76th (2011) Session
Opinions
View all submitted comments for each bill by the most recent, by votes for, or by votes against.
| AB560 | ||
| - | ||
| Against | The Governor proposes no new taxes yet balancing the budget on the back of state workers is most definitely a tax increase to us. Our health benefits have already been dramatically increased under the HMO/PPO plan. A high deductible catastrophic plan is a huge tax increase to us as we now have to pay out of our pocket much more money before the high deductible kicks in ($3900 individual/$7800 family). Oh yeah, the $700 contribution they are giving us won't even put a dent in the medical bills, of which, I cover a family. So, I am still having to put out $6700 for in-network before the plan pays 75%. No COLA raises, furloughs (for 2 years now), no merit increase, no longevity pay and our Governor and legislators think this is fair to state workers? Yet, you want to continue to add insult to injure and decrease workers (myself 12 years)vacation and sick time? Sure, that sounds like an intelligent plan to keep experienced workers staying with the State. Jobs will come back as some already are in specialized areas. I am sure the state can fill those positions for people who leave but what type of qualified people do you really think are going to apply. I sure hope the governor and legislators who may vote for this remember us little peons when it comes time to NOT vote you back in. But then again, they don't care about the working people. | Jun-04-2011 |
| Against | Balancing the budget on the backs of the employees is the epitomy of inept leadership. Those who live under the very blanket of safety provided by law enforcements officals should actually try and walk in their shoes for a day. Law enforcement officers should be compenstated for the risks they take each day. Put yourself in the shoes of a State Trooper, by him/her self on a lonely highway dealing with some raging criminal. Just know by lowering the pay and benefits of law enforcement officers, will result in lowering the quality of applicants for the very postions that are by nature high liability. What will happen is a less than desirable applicant will accept lower than average wages, be equipped with a gun, car and authority to make constitutional decisions and will ultimately make a wrong decision. One bad decision can equal tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars in lawsuit payouts. Unbelievable that the State is even thinking of cutting wages to those who risks their lives and livelihood everyday. I've lost all hope in our government!!!! | Jun-03-2011 |
| Against | I hope my Representitives are reading these comments. | May-31-2011 |
| Against | In my service as a State employee Longevity pay has been in effect less than it has been suspended. We have had our pay frozen and been fuloughed. We face another biennium without raises and we understand. Our pay will be cut AND frozen yet again (Furloughs are better than across the board cuts from my perspective, but it will be what it will be). Stealing from us our sick leave and vacation benefits is draconian. After 6 years I make 2/3rds of my private sector wage. The State health benefit program was less helpful than any private sector policy I have ever had, and will be even weaker FY2012. Please leave our vacation and sick leave benefits as they are. Thank-you | May-31-2011 |
| Against | May-31-2011 | |
| Against | When is enough enough? I understand the merit salary increases and the longevity, but now you are going after our annual and sick leave. | May-31-2011 |
| Against | Have we forgotten where we came from, was it not long ago our great state was begging for qualified people to fill teaching, social service, public safety personnel and other state positions? Apparently our legislators are willing to return Nevada to the 1970s, a time when better salaries, benefits and promise of excellent continuing education were a price citizens were willing to pay for quality people to fill these positions. My father worked for the State of Nevada for many years and before he passed away he advised me to follow in his path and take a job with the State. I can say he would be sadly disappointed in how the emoployees and retirees of the state he grew to love are being treated in these difficult economic times. For those of us who have remained in state service since Nevada's economic down turn the constant pressure of loosing salary in the face of higher work loads has become nearly unbearable, though we stay for now, will we stay when the country's economy returns to the vigor of the past? Countless state employees have left family, home and generations of memories to serve Nevada, to many, I fear, the concept of returning to their home states has become attractive as promises made in the past are tossed in the budget fire. In the field in which i serve we are already compensated less than our colleagues in Washoe and Clark counties, we are asked to do more with fewer resources and services available to our client population, and we soldier on in areas where the cost of living is sometimes twice that of the larger counties. Please remember, we state employees who remain have not abondoned rural Nevada. Please Nevada don't abondon us. | May-30-2011 |
| Against | State employees have already been stripped to the bone with other cuts. Suggest this bill apply to new employees only as current employees had certain understandings about benefits when they were first employedl. | May-30-2011 |
| Against | If you want to change benefits (sick and annual leave) then it should be for new hires. It is fair and those who hire on after a set date understand the conditions of their hire. I worked for Raley's Markets for years and they changed vacation time for new hires but those of us employed kept our current. with so many planning on retiring in the near future it will still save a lot of money if leave reductions are implemented in this manner. 4 years ago we could not find anyone to work for my department (ndot) now we are being criminalized. Just make it fair to all. | May-29-2011 |
| Against | May-29-2011 | |
| Against | May-29-2011 | |
| Against | I am tired of the budget being balanced on the back of state employees. I have no problem with a tax that will affect everyone so we all share the burden. I have already been a "step 1" for over 2 years and now I will have another 2 years to wait. When we accept a job in state service we do so knowing what the pay scale is and when we will reach a certain point if we work hard. I think if this bill does pass then at the point where the step increases end we should be placed to the step we would have progressed to. I have been told that when the freeze does end I will still have to wait until my anniversary date so for me this will be closer to 5 years without a raise. I started with the state at age 42 after retiring from the national Guard so if this freeze never ends then this bill not effects my current time home pay but the amount of retirement I will be eligible to receive. | May-28-2011 |
