New commissioner to face labor woe

Whichever Democrat wins the primary in Rory Reid's Clark County Commission district could face the difficult task of laying off employees.

Commissioners this year sidestepped the recessionary bullet that forced local cities to lay off hundreds of employees, eliminate cost-of-living and other pay raises and, in one case, reduce salaries and pay scales.

They strapped a bandage on the county's ailing finances by leaving roughly 750 jobs vacant and pulling money from a reserve fund.

But when they approved a $1.2 billion operating budget with these adjustments, most acknowledged:

■ That it was a temporary fix.

■ That tax revenues probably would continue dropping, just as they have in the past two years after the region's record growth fizzled.

■ That layoffs and even salary cuts will be needed in the coming year.

Cutting labor costs is a tricky balancing act. While city and county government wages in Southern Nevada are among the highest in the nation, they also have the fewest employees per 1,000 residents.

All of that makes this year's three commission races important because the candidates who voters pick will have to tackle the tough problems ahead.

The commission race for District G, which covers the east-central part of the Las Vegas Valley, is especially crucial in Tuesday's primary because the top vote-getter among the five Democratic candidates probably will win the general election. Democrats have a more than 13,000 advantage in registered voters in the district.

The solutions this winner will offer are unclear, but it is clear that he or she will take advice from the county's public employee unions.

Almost all of the five candidates are strong union advocates who believe in collective bargaining and who will let the unions have a strong say about whether to absorb layoffs or reductions in pay and benefits.

Four of the candidates sound as though they are reading the same script when describing how they would follow the unions' lead.

They are state Sen. David Parks; Mary Beth Scow, a former county School Board member; Greg Esposito, a planning commissioner; and Michael Dicks, who used to work at the airport car rental center.

Ron Newell, another planning commissioner, comes across as the most fiscally conservative, saying he would vote to lay off workers or freeze pay raises if necessary. Still, he has talked with union officials about how to reduce labor costs and thinks their input is important.

The winner will face Republican Douglas Bell, Libertarian Tim Hagan and Independent American Del Hadarly in the general election.

DAVID PARKS

Parks, 66, said his 27 years in government, including 14 years in the Legislature, make him the best choice in dire economic times.

Parks was endorsed by the county's two largest unions: the Service Employees International Union Local 1107 and the International Association of Firefighters Local 1908. He points out that the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce also endorsed him.

He said he made no promises to the unions that he would protect their current wage and benefit packages. With tax revenue dropping, "something has to give," he said.

It's up to management to lay off employees or propose to the unions how they might cut compensation, Parks said.

He would let negotiations run their course and make decisions on whatever contracts the county and unions propose. However, he would demand frequent updates during the bargaining to avoid being surprised when it's time to ratify a contract, he said.

"I want to stay in the loop," he said.

Parks said he supports binding arbitration in which an outside party resolves deadlocks between unions and the county. Conservative critics argue that binding arbitration has been skewed in favor of unions and has helped them win fatter contracts for their employees.

The law allowing binding arbitration has been around more than 40 years, and it works, said Parks, who participated in hearings when he worked for the city of Las Vegas and the Regional Transportation Commission.

He said he can think of no better alternatives when two sides reach a stalemate. Each side gives its best offer and an arbitrator decides the course of action, he said.

Sometimes the parties give ground and even compromise before the arbitrator hands down the binding decision, Parks said.

Parks expressed optimism about the county moving past the worst of the recession by next year.

"I'm confident that the economy will sufficiently rebound, so if there are requirements for layoffs, they will be fairly minimal," Parks said.

GREG ESPOSITO

Esposito, 38, said laying off workers and reducing wages that can support families would hurt the struggling local economy even more because it would decrease disposable income.

The government must have adequate staffing to provide services to residents, he said. "Layoffs are never a good alternative."

Like Parks, he said he would defer to the bargaining process.

