Firefighters’ union refuses to cut pay raises

Some Clark County commissioners question why the firefighters' union refuses to trim its pay raises the way other unions have in an impending budget crunch.

County officials estimate they will have at least $114 million less to cover operating costs in 2009-10 than was available this fiscal year.

Two of three unions representing county employees have complied with Commissioner Rory Reid's request to cut labor costs to avoid layoffs in a deepening recession.

Both the police and service workers' unions agreed to take smaller wage increases than were called for in their contracts. The International Association of Firefighters Local 1908 is the lone holdout as the May 18 deadline looms for the county to submit a final budget to the state.

"I'm disappointed that the firefighters have not come to the table when the other unions are," Commissioner Steve Sisolak said. "Everyone needs to participate."

Firefighters get 3 percent cost-of-living raises yearly plus as much as 6 percent in step increases. About 70 percent of firefighters are at the top of the wage scale and receive longevity pay instead of step increases.

Each 1 percent pay raise costs taxpayers $1.2 million a year, county officials estimate.

Ryan Beaman, the local union's president, dismissed the need to reduce pay raises for the 770 members. In a 12-page letter, he accused county leaders of overstating their budget woes and said they have fat to trim.

"We are happy to report that the financial health of the county is not as bleak as you have been led to believe," Beaman wrote in the March 27 letter.

Beaman didn't return calls from the Review-Journal on Friday. He argued in the letter that the county wastes money on travel, training seminars, membership dues, fundraising events, subscriptions to publications, take-home vehicles and a paramedic school lease.

Beaman also contends that the 2008-09 budget shows the county pulled in plenty of revenue to cover costs.

County Manager Virginia Valentine, taking a diplomatic tone, wrote a rebuttal that described the union's analysis as thorough but flawed.

The union's main misstep was using data from 2007, she said, arguing that the county's finances have deteriorated markedly since then. The county also has tightened rules on spending as the economy has worsened, she said.

Commissioner Susan Brager said the county is not playing a game with the numbers. She said she respects firefighters but believes they must be willing to give a little to avoid a worse outcome.

"I think everyone needs to pitch in," Brager said. "I think everyone needs to look in the mirror and decide how they want to see themselves."

Reid said he was trying to keep the dialogue with Beaman constructive but disagreed with how he characterized the county's finances.

"It's obvious to any objective observer that the county's finances are in the most difficult situation they've been in, in memory," Reid said. "It's been my hope that all our employees will help us get through it."

The Police Protective Association agreed to forgo cost-of-living raises for a year. The local Service Employees International Union agreed to trim its cost-of-living raise to 1 percent from 3 percent and cap merit raises at 4 percent instead of 5 percent.

Unions in Las Vegas and North Las Vegas also have made concessions.

Still, Commissioner Tom Collins said Beaman is being reasonable in requesting that the county slash extraneous costs before expecting the union to change its contract.

"The firefighters, before they give up their pay, they want to see a little more accountability from the county," Collins said. "It's not Ryan Beaman's job to balance the county's budget."

Sisolak, who plans to meet with Beaman this week, also acknowledged that there may be expenses that could be cut in the proposed county budget.

In the past, the county and firefighters' union had an adversarial relationship, which could make Beaman reluctant to cooperate now, Collins said.

But a taxpayers' advocate said the firefighters' union was acting selfishly.

While tax revenue declines, the union not only resists a lower pay raise but lobbies the Legislature for enhanced medical benefits and reimbursements for transporting patients, said Carole Vilardo, president of the Nevada Taxpayers Association.

"They're asking to be held harmless while everybody else is sharing in the pain," Vilardo said.

Contact reporter Scott Wyland at swyland@reviewjournal.com or 702-455-4519.