| Against | Really? Budgets can actually balance by "gasp" revenue enhancement (increase taxes). Other states do it all the time and live to tell. Stop depending on state workers to do your work for you! We vote, too, you know. | May-26-2011 |
| Against | May-26-2011 | |
| Against | May-25-2011 | |
| Against | May-24-2011 | |
| Against | May-24-2011 | |
| Against | May-24-2011 | |
| Against | May-24-2011 | |
| Against | State workers dont have much of a take home pay. The main reason to work for the state is the benefits. The state employees have already taken cuts, had their steps frozen (which steps are in the contract they sign) and the insurance is doubling in price. As far as I can see, the state employees have already given enough to the economy. By cutting their pay, steps, and doubling insurance; how are state employees as citizens able to afford to spend money towards bettering the economy? The least the government can do is leave their annual and sick leave alone otherwise they might as well work for free. | May-23-2011 |
| Against | May-23-2011 | |
| Against | May-23-2011 | |
| Against | May-23-2011 | |
| Against | May-23-2011 | |
| Against | May-23-2011 | |
| Against | May-21-2011 | |
| Against | May-21-2011 | |
| Against | State employee's have given up enough over the years. Its either a five percent cut here or a furlough there. Let's not forget about the freeze on our merit pay and longevity pay. Oh, did I for get to mention the higher cost of our insurance for a lot less coverage. Now you want to reduce the rate of our sick leave and annual leave. Plus, cut the rate of holiday pay. I wasn't aware that state workers were the only people who live in the state of Nevada. You should raise taxes, and let every person who lives in the state help pay for the state's debt. Enough, stop balancing the budget on the backs of state workers. | May-21-2011 |
| Against | Not cool. 17 years of service to the State of Nevada. Quit punishing the faithful. | May-21-2011 |
| Against | Instead of making it so hard on state employees, why don't we look at reducing the aid we give to Illegals and the benefits we give to the prisoners. People give up their rights when committing a crime, yet they get many benefits that we don't get and even more rights than the innocent people. I don't want taxes raised. I do want to see our state in better condition. I don’t mind helping out a little, but I don’t think it should all be on the state employee. We need better teachers, less upper management with high salaries, not more money for the schools. More money does not make a better education. What I am trying to say is that we need to cut other places and not just punish the state workers. | May-20-2011 |
| Against | May-20-2011 | |
| Against | State employees should not be lumped together with all public employees since city and county employees get better benefits, more money, in addition to getting retirement benefits the same as state employees when they do not contribute any share themselves. Why is it the Republicans and LV Chamber of Commerce are continually after state employees? All citizens benefit from state services so the budget shortfalls should be addressed and be the responsibility of all Nevada citizens. The best way is with a sales tax increase. The only ones that may know the diffence are the wealthier citizens since they purchase larger items. But god forbid that they have to pay more!!! | May-20-2011 |
| Against | May-20-2011 | |
| Against | State employees have given enough. I have friends who can no longer afford to make their house payments. They have been in their homes for 15 or more years and are responsible people. Find another way. Keep the Welfare cash and give it and the extended unemployment benefits to keep people working | May-20-2011 |
| Against | r u kidding me? furlough, 5%cut in pay,what's next, a kidney? | May-20-2011 |
| Against | With all the hits State employees are taking as a result of this state not being brave enough to raise taxes to cover its basic expenses (AND YES, I'M A REPUBLICAN!), it seems ludicrous that you would also reduce the accrual rates for annual and sick leave. Due to budget cuts, there is so much extra pressure on State employees to accomplish work that we NEED our vacation time and the security of knowing we are provided for if we are sick. This is one more "adjustment" that simply confirms we are not valued. Thanks. | May-20-2011 |
| Against | As far as cutting costs from the state budget, bill AB560 would appear to provide a solution in the public eye, but in fact only hurts the efficiency of state agencies. Bill AB560 would remove incentive for a person to have any desire to become a vested employee with the state, and with many private sector jobs already paying higher wages than similar state jobs, many people will seek other employment. Having a high turnover of employees would result in costing the state more money in training costs, admistrative hours, overtime to cover vacancies, and a decrease in productivity. The recent reduction of salary and benefits, with the continued mandatory furloughs,and impacts to retirement has already placed a strain on current state employees. Nevada is placing the burden of budget cuts on state employees, yet allows high wages to be paid to contractors who augment state projects. | May-20-2011 |
| Against | May-20-2011 | |
| Against | May-20-2011 | |
| Against | May-20-2011 | |
| Against | I accept that I will not get my fossil pay however, I work for the state for these benefits. Not because the job pays well because it doesn't. What is my incentive not to join the union and go on strike. Perhaps I should just quit, have another baby, and go on Welfare, then I would get a raise and make more money than I do currently working for them. Where is my employer's loyalty. Damn bill #AB560 to HELL. | May-20-2011 |
| Against | May-20-2011 | |
| Against | May-20-2011 | |
| Against | I still need to feed my family! | May-20-2011 |
| Against | May-20-2011 | |
| Against | WORKING WITH THE PUBLIC IS VERY STRESSFUL AND WE ARE AT GREATER RISK OF BEING INFECTED WITH ANY AND ALL ILLNESSES AS THERE IS NO BARRIER BETWEEN WORKER AND CLIENT | May-20-2011 |
| Against | May-20-2011 | |
