At the capital: More details on the excellent labor reforms in AB182

Hi, I’m Victor Joecks with the Nevada Policy Research Institute, here in Carson City.

Recently, I told you about Assemblyman Randy Kirner’s excellent collective bargaining reform bill, AB182. AB182 has so many common-sense reforms that I couldn’t get to them all in one video.

And since AB182 is scheduled for a hearing in Assembly Commerce and Labor next Monday, March 16 at 1:30 p.m., I want to let you know about the second half of the bill.

Along with ending government dues collection and union leave time, AB182 would prohibit managers and supervisors from bargaining collectively. This only makes sense. Why does management need a union? They’re the management.

Next, AB182 would prohibit evergreen clauses and mandatory binding arbitration. These are the mechanisms that union officials use to force elected officials to agree to higher and higher compensation packages. Currently, if a municipality tries to lower inflated wages, the union just goes to mandatory binding arbitration where an unelected, unaccountable out of state arbitrator makes a binding decision, based in part on a local government’s ability to pay.

Over the last few years, we saw unions around Nevada eat into emergency and maintenance reserves to fund pay increases. This bill addresses that by allowing local governments to keep an ending fund balance of 16.6 percent that can’t be considered in negotiations.

As you can guess union officials hate AB182. But these are moderate reforms that taxpayers desperately need.

Below is contact information for the Assembly Commerce and Labor Committee:

Assemblyman Randy Kirner, Chair: Randy.Kirner@asm.state.nv.us, 775-684-8848

Assemblywoman Victoria Seaman, Vice Chair: Victoria.Seaman@asm.state.nv.us, 775-684-8847

Assemblyman Paul Anderson: Paul.Anderson@asm.state.nv.us, 775-684-8853

Assemblyman John Ellison: John.Ellison@asm.state.nv.us, 775-684-8831

Assemblywoman Michele Fiore: Michele.Fiore@asm.state.nv.us, 775-684-8829

Assemblyman Ira Hansen: Ira.Hansen@asm.state.nv.us, 775-684-8851

Assemblyman Erven Nelson: Erven.Nelson@asm.state.nv.us, 775-684-8833

Assemblyman Philip "P.K." O'Neill: PK.Oneill@asm.state.nv.us, 775-684-8825

Assemblyman Stephen Silberkraus: Stephen.Silberkraus@asm.state.nv.us, 775-684-8855

Assemblywoman Irene Bustamante Adams: Irene.BustamanteAdams@asm.state.nv.us, 775-684-8803