Saturday, December 28, 2002
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

State workers make salary gains

Report: Pay gap narrows with city, county

CARSON CITY -- Thanks to a pair of 4 percent cost-of-living increases and other salary raises approved by the governor and Legislature in 2001, state workers have narrowed the pay gap with their city and county counterparts, a state report released Friday shows.

The survey, conducted every two years by the state Department of Personnel, shows state workers are 24 percent behind city of Las Vegas workers in 2002, compared with the 31 percent difference in 2000.

State employees are 15 percent behind the Clark County work force, compared with a 24 percent gap reported two years ago.

"The gap has definitely closed," said Carol Thomas, chief personnel manager for the agency.

The report shows the average state employee is paid $42,718, up nearly 14 percent from 2000.

The average state salary compares to $56,448 for city of Las Vegas workers and $50,178 for Clark County employees. Those average wages increased from the previous survey by 3.5 percent for city workers and 1.6 percent for county workers. Negotiations on salary increases have not concluded for these two groups, however, so the salaries reported in the survey could rise.

Clark County and Las Vegas city employees have the right to collective bargaining with their local governments. Nevada state workers do not have that authority.

Scott MacKenzie, executive director of the State of Nevada Employees Association, praised the improvement and the effort by Gov. Kenny Guinn and lawmakers in the 2001 session to increase state workers' pay.

"We're happy we're going in the right direction, although we still have a lot of work to do," he said.

Further improvement might be hard in the next two years because Guinn has indicated state workers might not get cost-of-living increases, MacKenzie said. The association has asked for 4 percent increases in each year of the upcoming budget.

But the association's focus probably will be on the health insurance plan and how to ensure it remains solvent, he said.

"The raises that state employees received over the past two years were long overdue," said Greg Bortolin, press secretary to Guinn. "Unfortunately, the way things look now, it's going to be difficult, if not impossible to continue that trend."

Guinn, recognizing the pay gap between state and local government workers, sought the 4 percent per year cost-of-living raise, which was approved by the 2001 Legislature. In addition, state workers who had topped out on their salary schedules were given the equivalent of another 4.5 percent pay increase.

Finally, selected employee groups with the largest pay gaps, including parole and probation officers, correctional officers and Highway Patrol troopers, were given an additional 4.5 percent increase.

Although the salary gap has closed, the 2002 survey shows state workers continue to lag behind their local government counterparts when it comes to benefits.

The value of the state benefits package, including paid time off, health insurance and contributions to the Public Employees Retirement System, was $18,781 in the new survey. The city of Las Vegas package was valued at $27,415, and the Clark County package was $26,650.

When benefits are added to salary, state workers fall much further behind their local government counterparts in total compensation.

Nevada workers do better when compared with state workers in many Western states.

The average Nevada state employee salary of $42,718 compares with $30,399 in Arizona; $34,560 in Idaho and $39,360 in Oregon. The Nevada benefits package value of $18,781 also compares favorably. The benefits package value in Arizona is $12,351; in Idaho, it is $16,310. In Oregon, it is $22,521.

The report said the average state public employee salary in 2002 was 18.7 percent behind the average salary in the survey, which includes private and public employers. Private companies surveyed include Bechtel Nevada, Caesars Palace, Citibank, Newmont Gold, Harrah's and The Mirage.

The state's own wage statistics show the average private sector worker in the state earned $32,199 in 2001.

GOVERNMENT SALARIES

The Nevada Department of Personnel conducts a survey every two years to compare the salaries of state workers with those of municipal and county governments. The following chart shows how much various public employees cost to taxpayers. State workers on average are paid less than all public employees in Clark County.

Government employer	Average annual salary	Average insurance contrib.	Average retirement contrib.	Average employee cost*
Las Vegas	$56,448	$7,328	$10,584	$83,863
LV police	$52,000	$5,228	$14,950	$81,132
LV water	$58,200	$8,825	(n/a)	$80,030
Henderson	$51,891	$6,566	$9,730	$78,019
Clark County	$50,178	$8,409	$9,408	$76,828
LVCVA	$45,866	$8,467	$8,600	$74,597
NLV	$49,651	$5,400	$9,309	$73,483
Local govt. avg.	$46,466	$7,016	$8,619	$70,842
Nevada	$42,718	$4,614	$6,318	$61,499

* Includes health insurance benefits, retirement contributions, time off with pay and other major benefits common to employers. Does not include employer cost of unemployment insurance.

** 17 local governments were surveyed, including those in Washoe, Douglas and Elko counties and Carson City.

SOURCE: Nevada Department of Personnel

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