| Against | May-20-2011 | |
| Against | How much more? Leave us with something to make this kind of work worthwhile. | May-20-2011 |
| Against | Job security and superior benefits are a primary reason an individual may choose to work in the public sector. Public employees typically earn less than their private sector counterparts. This bill threatens an important factor in the state's duty to attract and retain talented and hard-working employees. | May-20-2011 |
| Against | May-20-2011 | |
| Against | May-20-2011 | |
| Against | May-20-2011 | |
| Against | May-20-2011 | |
| Against | May-20-2011 | |
| Against | May-20-2011 | |
| Against | May-20-2011 | |
| Against | May-20-2011 | |
| Against | May-20-2011 | |
| Against | I think that enough is enough annual, and sick leave (credits) are earned so that an employee can take care of his/her health and or dependants and also to try to enjoy an occasional break from work, soon there will be no reason to work here other than a job. | May-20-2011 |
| Against | The very small budget savings that this bill proposes is not worth the continued morale loss and to force an additional sacrifice that the state employee continues to take in stride. Why does the state continue to make the hardest working state employees in the nation take further sacrifices (permanent benefit and pay cuts) instead of spreading the sacrifice equally to all Nevadans? The state employees do not deserve this harmful bill's effects upon them. Please do not approve this bill. | May-20-2011 |
| Against | May-20-2011 | |
| Against | State workers are already being hit hard enough and it is not fair to discriminate against them instead of adding a gas tax or something similar which affects all Nevada residents equally. | May-20-2011 |
| Against | May-20-2011 | |
| Against | May-20-2011 | |
| Against | May-20-2011 | |
| Against | May-20-2011 | |
| Against | May-20-2011 | |
| Against | May-20-2011 | |
| Against | Quit screwing State employees, and balancing your budget on our backs. Try donating some of your money, and love with our health insurance for awhile, and see how you like it. Leave us alone, we suffered enough. | May-19-2011 |
| Against | The state's budget should not be balanced on the backs of the state's employees. We need to raise taxes. State employees have suffered enough. If anything, salary cuts should come from the top salaried state employees, not from the employees that make 30-40 thousand a year. If we keep cutting the employee's benefits and wages, it is going to be really hard to attract and maintain good state employees in the future, especially in the smaller communities across the state where the minning industry is booming. Raise taxes - this is what has to be done. We need to stop messing around and fix the budget once and for all. | May-19-2011 |
| Against | State Employees have made enough concessions to help balance the budget. We'd be much more willing to continue to do so if the private sector was doing as much. I do not know one private sector employee who thinks it is just to have state employees carry the entire burden. | May-19-2011 |
| Against | May-19-2011 | |
| Against | The governor said he wouldn't extend taxes nor bring new ones. What is this? | May-19-2011 |
| Against | May-19-2011 | |
| Against | For real??? | May-19-2011 |
| Against | May-19-2011 | |
| Against | May-19-2011 | |
| Against | May-19-2011 | |
| Against | the reason the legislature does this is because there is no collective bargaining for state employees. the no tax pledge doesn't apply to state employees. a takeaway doesn't count as a tax in Sandovals eyes. | May-19-2011 |
| Against | May-19-2011 | |
| Against | this bill aims to further undermine or suspend the few benefits and incentives of state workers. | May-19-2011 |
| Against | May-19-2011 | |
| Against | I'm paid significantly less ($15,000/year) than I was when I was an engineer in the private sector. I came to NDOT for security and benefits. To my horror and surprise, my health insurance and retirement benefits were better in the private sector. The legislature/governor's targeting of and proposed wage/benefit cuts will drive off half of the current work force. The half that cares about doing a good work for a fair wage and has marketable skills. Nevada will be left in a few years with a seriously diminished state work force, in experience and education, due to retirement and employee movement back to the private sector. If this is a round-about way of privatizing NDOT the long term cost will be borne by the taxpayers; consultants and contractors will bill the State down to the ground. | May-19-2011 |
| Against | I am a retired state employee, and feel they have been kicked in the teeth enough. | May-19-2011 |
| Against | This bill contains to many variables. Some I agree with and some I don't. | May-19-2011 |
| Against | May-19-2011 | |
| Against | May-19-2011 | |
| Against | The State of Nevada employees have already given up over 4.6% with the furlough leave and more than that with the longevity and merit increases being frozen. The state employees should not bear the burden on the entire state budget. State employees are always understaffed and working under terrible working conditions, it is not fair to keep taking from them. I know stae workers in DWSS (welfare) that have to take the bus to work because they can not afford a car and are presently receiving Food Stamps from the SNAP program as they have not recieved a merit increase in 2 years. Now it is frozen for another 2? How much can you take from them? Find other means to cut the budget rather than hard working state employees. | May-19-2011 |
| Against | May-19-2011 | |
| Against | If it is going to apply to state employees then it should apply to all state employees including teachers. Regular state employees have been carrying the load alone for the last two years. Don't make the regular state employees bear the burden of the entire state budget short fall through lost wages and benefits and working like slaves to get work done because it must get done. The revenue base must be expanded. Prospering states have cut expenses and increased revenues to fund education, infra-structure and health and human service necessities so their state would have something to offer. We continue to cut and offer last place. | May-19-2011 |
| Against | I think that it is time for Nevada State Employees to do the same thing that Nevada Energy is doing and initiate a class action law suit against the state for renegging on previously agreed hiring benefits as well as cutting benefits to retirees. | May-19-2011 |
| Against | May-19-2011 | |