The union members will decide whether to give up pay raises and perks or lose jobs, he said. Then the commission will vote on the final contract.

Esposito said he couldn't say whether it would be better for workers to be laid off or to have their wages frozen until the economy improves.

"I'm unfortunately not going to be committal at this moment," Esposito said.

He supports binding arbitration, saying it takes politics out of a labor dispute because an impartial person renders a decision.

In the past, when the economy was robust, arbitrators might have ruled in a union's favor more often because they assumed a government entity had the money to cover the union's demands, he said. But with local governments hurting in the recession, arbitrators are more likely to sympathize with them.

Esposito is marketing director for Plumbers, Pipefitters and Service Technicians Local Union 525 and was endorsed by some smaller, local building-trades unions. He spent a year on the Planning Commission and two years on the Paradise Town Advisory Board.

A few of his opponents, especially Parks, have far more experience in government, but that could lead to a stale way of thinking, Esposito said.

Parks has spent decades in a system that has gone awry, Esposito said. "Where has it brought us? Is that what Clark County needs?"

RON NEWELL

Newell, 70, said he would take a firm stance on slashing labor costs.

He said the county is like any other service provider: If there isn't enough money to pay for the services, you must reduce staffing.

The unions can make concessions on their contracts to salvage the jobs, Newell said. If they don't, people must be laid off.

"I hate to put it all on the backs of the workers," Newell said. "But you can't keep people on if you don't have enough work for them. We don't have a credit card."

Vital services to the elderly and to children should be left alone, he said.

He thinks there should be no pay raises for two years or until the economy improves.

Newell said he was a Teamsters manager years ago, which gave him a clear idea of how employee contracts are negotiated.

A limited number of layoffs is preferable to slicing wages across the board, he said. Reducing working families' income could throw them into hardship because they often run on a tight budget.

With layoffs, the workers with the least seniority usually are the first to go, he said, adding that it's a fair system though no easier on those who are fired.

Newell said binding arbitration is a reasonable way to resolve an impasse. If the union wins a heftier pay raise than the county can afford, the county will have no choice but to lay off workers, he said.

"The arbitrator would have to take that into consideration," Newell said.

MARY BETH SCOW

Scow, 57, said she was endorsed by unions as a School Board member but feels she is not beholden to any special interests.

She echoed Esposito's sentiment that laying off people would hurt an already ailing economy and should be a last resort.

Wage increases and benefits should be curbed so the county doesn't have to cut back on important services, she said.

"I think there are sacrifices the employee groups need to make to avoid layoffs," Scow said. "When revenues are down, you can't afford to sustain everything as it has been in the past when times have been good."

Scow said she believed in letting management and unions bargain, then having the governing board take up the proposed contracts.

She said she dislikes binding arbitration because, unlike bargaining, there is no give and take and little middle ground. Each side presents a case, and an arbitrator decides the outcome.

She prefers to have the two sides work through their differences in negotiations, she said.

Eight years ago, the school district won a case in binding arbitration but still had to shell out a pay raise because the arbitrator ruled the teachers union had to come away with something, she said.

She believes her 12 years on the School Board prepared her to be a commissioner because both offices require difficult decisions.

"I've been in the trenches and have gotten my fingernails dirty," Scow said. "I've worked with families on the most important issue: their children."

MICHAEL DICKS

Dicks, 53, worked at the car rental center near McCarran International Airport and is now unemployed. He wants to launch an air conditioning business and also make a difference in his community.

He has no political experience and said that's an asset. He said his opponents are less concerned about the wide range of issues affecting Las Vegas residents than they are about getting elected.

"It's rude that the career politicians are running for office to make a name for themselves," he said.

Dicks described himself as "very, very strong union person."

Still, he thinks all county employees should forgo pay raises until the economy improves to preserve as many jobs as possible, saying there's no excuse for workers not to sacrifice a little.

"In my lifetime, that's called greed," Dicks said.

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