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Las Vegas police union backs contract with cuts
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LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Members of the Las Vegas Police Protective Association approved a new labor contract with the Metropolitan Police Department that maintains pay raises for current officers but will do away with "longevity increases" for future hires.
The state's largest police union voted 1,108-250 in favor of the deal. The electronic voting began Sunday and concluded Friday morning.
The pact still needs approval from the Metropolitan Police Committee on Fiscal Affairs, a board made up of representatives from the city of Las Vegas and Clark County that authorizes police spending.
The committee meets Monday to consider the agreement.
"I think it is a gigantic deal," said Chris Collins, executive director of the union. "It is a huge dollar savings to the city and the county."
Clark County Commissioner Steve Sisolak, who is on the Fiscal Affairs Committee, said the demise of longevity increases will save the governments tens of millions of dollars in the long term.
"Hopefully, once we get one labor group to recognize it is such an enormous cost, we can get it out of future contracts," Sisolak said. "For the (Las Vegas Police Protective Association) to be the first major group that would potentially do that is an enormous benefit to the county."
Las Vegas city officials have expressed concerns the new contract doesn't have enough savings for the government.
"The city's budget is decreasing and has decreased, and we are responsible for 40 percent of Metro's budget," said Las Vegas Ward 5 Councilman Ricki Barlow, also a member of the Fiscal Affairs Committee. "In order to balance Metro's budget moving forward it will throw the city of Las Vegas' budget completely out of whack."
The Police Department's overall budget is about $501 million, with 61.6 percent from Clark County and 38.4 percent from the city, according to the amended final budget document dated April 25 on the department website.
The budget document states more than 88 percent of the spending is for salaries and benefits.
Under the two-year labor contract, longevity increases for current union members would be 0.25 percent, down from 0.5 percent in the previous contract.
Merit increases would be 1 percent in the first year and 3 percent in the second year, down from 4 percent.
Clothing and equipment allowance pay would be $925 in the first year and $1,000 in the second year, down from $1,675, according to a summary of the contract.
Collins said the pay scale for a Las Vegas police officer ranges from $24.60 to $38.05 per hour, plus overtime, shift and assignment differential pay and benefits.
Contact reporter Benjamin Spillman at bspillman@reviewjournal.com or 702-229-6435.
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Based on a KLAS report a year or two ago, nobody at Metro makes $180,000. Please refer to Co. Fire.
Times are tough for everyone. No disrespect to any profession, however, I would put an officers work load against a firefighter any day. Yet, when you look at salaries for the current and past years most firefighters are well into the $100,000 club, while only some officers are.
Metro Officers are the 3rd highest paid in the State of Nevada compared to others in the State. Additionally, on average, public safety employees life expectancy is much shorter than that of the general public due to unique stressors and other various complex issues associated with the profession. I know this because of studies and personal experience. I lost my Father not to long ago after he put in 28 years and died 2.5 years after retirement. Looks like a sacrifice to me in some ways.
POOR... TAXED OUT.... and .... PRIVATE SECTOR PETE.... Must be off all those meds again!!!
Yes they use their vacation time.
DE CERTIFY THES OVERPAID THUGS ......THERE ARE MANY QUALIFIED ff and police that have been laid off from other areas and are not trigger happy thugs who would love to have work and be gratefull and to all the cl county commishes who go for this ....look we kept ms chris g from being mayor and your jobs are next GIVE THIS COUNTY BACK TO THE HONORABLE CITIZENS A SAY OR YOUR JOB IS NEXT. as for former telemarketer sisolak cant wait till your ex biz tapes show up on channel one !!!!we are a non partisan non hate group of biz people who want to preserve this great town.not sell it out to crooked union and 200 k a year firemen who have scammed us for years ........get real or get lost ...DE CERTIFY is alive
@Batman....do they use their accumlated vacation time?
@ private sector pete....everyone who rides in the unity tour must raise their own funds to take part. The department does not pay one cent for them to take part in that event.
LVMPD must stop their annual Clark County taxpayer paid "9-11 Unity Bike Ride" in New York City and Washington, D.C. Metro Sheriff Doug Gillispie...why do you allow your Metro Lt. and his 7 or 8 officer buddies at Metro go "play" for a week every year at taxpayer expense including overtime replacement expenses? These guys make near $180,000 annually each and then we the taxpayer has to pay for their "free" annal vacation of fun, drinking and playing Heroes? Ten years of this wasting taxpayer dollars on these annual "fun, drinking and Hero trips" must end...stop it now!
Clint Eastwood.. So are you complaining about Metro? If so, get a clue. Las Vegas is a magnet to every low life, get rich quick, wash-out in America and Mexico. Not to exclude all the other nutjobs from all over the world. Exactly what would you have Metro do at your 'no injury car wreck'? A stolen car is a property crime, the car is gone, call your insurance company. Take the time and listen to a police scanner for a couple days. Believe me, on face value it is hard to support Metro somtimes. But listen to what they deal with all day everyday. Your agencies in smaller areas? Like who?
I prefer Metro "waste" their time on the real deviants out there. I am smart enough to swap insurance info with other motorists. I can understand that my car is gone and no number of officers in the world can snap their fingers and bring itr back right now.
The headline read Police union backs contracts with cuts. What does that mean? I read the article, still don't know.
Recently in NLV the police and firefighters negotiated pay cuts only to have NLV announce the use of that money to further subsidize expenditures that were frivilous and beyond the scope of city government.
I hope the PPA got it in writing that the paycuts they agreed to are cuts in spending, not just redirected.