| Against | May-19-2011 | |
| Against | May-19-2011 | |
| Against | May-19-2011 | |
| Against | May-19-2011 | |
| Against | Everyone I work with in the State departments, feel they are lucky to have a job. Even though the majority of them are single mothers or older people just trying to make ends meet. How can a mother support her family when she does not have sick leave or annual leave? Or an older person who may have medical bills to pay, and doctors appointments to go to. The cost of living keeps going up but as State employees we have not had a cost of living increase or any kind of increase for 3 years. I know that in the private sector there are single mothers and older people that don't have the benefits that we do. But as a state employee we have worked hard to get and keep our jobs, when we want to advance, we have to be tested. A lot of people are going to school and working full time to be able to advance. It seems that there is no middle class any more, if you look at the average wages in Nevada and the cost of living, the majority of the population is already at poverty level. | May-19-2011 |
| Against | May-19-2011 | |
| Against | Enough is enough! You're killing state employees who have already given so much. They have families, bills and medical needs just like everyone else. Where is the justice in all of this?? | May-19-2011 |
| Against | May-19-2011 | |
| Against | You have taken enough. | May-19-2011 |
| Against | May-19-2011 | |
| Against | May-19-2011 | |
| Against | Haven't we been picked on enough. There are plenty of other ways the state government can do to increase revenue within our state besides punishing only the state workers. | May-19-2011 |
| Against | May-19-2011 | |
| Against | May-19-2011 | |
| Against | May-19-2011 | |
| Against | May-19-2011 | |
| Against | May-19-2011 | |
| Against | Sick leave is a form of cheap short-term disability insurance. The State does not offer STD as part of the benefits package; if the employee wants it the employee pays full freight. Time under STD is also not credited to PERS; the current system of sick leave and catastrophic leave has rendered that largely unnecessary. By decreasing the sick leave, at some point you will have to consider the humanity of there not being enough cat leave for a person who really needs it. The solution will ultimately be to add STD to the benefits. So, which is less costly: 1/4 day per month of sick leave, or STD for everyone at some subsidized level? | May-19-2011 |
| Against | May-19-2011 | |
| Against | May-19-2011 | |
| Against | May-19-2011 | |
| Against | May-19-2011 | |
| Against | May-19-2011 | |
| Against | May-19-2011 | |
| Against | I am one of the many state employees who actually earn less than I would in the private sector for the same job classification. The benefits offered by the State enticed me to accept a lesser wage. My wages have been cut, my medical benefits have been reduced, I have not realized a cost of living increase for a couple years and now my annual leave and sick leave benefits are to be reduced. The reduction of the furloghs and the additional pay cut will affect retirement. I am unclear how all these cuts equals only 5% cut? Maybe I dont know how to add but certainly looks greater than 5% to me. What remains to attract talented new hires, could that be the wages, the benefits or how about the retirement plan. | May-19-2011 |
| Against | May-19-2011 | |
| Against | May-19-2011 | |
| Against | May-19-2011 | |
| Against | HOW MUCH MORE ARE YOU GOING TO TRY TO TAKE FROM US? OUR GOVENOR WON'T RAISE TAXES TO HELP OUR ECONOMY WHEN PEOPLE IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR ARE MORE THAN WILLING TO HELP. ENOUGH ALREADY! MOST OF US AREN'T MAKING IT NOW AND ARE HAVING TO LOOK FOR A SECOND JOB. THAT DOESN'T HELP EITHER WHEN SO MANY ARE UNEMPLOYED. | May-19-2011 |
| Against | May-19-2011 | |
| Against | do you want me to sell my blood also. your taking every thing else away when you know it's going to take more than just state workers to do what you want it will be 10-15 years down the road if you don't figure something else out, like maybe a 2 cent sales tax on gas and let everybody pay and you will be out of your budget cuts and have extra money left over | May-19-2011 |
| Against | Unfair to cut pay and take benefits too!None of the Teachers are loosing their benifits and are getting raises to boot. This is unfair! | May-19-2011 |
| Against | May-19-2011 | |
| Against | May-19-2011 | |
| Against | May-19-2011 | |
| Against | Please, please don't reduce our annual leave and sick leave accruals. We've had no raises for 2 years, and now 2 more years, no longevity pay, our health insurance has gone up, and all our benefits have been reduced. | May-19-2011 |
| Against | May-19-2011 | |
| Against | May-19-2011 | |
| Against | May-19-2011 | |
| Against | May-19-2011 | |
| Against | May-19-2011 | |
| Against | By taking away benefits of State Employees there will be no incentive for anyone to become a State Employee, and thus the change over rate of employees will be very high as those who do apply will leave as soon as they have experience to work in the private sector. Which will reduce the productivity of State Employees and the services they provide to the citizens of this great State. | May-19-2011 |
| Against | We work hard to earn our sick/annual leave. The leave isn't a gift it is earned. I just donated 40 hrs of sick to a terminal state worker. This is an option we have and I would not want people to not have the option to help a worker in need. | May-19-2011 |
| Against | With all that you are taking away from us and higher health premiums, we will soon swell the ranks at Welfare and soup kitchens! If you raise the sales tax to 10% across the state, everyone will share in the burden. The poor will pay less because they buy less and the rich will pay more because they buy more. And the state workers are citizens that would be contributing to this also! | May-19-2011 |
| Against | May-19-2011 | |
| Against | May-19-2011 | |
| Against | I do believe the state workers of Nevada are being asked to bear the burden of the budget shortfalls. However, I also believe that incentives and rewards should be performance based versus just compensation merely for employment longevity. It's time to save money by relieving the nonperformers and rewarding those that effectively and efficiently perform their jobs. The state requires better management and oversight into the performance of their employees. | May-18-2011 |
