When Clark County told unions in 2021 that the county could only afford 2% annual raises, the county agreed that if any other employees got higher raises than that, union members would get those increases too. Then in December 2022 county commissioners approved a 20% raise for County Manager Kathleen Otto over three years, raising her salary from $180,000 to $219,000.
Four unions representing county employees filed grievances, and in March, they made their case to an arbitrator that their members are entitled to equivalent 20% raises over three years because of the “me too” clauses in their contracts.
Howard Bell, executive officer of Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) Local 11, said the county doesn’t want to pony up. Union reps and county officials filed final arguments with the arbitrator last month and are still waiting for a decision.
Bell said more than $12 million in wage increases is on the line for about 600 Clark County workers. Local 11 represents about 200 county workers in administrative roles, including courthouse clerks and police dispatchers. The other involved unions are PROTEC17, Laborers Local 335 and AFSCME Local 307.
“It’d be a huge victory for these employees if we get it,” Bell said.
It’s been a slog to get to arbitration. Local 11 filed the grievance in the spring of 2023. But when the parties met for mediation in October 2023, Clark County didn’t want to negotiate, Bell said. Arbitration sessions were postponed several times.
Joni McAnally, a spokesperson for Clark County, told the Labor Press by email that the county has participated in good faith through the grievance process, which included mediation.
Bell said he hopes for a ruling this month. A delayed ruling could affect OPEIU’s contract negotiations with the county, which kicked off July 9.
“If the me-too got settled, it would settle a lot of issues over wages,” Bell said, and free up time in bargaining to drill down on other issues, like expensive out-of-pocket health care costs.
