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Gibbons rejects four-day work week
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LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL CAPITAL BUREAU
Updated: Mar. 12, 2010 | 8:24 a.m.
CARSON CITY -- A four-day workweek for state employees is dead, at least for the foreseeable future, after Gov. Jim Gibbons on Thursday vetoed the enabling bill.
While Gibbons said in a news conference that he might try to implement through executive order a four-day, 10-hour-a-day work schedule in some agencies to help fix a budget shortfall, he also acknowledged that might be a long shot.
Because of his veto, a state law that requires state agencies to keep 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. hours Monday through Friday remains in effect.
"That is what we are looking at; we may not be able to do it," Gibbons said.
Also on Thursday, Gibbons signed state Senate Bill 5, which takes sales tax revenue paid by Clark County residents and uses it to set up a $500 million bond program to construct roads and create jobs across the state.
Both bills were approved with little opposition during the special legislative session that ended March 1.
Gibbons said this "jobs bill" will create up to 1,000 jobs by funding "shovel ready" road projects.
The state expects to receive about $25 million a year in sales taxes from the continuation of a voter-approved question that allows the Regional Transportation Commission in Clark County to issue bonds for up to $1.7 billion in highway construction.
During the special legislative session, legislators said the $1.7 billion limit is being neared and that the sales tax could be extended and be used for a bond program to create jobs through highway construction statewide. Collection of the sales tax would have ended once the $1.7 billion limit was reached.
Another $1 million a year for the state jobs plan will be raised by taking money going into a fund for cleaning up petroleum discharges. Gas stations collect a small fuel tax for this fund that is capped at $7 million. Funds over that limit will go to the jobs program.
Although initially advocating a four-day workweek, Gibbons said in his veto message that Senate Bill 3 would "actually cost the state time, money and manpower to implement."
He had hoped that with a 10-hour workday, the mandatory once-a-month furlough day that state workers were ordered to take would boost revenue by the extra two hours over the normal 8-hour workday.
He said state agencies needed "flexibility" to implement innovative work schedules and that would not be possible with the bill, which passed the Assembly, 41-1, and the state Senate, 19-2.
Administration officials said earlier this week that the Department of Motor Vehicles might not be able to switch to a four-day week without inconveniencing customers.
State Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford, D-Las Vegas, questioned why Gibbons vetoed the four-day workweek bill since he was the one who wanted it and his top staff members testified for the bill.
"He shouldn't have requested it if he wasn't going to sign it," Horsford said.
In documents released during the special session, the Gibbons administration also estimated $5.3 million in utility savings with a four-day workweek.
However, Utah, which shifted to a four-day workweek in 2008, received only $700,000 in savings on utility costs, not the anticipated $3 million.
Gibbons said legislators went beyond their authority with language they inserted in the four-day workweek bill. He said the Nevada Constitution states that during special sessions legislators can only act on matters that the governor requests.
He said a section of SB3 would "overturn a directive" he issued last month for state agencies to terminate some adjustments to salaries of state employees. Employees at some agencies, particularly the Department of Corrections, have been receiving a 5 percent shift premium for working at night.
Gibbons said he was trying to save money by ending these pay differentials and that legislators had "deliberately and blatantly' contravened his order.
Horsford, however, said Gibbons' aides were aware of the language keeping differential pay that legislators placed in the bill. He also questioned the authority of the governor to reduce pay of employees through a directive.
The Nevada Supreme Court following the 1991 session overturned a move by then-Gov. Bob Miller to reduce the pay of state employees through executive order.
In a news conference, Gibbons said the pay differences are unfair to employees doing the same jobs.
Contact Capital Bureau Chief Ed Vogel at evogel@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3901.
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las vegas local wrote on March 12, 2010 01:05 PM:
I work for the state and would love to work 4, 10 hour days.
As for the fire fighters working 10 days a month and needing a COLA. I can't even get a step or a payraise let along COLA. Maybe you should work at an hourly rate instead of salary. step - is a yearly increase from your annual work performance review COLA - cost of living adjustment Hey wrote on March 12, 2010 10:42 AM: 4-10's is inefficient. Sure it may save some money on power, heating, etc.; however, the loss of productivity that occurs beyond 8 hours will eat up any savings made by using less on lights and heat. weatherguy wrote on March 12, 2010 10:40 AM: Time to put a giant VETO on Gibbons forehead! Mike wrote on March 12, 2010 10:39 AM: It would be nice if you could get one days worth of work out of them a week z_white_knight wrote on March 12, 2010 10:39 AM: I can't wait untill election time so we can get rid of some of these so called elected officals. Oscar Goodman would make a great govenor, the man has courage and I like his ideals. Fire every federal, state, county and city employee and offer them their job back at a lower rate with NO union. Just like what Ronald Regan did with the air traffic controlers. Mr. Goodman should play hardball and run for gov! INEBRIATED EINSTEIN wrote on March 12, 2010 10:39 AM: MY LOV GOV LIKES TO THINK HE'S THE SMARTEST PERSON, BUT HE'S NOT! HE'S HAVING A HARD TIME NOT TAKING KATHY KARRASCH TO WASHINGTON AND THE LEGISLATORS ARE MAKING BETTER DECISIONS THAN HE IS!!! Tim wrote on March 12, 2010 10:16 AM: Thomas A. Carpenter: It's not just that, it's also the fact the he's the one who championed the proposal in the first place. He might look like a responsible governor if he were vetoing something he was originally against. But to veto something he wanted in the first place . . . to call him a moron for that is an insult to morons. how is mazzeo doing. wrote on March 12, 2010 10:05 AM: ? fire fighter's need a cost of living raise ! wrote on March 12, 2010 10:04 AM: we are over worked heroes. we are scheduled to work 10 days a month. and can work more if and when ever we like. Randy wrote on March 12, 2010 08:31 AM: Want real jobs? Give the tax dollars back to the people. CCSD is sitting on $1 billion in cash. Eliminate or reduce the taxes that go to them to pay for schools they aren't building! Read More Comments |
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