| Against | It's not up to State of Nevada employees to take the hit for all of the State's financial burden. My husband and I both work for the state. At the rate that benefits and pay are being cut, we will not financially be able to keep our jobs or be able to stay in the State of Nevada. | May-18-2011 |
| Against | May-18-2011 | |
| Against | May-18-2011 | |
| Against | Please leave us State Workers out of the budget cuts. Most of us have been on the same fixed budget for years without cost of living and pay raises. Our insurance is being reduced to barely legal status. Longevity pay used to help during the holidays and also to help with income taxes. Being a State employee was always the place to work, please leave it that way. | May-18-2011 |
| Against | May-18-2011 | |
| Against | May-17-2011 | |
| Against | This is ridiculous, the state workers have been hit really hard already with pay reductions and poor benefits, taking away annual leave and sick leave is too much. Employees should have the right to take time off and not be harshly penalized. | May-17-2011 |
| Against | May-17-2011 | |
| Against | May-17-2011 | |
| Against | ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! Please leave the State employees alone! I've been with the State for 15 years and used to be so proud to say that. Now, I'd rather not say were I work! It's ridiculous! | May-17-2011 |
| Against | May-17-2011 | |
| Against | Life is hard enough without us State Employees being hit with so many NON-RAISE issues, or increases in medical coverage. When will it STOP!! It used to be a good thing to work for the State, but the way we are getting so badly because of the budget not balancing, it is just not fair!!! | May-17-2011 |
| Against | May-17-2011 | |
| Against | May-17-2011 | |
| Against | May-17-2011 | |
| Against | ( 1 ) Officer off each post creating less coverage on each post and lessening the amount of Officers that were available to respond to emergencies. Officer Foster is assigned to the second shift, 1600-2400 hours, and has been subject to working ( 4 ) straight ( 16 ) hour shifts to cover the vacancies left by the layoffs. Response times to emergencies has doubled and tripled due to the broken down elevators, inconsistent operation of the elevators and the need to use the stairs when the elevators are not working. Officer Foster was very fortunate to escape with just these injuries and he easily could have been more seriously injured if not killed in the line of duty. We can not afford to continue taking chances with the lives of our staff, visitors and inmates. Staffing levels must be addressed immediately. In 2003, when Warden Taylor took over from Warden Owens, there were 252 Officers. Warden Taylor immediately addressed staffing concerns and recommended 50 Officers be hired. 25 Officers were hired, making the total 277 Officers. Today, 16 May 2011, we employ 216 Officers, although budgeted for 292 Officers in January 2011. In a correctional facility an incident can occur at any second. The need for the proper amount of trained professional Correction Officers to respond to emergencies can not be compromised or the safety of everyone in the facility is compromised. If the staffing levels and the ( 1 ) post Officer isn't addressed immediately this will be the first of many assaults of which may result in more serious injury or death. I am respectfully requesting that ( 1 ) Officer be returned to each post for obvious safety concerns and that laid off Officers be returned to employment as soon as possible so that we may properly and safety staff our facility. Thank you. Respectfully, Robert Parker, PBA Local # 351 President www.njpba351.com 856-857-4388 | May-17-2011 |
| Against | Our research explores mental and physical health issues of corrections staff and their exposure to highly stressful workplace events. Its title is Impact of the Corrections Workplace on Correctional Workers’ Health. The purpose of the study is to increase the understanding of the impact of workplace events on corrections staff’s health. The only requirement for participation in the study is that you are currently employed in the field of corrections in a correctional role. The survey can be accessed at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/correctionsworkersurvey2011, and the password is: desertwaters. The survey is composed of seven sections. Participation will take approximately 20 minutes. Please feel free to forward this email invitation to colleagues who are currently employed in corrections or to post this email on corrections-related sites/locations. As this study only applies to correctional workers, we ask that you DO NOT post this email or any links to the study in any non-corrections-related sites/locations. This will help ensure the validity of the data collection process. I thank you in advance for your assistance. Sincerely, Caterina Spinaris, Ph.D., LPC Executive Director Desert Waters Correctional Outreach www.desertwaters.com 719-784-4727 for the well-being of correctional staff and families Officers Attacked On Saturday night, 14 May 2011, Officer Brian Foster was attacked by a Bloods gang member during lock in time. Officer Foster suffered a broken facial orbital bone, chipped tooth and received ( 6 ) stitches under his left eye. Officer Niedzwiadek came to aide Officer Foster, and was also attacked by another inmate preventing him from assisting Officer Foster. They were both quickly surrounded by 15 inmates coming to the defense of this gang member. On 05 April 2011, Camden County laid off ( 58 ) Correction Officers. On 15 April 2011, Warden Taylor was ordered to cut overtime and pulled ( 1 ) Officer off each post creating less coverage on | May-17-2011 |
| Against | Officers Attacked May 17, 2011 We just received the article below from Robert Parker President of Local 351 Camden of the New Jersey State PBA. We are certain that budget cuts and staffing shortages are leading to more violence in our facilities all across the nation. We know how dangerous this job is, but does the public, do our elected officials? We need hard data to make our point. If you are a professional Correctional Officer and this is more than just a job PLEASE take our PTSD survey and add to our national data base. Is 8 minutes of your time worth it to tell the world we need help in here! There is a reason we die at age 58 – STRESS. And there is a reason no one knows about it – we’ve been too quiet for far too long! We need our voices heard and our issues addressed, you are that voice – ACO is your megaphone – let’s us it. Here is the link to the survey and the story from President Parker. Tell us how these cuts are impacting you and most importantly take the survey and have every Officer you know take it as well. We need this hard data. It’s the first ever national survey on our PTSD rates ever performed. No one has cared enough about us until now. Be a part of the solution – take the survey today. Dear Corrections Employee: My name is Caterina Spinaris, Ph.D., and as the Executive Director of Desert Waters Correctional Outreach (DWCO) I invite you to participate anonymously in a landmark study that researches health and wellness issues of corrections staff. The study is being conducted by the research branch of DWCO, the Institute of Corrections Research in Employee Wellness (ICREW). I am the study’s PrincipaI Investigator, and the Co-Principal Investigators are Mike Denhof, Ph.D. and Julie Kellaway, Ph.D. Our research explores mental and physical health issues of corrections staff and their exposure to highly stressful workplace events. Its title is Impact of the Corrections Workplace on Correctional Workers’ Health. The purpose of the | May-17-2011 |
