“It was just mind-boggling” – Nevada State Police Union President
“Would have come in very handy during the holidays” – UNR Carpenter
As it turns out, Joe Lombardo’s support for Nevada’s state police has a limit. Lombardo, despite using his law enforcement background for political gain on the campaign trail, stiffed Nevada Police Union members by ordering that they and other state employees who were working under collective bargaining agreements wouldn’t be receiving longevity pay under AB522 – payments of up to $1,027. Our state troopers missed out on checks that were sent out this past Friday, meaning that they’ll be entering the holiday season without the hard-earned pay they had been promised.
This isn’t the first time Lombardo has tried to stick it to the State Police, either. In May, he voted against the Nevada Police Union’s collective bargaining agreement that included critical pay increases for officers. This comes after Lombardo claimed on the campaign trail that he was ready to give Nevada State Police officers “the wages and respect they deserve” – yet another lie.
“As the Nevada State Police force faces worsening staffing shortages, implementing policies to retain our officers and hire more should be a number-one priority so that our communities are safe,” said Nevada State Democratic Party spokesperson Stephanie Justice.. “However, Lombardo has shown us once again that he’ll always value his own agenda over the wellbeing of Nevadans.”
See more below:
KTVN: State Employee Bonuses Cancelled for Union Members
December 15, 2023
- Thousands of state employees across Nevada, including highway patrol officers, expected longevity payments on December 15th.
- On November 6th, the Governor’s office issued an order notifying all state employees under collective bargaining agreements that they will not receive bi-annual longevity payments. During the 2023 Nevada Legislature, longevity payments were authorized as a part of the “state worker pay bill” (AB522) to increase pay for state workers with eight or more years of continuous service.
- The goal behind the bi-annual payments is to reward employee retention, which Assemblywoman Daniele Monroe-Moreno says is a problem within the Nevada Highway Patrol. Monroe-Moreno is the Speaker Pro Tem and Chair of the Ways and Means Committee.
- “That longevity bill was for all state employees whether they were in a bargaining unit or not in a bargaining unit, and the Governor signed that bill. A law is in effect that he signed,” said (D-North Las Vegas) Assemblywoman and NV Dems Chairperson Daniel Monroe-Moreno.
- Law enforcement officers members of the Nevada Police Union, many of whom are highway patrol, are learning that they are not getting those longevity payments. We spoke to NPU President Dan Gordan.
- “It was just mind-boggling. At first, I didn’t think it was accurate, but then as we started to near and get closer to the actual time of the payments, I started getting just a barrage of phone calls, text messages, emails, and conversations about how disappointed our membership is,” he said.
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