LAS VEGAS – Workers in a fourth unit of Nevada state employees on Wednesday were certified by the state to conduct contract negotiations as AFSCME Local 4041.
The members of the Labor, Maintenance and Custodial (LMC) bargaining unit join more than 4,000 other state workers who have taken the same step since state employees won collective bargaining rights last June.
Two units of health care workers and one unit of correctional officers have already won certification as AFSCME from the state’s Government Employee-Management Relations Board. These units with collectively bargain with the state as AFSCME units in the coming months.
The LMC unit includes highway maintenance workers, custodial employees, HVAC specialists, plumbers, electricians, those working in mail and food services, equipment and wastewater plant operators and mechanics, carpenters, locksmiths, maintenance workers and landscapers. They maintain state roads and highways, correctional facilities, state hospitals and Nevada’s state-supported college and university campuses.
“Workers in this unit are spread across Nevada. But being AFSCME gives us unity because we all face similar issues at work regarding safety and resources. Together, we can better advocate for ourselves,” said Desmond Muir, a safety trainer for the Nevada Department of Transportation in Carson City.
Nevada state employees have been organizing as Local 4041 for decades. In 2019, Local 4041 members won the right for 20,000 state employees to bargain collectively over wages, working conditions and resources to improve state services. State workers must now file with the state for exclusive representation, based on bargaining units determined by job classifications. AFSCME represents 1.4 million public services workers across the country.
Local 4041 President Harry Schiffman, an electrician at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas and a member of the LMC unit, said he’s pleased that state employees are overwhelmingly choosing to build power through AFSCME.
“We’ve been fighting for state employees as AFSCME for decades and are excited to negotiate our first contract with the state as AFSCME,” he said. “Having a voice on the job means we will have the respect on the job we deserve, and the resources to do our jobs safely and efficiently.”