As reported in The Nevada Independent, and witnessed by state NFA officers, the Nevada Assembly Ways and Means Committee excluded NSHE faculty members when they amended AB268, the bill that will provide retention bonuses to state employees. It appears that NSHE officers were not at the work session and were taken by surprise when they became aware of the amendment. Firing off a tweet to express their disappointment, NSHE requested the committee reverse its decision. (I assume they did more than just tweet this request.)
It didn't work. The full Assembly passed the amended bill on Thursday, March 16.
Perhaps leadership at NSHE and the eight institutions were taken by surprise because they have been laser-focused on getting the legislature to restore pre-pandemic budgets and assuming any legislation that actually benefits the higher education workforce would simply take care of itself. One can only speculate.
As one-time Virginia City resident Samuel Clemens supposedly said, "history doesn't repeat itself, but it often rhymes." If that's true, Dr. Seuss must be composing NSHE's legislative history. In the 2021 legislative session, NSHE was caught by surprise when employee groups with state-recognized collective bargaining rights were awarded 3% cost of living adjustments, but the COLA for NSHE professionals, who don't have collective bargaining rights in statute, amounted to only 1%.
Both instances reinforce the need for AB224, the "Collective Bargaining for NSHE Professional Employees" bill. This legislation would give non-managerial academic and administrative faculty the same rights enjoyed by tens of thousands of other public employees in Nevada. NSHE disguises resistance to the bill by declaring their neutrality, but their written testimony and fiscal notes submitted to the legislature say otherwise.
After more than a decade of wage stagnation and erosion of benefits, it's well-past time to recognize that NSHE professionals cannot count on NSHE leadership to effectively represent or defend their welfare. State-recognized collective bargaining rights are the only way to ensure that we have a seat at the table occupied by someone with no other priority than promoting our collective wellbeing. When NSHE Leadership tells you how much collective bargaining will cost the System, remember how much the lack of collective bargaining is costing you.
If you have not done so yet, I encourage you to show your support for AB224 by reaching out to your legislative representatives and members of the Board of Regents. We are closer to turning this legislation into law than ever before, but the race is far from over. We need your voice. We need your action. #PassAB224.
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