North Las Vegas union rejects raise cut
North Las Vegas' largest employee union has rejected a proposal to forgo a cost-of-living raise that would have saved the financially strapped city about $2.2 million but wouldn't save jobs, officials said.
Teamsters Local 14, which represents about 700 employees in a variety of jobs ranging from secretaries to managers, voted overwhelmingly against the proposal Wednesday, Steve Harney, the union's vice president, said. Of the members who voted, 316 were against the proposal while 85 supported it.
Under the agreement, the employees would have given up their 4.25 percent cost-of-living raises for fiscal year 2010-11, which starts July 1.
In exchange, the city would have increased the employees' annual leave by six days during the year.
"It wouldn't save one job for us," Harney said. "We are not greedy. We just want a fair shake."
The city in April approved eliminating 204 jobs. Harney said 188 of them are Teamsters positions.
"Some of them (the jobs), we knew we couldn't save no matter what," Councilwoman Anita Wood said.
The agreement would have saved the city $2.2 million in fiscal year 2010-11 and nearly $12 million over the next five years, according to figures provided by the city.
The additional annual leave would have cost the city $203,368 in 2010-11 and nearly $1.2 million over the next five years. Those figures are based on the probability that only about 10 percent of employees who receive the extra days will use them each year, the city said. Others accumulate the days, some saving the time until they retire, the city said.
The city earlier this month adopted an agreement on contract concessions with the city's firefighters union, saving the jobs of 16 firefighters.
The firefighters, represented by International Association of Firefighters Local 1607, agreed to give up their annual cost-of-living and merit or step raises for fiscal year 2010-11. In exchange, the city agreed to not lay off any union firefighters during the year and to increase firefighters' annual leave by 2.9 hours each pay period during the year.
