After years of organizing, AFSCME Local 4041 members are celebrating historic gains for Nevada state employees, won through collective bargaining and the 2023 legislative session.
Because of union member activism and building political power in the legislature, state employees will see up to 24% wage increases over the biennial budget, the largest wage increase ever for state employees.
“After decades of budget cuts and falling wages, state employees will be closer in wage parity to other public sector employees in Nevada,” said Patricia Wright, AFSCME member and mental health technician at Rawson Neal Psychiatric Hospital.
“Strong investments in state workers mean a reliable workforce and improved services for our communities,” she added. “We are deeply grateful to legislative leaders for working with AFSCME members to develop this historic boost for state employees.”
Nevada state employees saw a 12 or 13% wage increase on July 1, 2023, depending on job classification. On July 1, 2024, state employees will see an 11% wage increase. State employees will also see quarterly bonuses over the next two fiscal years that total $2,000, and reinstatement of a longevity pay program that rewards state workers for their continued service.
Other AFSCME-supported legislation that became law includes reauthorization of the Merit Award Board, a paid family leave program for state employees that allows for eight weeks at 50% pay; improving the arbitration and mediation process in collective bargaining; and splitting state supervisor bargaining units to make it easier for supervisors to win a union.
At the bargaining table, AFSCME members won increases to personal days, bilingual pay, shift differential pay, tool allowances, and guarantees from management to protect a worker’s union rights. Additionally, AFSCME members won an increase to bankable paid time off hours and will now be able to cash out excess hours twice a year.
“This year’s victory at the legislature and at the bargaining table is a result of a years-long effort to win collective bargaining rights for state employees in 2019 and workers coming together as a union to fight for better pay, working conditions and improved state services,” said Brian Miller, AFSCME member and carpenter at the University of Nevada, Reno. “With a voice on the job, we are starting to see how coming together makes a difference in our workplaces, our wages, and the services we provide across Nevada.”
Since January, AFSCME Local 4041 has seen tremendous growth, driven by the mobilization around contract negotiations and legislative actions. Over 1,000 state workers have become AFSCME members in Nevada, and more than 500 state workers have signed conversion cards supporting AFSCME as the exclusive representative for their bargaining unit. AFSCME leaders engaged with state workers in the workplace and through home visits to drive union membership and legislative action.
AFSCME members had a strong presence throughout the legislative session, generating calls and emails and engaging in direct discussions with legislators from both parties during lobby days. Earlier this year, AFSCME’s bargaining team delivered a strong contract that improves workers’ rights and working conditions, and that served as the basis of many economic policies that were then extended to all state workers through the legislature.
AFSCME Local 4041 is the largest union for Nevada state employees, representing thousands of state workers across all agencies. Local 4041 is the exclusive bargaining representative for three bargaining units of workers and is currently organizing additional bargaining units.