NPU Family,
So much to talk about over the last few weeks. As many of you are aware and have been following our NPU Socials…..we have testified in numerous Legislative Committee hearings for many bills that impact NPU membership. We continue to work for the betterment of NPU membership and Nevada public safety. Here is a list of a few bills we have been involved in so far:
- AB433 – Blue Ribbon Task Force for Nevada Peace Officers Well Being
- AB356 – New timelines for Collective Bargaining
- AB172 – Provisions relating to records stored on the internet
- AB59 – Nevada Game Wardens Police powers/authority
- AB17 – Expands satellite access to rural NV (radio and phone coverage for LE)
- AB54 – enhancement for “Move over law” (Abbate/Felix Law)
- Budget hearings for DPS, NSHE, State Parks, NDOW, Dept of Ag.
- PERS and PEBP meetings
- And many more……
Many of you have been asking about how collective bargaining has been going. To give everyone an idea about collective bargaining as a whole for ALL units represented….all of the Units are going/have gone to arbitration. Both of our Units, G (line level) and L (Supervisors) came to an “impasse.” Unit G went to arbitration last week in Las Vegas. Unit L has arbitration in Las Vegas on April 1st and 2nd. I just found out that because we came to an impasse with negotiations, everything is now “public information.” Here is a quick summary of Unit G’s TAs (tentative agreements) with the State excluding the compensation article:
Hours of Leave Article – we have agreed to add 12-hour shifts (which University Police were working already despite it being against our CBA). There is language that states, “Employer SHALL meet and confer with NPU regarding 12-hour shifts as it pertains to “operational needs.” We simply did not want any department or division to create mandatory 12-hour shifts unless the employee had interest in participating. So now, hopefully, its an option for those that have inquired about it.
Line of Duty Death Article – we negotiated to include 100% of Sick Leave payout to beneficiary along with what was already included (100% of Annual leave and Comp leave). We hope and pray that no one will ever need this!!!!!
Union Leave – increase from 1800 hours per year to 2000 hours of Union Leave per year on non legislative years, and 3000 hours Union Leave per year during Legislative years. This leave will allow NPU to include Unit L to share total hours.
Grievances – Will be filed in writing within 20 business days after the date of the incident giving rise to the alleged grievance or the date the grievant became aware or reasonably could have become aware of….
The Compensation Article was declared an impasse and went to Arbitration – here is a summary of what Unit G proposed:
- 3% COLA effective July 1, 2025
- 3% COLA effective July 1, 2026
- Longevity .5%/year
- starting year 1 (not paid until year 5).
- Maximum of 12.5% (25 years)
- Paid on each paycheck
- Education Pay (in addition to what is already in contract)
- 2% for Intermediate POST Certificate
- 2% for Advanced POST Certificate
- These can be stacked
Just an FYI, personal leave day and bilingual pay are still awaiting arbitration since they are active grievances. We are hoping to have these issues resolved shortly.
I want to take a minute to explain the arbitration process so you will have better insight into the “why” we did what we did and “why” our asks were a bit lower than what we originally wanted. Arbitration is basically a “this or that” process. We had to make some adjustments to present a “winnable” contract. We could have shot for the moon with a much greater ask when it comes to COLAs or raises. But the more we ask for, the greater the risk we take with a positive award. Like I said, the Arbitrator will pick one of the contracts presented, NPU’s proposal OR the State’s proposal. We did a tremendous amount of research and relied on our legal counsel’s experiences to come up with terms that are fair and reasonable. For the record, I feel like we hit a home run in the arbitration hearing last week for Unit G and I think we will do the same for Unit L later this week. I am confident that we will prevail and get a decision in NPU’s favor. The Arbitrator has until April 30th to render a decision. From there, we will get the contract(s) out to membership for a vote. After, hopefully, the contract is voted on and approved by membership, it will need to go to the Board of Examiners (BOE) which is made up of the Governor, Secretary of State, and Attorney General. All we need is 2 “yes” votes….and we all remember how that went last legislative session. Once the contracts pass out of the BOE, they will go back to the Legislature for a vote and funding. So, it’s a simple process #sarcasm
I want to take a minute to make sure everyone knows I’m working extremely hard for ALL of us. Again, the news articles and stories may be one-sided, but my narrative at the Legislature covers all Departments and Divisions. I want to thank many of you that continue to reach out to me and our Executive Board giving support. Also, for the many that call/text/email with questions, concerns and comments. You can always reach out to me directly. And if you know anyone that is not already a member, encourage them to become part of the NPU family. If they have any questions or concerns, I am more than happy to speak with them directly.
One last note, our NPU Gear Shop is open! If you would like to purchase some NPU gear, check out https://nvpolice.org/shop/. Be sure to log in as a member so that you get your member discount.
Cheers……
Dan
