Gibbons’ proposal for open collective bargaining involving public funds to be introduced

CARSON CITY -- State Senate Republicans have agreed to introduce Gov. Jim Gibbons' plan to require collective bargaining talks for local governments and school districts to be conducted in public, the government said Monday.

"We must stop the secret backroom deals between public employee unions and state and local governments," said Gibbons in a statement. "Collective bargaining involving public funds should be open to the public."

Gibbons, whose term ends Jan. 3, said Senate Minority Leader Mike McGinness, R-Fallon, and the Republican caucus have agreed to introduce his proposal as a bill in the 2011 session.

Earlier Monday, former U.S. Senate candidate Danny Tarkanian said not enough signatures were collected on a petition that would have placed Gibbons' Open Government Plan before the Legislature.

"We collected signatures, but not enough," he said.

Tarkanian has been leading the petition gathering effort on behalf of Gibbons.

He needed to collect 97,002 signatures by Tuesday for the Legislature to consider the plan next year, but he said it was difficult to find volunteers to circulate petitions.

Under the petition, public employee union talks with local governments and school districts would be subject to the state open meeting law.

Gibbons said 70 percent to 80 percent of local government spending goes for personnel, and negotiations about salaries are hidden from the public.

Senate Republicans picked up one seat in Tuesday's election, but Democrats still hold an 11-10 membership advantage.