School district acting in ‘bad faith,’ union charges

The Clark County School District is accused of acting in "bad faith" with its support staff union, but the complaint is likely to fall on deaf ears because of the state's budget crisis.

The Local Government Employee-Management Relations Board no longer has any funding to hold hearings for the rest of the fiscal year, which ends June 30.

The three members of the board are each paid $80 a day to listen and rule on labor disputes involving local governments and their unions or collective bargaining units.

Because the board has run out of money, it has already had to cancel one hearing that was scheduled for June, according to Commissioner Andy Anderson, who, along with an executive assistant, are the board's only full-time staffers.

The labor-management board might not even exist after June 30 because state funding for the next fiscal year is in doubt.

"That's why I'm up here (in Carson City), to make sure we're funded," Anderson said in a telephone interview as he was walking into a budget hearing.

Because of the state budget crisis, school district officials have said they need to cut 854 positions for next year, including 592 support staff positions.

In a complaint filed on Tuesday by the Education Support Employees Association, the school district is accused of failing to abide by the negotiated terms for layoffs, also known as "reduction in force."

For instance, it did not provide the union with employee seniority lists in time for employees to challenge layoffs and job demotions. At one point, union representatives were told such a list did not exist.

The information was eventually provided after "reduction in force" notices were delivered to employees and the school district had decided how to reassign jobs based on seniority.

The union also accuses the school district of eliminating one job category -- permanent substitute teachers -- without engaging in collective bargaining first. In the complaint, school district management representatives are portrayed as "condescending and dictatorial."

The union also disputes how the school district can make such job cuts when its funding won't be known until the Legislature passes a state budget.

Officials with the school district could not be immediately reached for comment Tuesday. Superintendent Walt Rulffes, however, has said the school district regrets the job cuts. Other school officials have contended they have followed the union-negotiated terms for layoffs.

Contact reporter James Haug at jhaug@reviewjournal.com or 702-374-7917.