Henderson police unions accuse city of bad-faith bargaining

The unions representing officers and supervisors at the Henderson Police Department filed complaints last week alleging that city negotiators engaged in poor faith and in union-busting activities during collective bargaining talks.

On Friday, the Henderson Police Officers Association and Henderson Police Supervisors Association each filed complaints against the city to the Nevada Government Employee-Management Relations Board, the state agency that mediates collective bargaining between local governments and employee organizations, such as labor unions.

The complaint stems from meetings held with Henderson officials and mediator Stephen Hayford on Aug. 11 and 12, after union leaders in June declared an impasse with the city and their most recent labor agreement expired.

According to the complaints, the city asked the police officers union to consider a proposal that would have raised wages at the cost of 11 vacant supervisor positions — terms the officers union said it lacked the authority to agree to. The complaints allege the supervisors union had not been made aware of the city’s offer, resulting in the two unions having to meet with the city and the mediator simultaneously.

Among other things, the unions are asking for increased base pay, retention bonuses and other benefits, and argue it’s unfair to make them agree to terms that would benefit one labor group at the detriment of the other.

“One of the biggest issues that we’re having with the city is that they’re lumping us together,” Charles Hedrick, president of the supervisors union, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Monday in a joint interview alongside police officers union President Michael Goodwin. “Like, the HPOA can’t agree to something the HPSA wants, and vice versa. Not only am I negotiating against the city of Henderson, I’m negotiating against the HPOA. That in itself is bad-faith bargaining.”

In a statement, the city of Henderson said its proposal would have made Henderson police officers, sergeants and lieutenants the highest-compensated in the Las Vegas valley, and is giving the unions until Sept. 8 to accept a new contract proposal. Should the impasse remain, arbitration hearings are scheduled to begin Oct. 13.

“City priorities, including public safety, must be responsibly balanced to maintain long-term financial sustainability impacted by inflationary pressures, rising labor costs, declining sales tax revenue, as well as the service demands impacting governments across the state and the nation,” the city said in a statement, noting 60 percent of its general fund budget is dedicated to public safety. “The City of Henderson values the contributions of all of its employees, including the police officers and police supervisors represented by HPOA and HPSA. … We remain committed to this process and look forward to a fair solution that responsibly serves our officers and community.”

Unions’ allegations

The Aug. 11 and 12 meetings that sparked the complaints came after six meetings between the unions and the city, according to the complaints, in which more than a dozen matters had yet to be negotiated or otherwise acted upon.

On Aug. 12, the city made its offer to the supervisors union, and rejected counter offers from both labor groups. The complaints allege the city then refused to meet with police supervisors “on any terms of their CBA, and stated that without acceptance of the funding terms, the City had nothing else to discuss with” the union.

City rebuffs

But also included in the city’s statement responding to the complaint was an Aug. 21 letter by new Henderson police Chief Reggie Rader to Hedrick and Goodwin. The letter highlights the city’s financial situation, as well as the offers made in early August and the city’s newest proposed labor deal.

According to Rader’s letter, the city is facing an $8 million structural deficit for fiscal 2026, despite city officials having found about $3.5 million in savings during the budget process. Despite the projected budget shortfalls, Rader wrote that the city’s August proposal added would have allocated about $3 million in new funding toward police compensation.

Counter proposals the city received would have cost the city roughly $17 million in new benefits, which “were simply unaffordable” to the city, according to Rader.

“In response to the supposal, neither the HPOA nor the HPSA expressed concerns to me about any operational impacts from eliminating those 11 funded but vacant supervisory positions,” Rader wrote. “Rather, each union submitted a counter proposal that asked for more money, far beyond the $2.5 million that was achieved through the elimination of the vacant but funded positions.”

But Rader’s letter also outlines a new proposal that will differ slightly for officers and supervisors. Under that proposal, police officers would see effectively a 5 percent pay increase in year one. Pay increases in years two and three would be tied to inflation, with an additional 3 percent equity adjustment to be provided in year two.

For supervisors, employees with 15 years’ service would be given a 2.5 percent retention bonus, with an additional 2.5 percent pay hike after 20 years for a cumulative retention bonus of 5 percent, according to Rader.

Contact Casey Harrison at charrison@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Casey_Harrison1 on X or @casey-harrison.bsky.social on Bluesky.