| Against | May-17-2011 | |
| Against | May-16-2011 | |
| Against | May-16-2011 | |
| Against | Strongly against! | May-16-2011 |
| Against | Any and every good reason for working as a public servant in state government continues to be stripped away from us. You've cut our pay, frozen all potential for merit increases or advancement in the workplace and DOUBLED our insurance rates; and now, after you've ALREADY kicked us while we're down, you're trying to reduce the rate of leave we accrue amongst the other ridiculous cuts you're prepared to slap us in the face with???!!! All of us have been forced to "do more with less" and "sacrifice" for the supposed betterment of the state's situation, which is just the Governor's dressed up way of saying he's going to continue to dump the state's problems on us. WHY do state employees have to carry the burden of the state's debt and obvious gross mismanagement of funds? We didn't cause this ridiculous situation the state is in, why are we the ones being continually punished when WE have already made such sacrifices that, after being with the state for 8 years, as a result of the merit pay freeze, ridiculous increases in health insurance and PERS contributions, I make LESS now than I did when I started in 2003. State employees are being raped of everything that made coming to work for the state something to be proud of, which has caused moral, and tolerance, to plummet to rock bottom. STOP making the people, who REALLY WORK FOR THIS STATE, the victims of state management's negligence and ignorant decisions. After seeing how the state leaders treat their most devoted employees, NO intelligent person is going to want to work for this state in any capacity; then hopefully the "leaders" that now benefit off the backs of their subordinates will actually have to do REAL work themselves! Then we'll see how those "leaders" feel about being thrown under the bus like the rest of us! STOP making loyal, hard working state employees pay for the huge mess that "the powers that be" have made for our once great state. | May-16-2011 |
| Against | May-16-2011 | |
| Against | May-16-2011 | |
| Against | Why do state employees have to take the brunt of this. why can't the hurt be spread to the rest of the nevada population. | May-16-2011 |
| Against | This is Bullshit | May-15-2011 |
| Against | May-15-2011 | |
| Against | May-14-2011 | |
| Against | Enough is Enough we have family that need to be taking care of too, you all keep taking and putting us in a position that makes us vulnerable and our profession more danger do to staff shortage. Someone needs to make a stand. We for the public and the public for who, The Government for who its not like we make a Hundred Thounsand. | May-14-2011 |
| Against | May-14-2011 | |
| Against | May-14-2011 | |
| Against | If you keep taking away and costs keep getting higher how do you expect anyone to survive or get along in that kind of situation? | May-13-2011 |
| Against | 22 years of my life spent working for the State to earn a retirement and have decent health care and all I'm getting is punishment for being a good employee. The first 18 years I held my head high and was proud of my service to the State and it's people. Now I am ashamed to be part of this mess and I am in constant worry for my future. Thanks for nothing State of Nevada. | May-12-2011 |
| Against | May-12-2011 | |
| Against | State employees should not bear the burden for the economic crisis. I worked very hard and paid a great deal of money financially to get a college degree to serve a state agency and have a career. Since I began employment just over 2 years ago, I have not had a raise and with this bill I would not get a raise for at least another 2 years forcing me to seek other employment for an employer who will truly reward my hard work, and not just say it is rewarded. Employees need tangible benefits. The cost of everything we buy and do, costs to get us to and from work, to be professionals, etc, are all going up. How can we as state employees be expected to live with these cuts? The cost of these proposed cuts to state agencies will be huge in the long run because employees cannot continue to bear this. It is time for state government to come up with solutions that impact everyone, not state employees. Perhaps it seems like a bad business decision to implement state taxes, however, it is a new time. Other states do so, and are surviving. Then everyone bears some of the burden of this economic crises. | May-12-2011 |
| Against | May-11-2011 | |
| Against | I'm against the reduction in the accrual rate of annual & sick leave for state employees, they have already been without payment of longevity pay and merit pay increases for quite some time as well as doing there part by taking furlough days. Furlough days are much preferred over the 5% pay reduction, especially to those employees of the State Prisons who have to drive 60 to 70 miles roundtrip to work, with the rising cost of gas it would be better for state employees and the state for those employees to take 2 furlough days a month rather that a 5% pay cut where they would still have to drive out everyday, but for less money. | May-11-2011 |
| Against | May-11-2011 | |
| Against | May-11-2011 | |
| Against | May-11-2011 | |
| Against | You are asking way to much of the state employees. No longevity, merit increases, furloughs, paycuts and now you want to take away part of our sick, annual leave and paid holidays. SHAME ON YOU! Balancing the budget shouldn't be at the state workers expense. We have been loyal to the state working with what little we have cutting back everywhere we can, smaller workforce at times doing two jobs for one salary and you still expect us to give up more. You should also leave the retirees alone, they have paid their dues. | May-11-2011 |
