Contract talks between the city of Henderson and unions representing police officers and supervisors have reached a stalemate as current agreements are set to expire at the end of June.
Andrew Regenbaum, executive director and chief negotiator for the Henderson Police Officers' Association and the Henderson Police Supervisors' Association, says the city isn't bargaining in good faith.
VIDEO: Abel Garcia talks to chief negotiator for the Henderson Police Officers' Association about contract negotiations with the City of Henderson
"We've reached an impasse with both of the unions for the Henderson Police Department… one is the patrol officers, the other is the supervisors — the sergeants and the lieutenants," Regenbaum said.
The unions began the negotiation process months ago but claim they've seen little progress.
"We sent a notice of intent to negotiate back in January… we began negotiating sometime around February or March… we've received no meaningful proposals from the city," Regenbaum said.
If no deal is reached by the June 30 expiration date, the dispute will move to mediation and possibly arbitration.
A significant issue in the negotiations is Henderson's police staffing shortage, with approximately 60 to 70 open positions.
"Henderson at this point has a significant shortage of officers… some 60 to 70 open positions. You can't recruit people and you can't keep people because you're not paying them adequately," Regenbaum said.
Another major concern is rising retirement contribution rates under Nevada's Public Employee Retirement System (PERS).
"Without a wage increase or a cost-of-living adjustment… the officers are going to see a decrease in their take-home pay," Regenbaum said.
"We believe that Henderson is the lowest-paid department in this area."
While Nevada law prohibits law enforcement officers from striking, Regenbaum says they will proceed with legal options through the impasse process.
"We're going to continue through the impasse process — which involves mediation and then arbitration… public safety is not being prioritized by the city," Regenbaum said.
The City of Henderson disputes the union's characterization of the negotiations.
"The City has been bargaining in good faith with the unions, and we have met multiple times with each union for that purpose. Although no agreement has been reached so far, the City remains committed to the process of good faith bargaining," a city spokesperson said in a statement.
Regenbaum warns that Henderson residents could ultimately bear financial costs if the dispute requires mediation and arbitration.
"The city has an expense to that, and that's gonna be paid for by taxes," Regenbaum said.
Meanwhile, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officers are facing similar pay concerns. According to an administrative notice shared with commissioned Metro officers, they will see an 8.75% increase in their PERS retirement contributions starting July 19, split evenly between Metro and officers.
Despite a promised 2.6% cost-of-living increase on July 1, Metro officers' take-home pay will drop by nearly 2%. Metro officials say this change is state-mandated to maintain the financial stability of the public employees' retirement system.
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