -- has killed it. In 2001, the bill arrived in the Senate during the final week of the session and didn't even make it to committee. Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, killed it on the floor on a party-line vote.