| Against | May-11-2011 | |
| Against | stop balancing the budget on state workers it is the same as taxing us, and why are teachers off limits what makes them any more important to the state then any other worker? How much does this state pay for illegals medical care, schooling food housing I just wonder how much that would save the budget. To tell you the truth i have no hope off any of you doing the right thing if it does not affect your likely voters. Most voters i know would be willing to pay an extra amount say on sales tax, then everybody in the state helps out including those working under the table for cash. | May-11-2011 |
| Against | We cannot afford any new cuts to our pay or benefits. The economy is not getting any better; food,gas,utilities,insurance are all increasing and our pay is decreasing! Who does this make sense to? We need our step increase back at least to help deal with the ongoing inflation. | May-11-2011 |
| Against | May-11-2011 | |
| Against | May-11-2011 | |
| Against | I really enjoyed working for the state for 19 years but if this bill is passed, i will be forced to leave!Just about all benefits have been taken from us now this? | May-11-2011 |
| Against | It's important to pay an employee for work done. Do not look for ways to get work without having to pay -- it is neither honorable or respectable. Look instead to take away compensation for the various ways of NOT working. A furlough is the only fair and honest way to NOT pay an employee. Cutting pay is a way of demanding time for free. It punishes your best workers and brings morale down. Give the furloughs, or add more of them if you need to save more money. Better yet, reduce the benefits of paid time off. The paid days off are generous, but most people do not need more than 5 sick days a year. Add to that the family sick leave, etc. and you are offering the chislelers incentive to work the system. There are some who focus more than they should on taking as much paid time off as possible - and they are the ones who cost you the most and produce the least. They should be discouraged. Lowering pay and taking away furloughs will only encourage that type of worker to look for more creative ways to take the day off WITH pay. Cut back the paid days off but allow them to accumulate so the productive workers are rewarded. And do for the educators as you do for the government workers. | May-11-2011 |
| Against | May-11-2011 | |
| Against | I think you are cutting bennifits to workers in the Mental Health Areas who put themselves in danger each day with little compensation when their lives are ruined after they have become injured physically and mentally over the years they have worked in Mental Health. | May-11-2011 |
| Against | Don't go after state employee, raise tax. | May-10-2011 |
| Against | May-10-2011 | |
| Against | May-10-2011 | |
| Against | May-10-2011 | |
| Against | My opinion, they our republican government in Carson City are going to do what ever they want to do with all state employees. We are their pawn's, moving us here, there, taking away this and that, maybe even throwing us a bone every now and then. We the employee’s of the great State of Nevada that make less money than any other public sector in Nevada will have our wages slashed, our longevity pay, annual leave, merit pay slashed or dissolved. Moreover, why, what is the reasoning behind this move. I think I know, do you think that they our republican government wants to anger their rich business partners, no, how can they cut off the hands that feed them? It would be foolish. So they say, let us see how we can balance our republican budget, I know, let us take away from the state employees, it will be easy to do this because we own them. They cannot do anything about it because they do not have collective bargaining. Therefore, once we take these benefits away from them we will never have to give these benefits back to them, what a fairy tail. Mr. Governor, you are always talking about sharing the burden, we the employees of the great State of Nevada will surely share the burden and have shared the burden, but why not allow the private sector businesses that support you, also share the burden by contributing thru taxes. We the state employees have always sacrificed, let the private sector sacrifice also. And let's be realistic, by raising taxes on liquor, cigarettes, by just a few cents would not break the bank. The people that drink liquor will still drink liquor and the people that smoke cigarettes will still smoke cigarettes, a few pennies more will not deter them from buying these two items. Show us how much compassion the new governor of the Great State of Nevada has by thinking of his co-workers, us, the employee's of the Great State of Nevada. Thank You | May-10-2011 |
| For | May-10-2011 | |
| Against | May-10-2011 | |
| Against | May-10-2011 | |
| Against | May-10-2011 | |
| Against | May-10-2011 | |
| Against | May-10-2011 | |
| Against | You have already taken more than enough from the state workers. A slight raise in the sales tax would distribute the burden of the defiset to everyone, including those not here legelly. | May-10-2011 |
| Against | May-10-2011 | |
| Against | I think that if a person is made to work on a holiday then they should get paid time and a half. Instead of doing that why don't you eliminate a few of the Holidays like Martin Luther King day/ Washington's Birthday, Veteran's day. I think that would be more than fare for all. I think by doing this then we won't have to make up the money on our retirement, because we are already giving up a lot of pay with our Insurance and when you stop the Furlough day's and add the 5 % across the Board then that will hurt all of us alot anyway. Plus when you lower our life Insurance in half again then that will hurt everyone again it won't even be enough to bury one person. I think it would be fair if you and us all had to help out the State by increasing our Tax's and that way it would be fair to all the people that live in Nevada and some of the Illegal people can help out also and not send alot of there money back to Mexico for there family's. | May-10-2011 |
| Against | May-10-2011 | |
| Against | This is the only thing the state workers have left. | May-10-2011 |
| For | May-10-2011 | |
| Against | May-10-2011 | |
| Against | May-10-2011 | |
