Although Teamsters Local 14 received 779 more votes Tuesday than the union representing unlicensed workers in the Clark County School District, a state law prevents the Teamsters from claiming victory and snatched its ability to represent more than 10,000 employees.
The Education Support Employees Association retained management of the school system's unlicensed personnel such as secretaries, cooks, bus drivers and teachers' aides.
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The Nevada Supreme Court had ordered the election. A state law requires that the winner of an election receive 50 percent plus one of all eligible voters. The law, which stems back decades, applies to public bargaining units.
The Teamsters received 2,711 votes to the association's 1,932 votes. But the Teamsters fell well short of the 5,259 votes needed for the victory.
The Teamsters fought a three-year legal battle to have an election against the association. Representatives of the Teamsters and the association could not be reached for comment Thursday.
Julie Contreras of the Employee-Management Relations Board, the organization that oversees public union elections, said she couldn't recall such an occurrence.
"This is a first," she said.
Contreras said the Teamsters have until the end of the week to file an objection to the results.
