Don’t cry for Nevada public sector union chief

In an April 29 commentary, Harry Schiffman, president of AFSCME Local 4041, the Nevada state employees union, wrote a screed headlined, ”Nevada state workers get a raw deal.” As usual, it was a propaganda piece coming from another government insider corporate executive whining about how badly the state employees are being treated because they can’t bargain for wages and benefits.

Mr. Schiffman is outraged at the unfairness and inequity of it all. Would you like to know the reality? As of year-end 2016, the Nevada Department of Employment reports that the average private-sector wage in Nevada was $45,964. The average state government wage was $51,547, and the average local government wage was $54,400.

What Mr. Schiffman can’t stand is that state government is 5 percent below local government. It’s of no concern to him at all that state wages are 12 percent above the private sector. He wants his group’s wages to be at least 18 percent above the private-sector peasants, just like local government workers are. That’s how AFSCME defines fair and equitable.