| Against | I am not in favour of these changes: State employees continue to get pay and benifits reductions in every session. We have lost pay, longevity pay suspended, merit increases (have not gotten one for 4 yrs) life insurance reductions from 20,000 to 10,000, limited eye and dental care, higher deductables, increase in years to collect, etc. How do we ever think we will encourage bright, articulate and competent potential employees (I have a Msters Degree) to join public service if the private sector continues to provide more opportunity in form of pay and benifits, bonuses and opportunity to advance? In addition, having fewer employees (freezes and smaller government)requires current employees to not only work harder but for less pay and benfitis and often doing the work of more than one person! These are not encouraging factors of numbers if we expect highly functioning staff and effectively run and exucuted programs. | May-10-2011 |
| Against | Why do state employees continue to get less and less pay while expected to do more and more work? Meanwhile no one is making an effort to STOP frivolous spending. Pretty soon the state will have the kind of employees that the Fast Food services would not even employ. | May-10-2011 |
| Against | As state employee (for an agency that receives nearly no general fund) for the last 4 years, I oppose the 5% salary reduction, suspension of merit payments, increased insurance premiums. I left local government and chose to come to the state so that I could make a more direct impact. I agreed to a contract with the state that included at least 5 step increases over my career lifetime which have not materialized. If the legislature approves these measures, these will effect newer state employees more significantly than older, longer term employees who received their step increases. This is sending a discriminatory message to all state employees like me who have not topped out that we are less valuable and your agreement to fulfill our contract is less important than older employees. What a disincentive to staying at the state and taking the places of those who retire and leave major vacancies in several years. Why are teachers' contracts valued more than state contracts? We are your constituents as well. With all the other increases to our insurance premiums, reducing our earned holidays, I ask that you at least treat state employees like you are treating teachers - either give us an equal paycut that they receive, or furloughs, or let the agencies themselves decide. Former Speaker Buckley led the charge to stand up for state employees last session by providing at least a day off to soften the blow of the cuts. For the past 2 year I have been interviewing for jobs out of state as much as possible, but decided to buy our first house here in Nevada because the deals are good and I had faith that the legislature would stick up for us again like Speaker Buckley did last session - please don't prove me wrong. | May-10-2011 |
| Against | May-10-2011 | |
| Against | May-10-2011 | |
| Against | State employment used to be a draw for smart people with a desire to help people and do the best for their state. With the continued wage cuts, furloughs, and reduction in health and other benefits there is little to keep the experienced, smart people in their postions. DO NOT elminate further limited benefit opportunities for state employees. | May-10-2011 |
| Against | Does little if nothing to solve budget problems. Penilizes state employees for economy. Reduces spendable income and the ability for many state employees to keep their homes with rising costs, rising health care and reduction in pay. | May-10-2011 |
| Against | May-10-2011 | |
| Against | May-10-2011 | |
| Against | This bill is absolute crap!!!! | May-10-2011 |
| Against | May-10-2011 | |
| Against | May-10-2011 | |
| Against | I am a new employee with the state. I have worked in the private sector for 25 years. I took the job with the state at 1/2 of my previous pay because of the benefits. The health insurance benefits are poor and to cut back the accruals for sick leave and vacation would be unfair. State wages are considerably lower than similar jobs in the private sector. Legislators need to remember that our economy is not always going to be bad and that if the state wants to sttract and retain good employees that the state has to have a decent benefit package. | May-10-2011 |
| Against | What benefit to goverment employement is there if everything keeps getting cut? Why I have a devoted 22 yrs with the State to now have everything taken away? Please I don't mind a pay cut but please please please dont' touch my retirement. | May-10-2011 |
| Against | May-10-2011 | |
| Against | How does decreasing the amount of leave employees accrue save money? Most state employees do not receive the overtime pay for working on a holiday. Those agencies that do require people to work on holidays usually count on that overtime as a motivation for people to work those days. Without the extra pay to motivate them to come to work, there will be increased call offs and an increase employee bickering regarding leave on those days. It won't matter in most administrative offices, but these 24 hour facilities will be hurt by the loss of overtime pay on holidays. | May-10-2011 |
| Against | May-10-2011 | |
| Against | May-10-2011 | |
| Against | May-10-2011 | |
| Against | May-10-2011 | |
| Against | May-10-2011 | |
| Against | May-10-2011 | |
| Against | May-10-2011 | |
| Against | May-10-2011 | |
| Against | May-10-2011 | |
| Against | May-10-2011 | |
| Against | The state employees have taken a reduction in many ways for the past few years, and this continued cut back for employess is not appropriate. This cut back can continually make it not worth working for a government agency. | May-10-2011 |
| Against | We as State Employees have already shouldered the brunt of the States budget woes. We have been on Furloughs, lost Longevity pay, lost Step increases, lost cost of living increases, and our health,dental, and vision benefits are proposed to become virtually extinct. The Legislature can no longer expect to continue to cut what little benefits we currently have, and cut our already diminished pay, and be able to keep a workforce that will remain productive. NO MORE CUTS AT THE STATE EMPLOYEES EXPENSE! | May-10-2011 |
| Against | May-10-2011 | |
| Against | I am all for doing my share to help balance the budget, but at the same time, enough is enough! | May-10-2011 |
| Against | May-10-2011 | |
| Against | May-10-2011 | |
| Against | I think the state employes shouldn't be trying to pay the state debt. Make it fair and have all the people that live in this state pay the debt. Why don't we have people in state that can balance a budget. | May-10-2011 |
| Against | THIS BILL IS BLATANTLY UNJUST TO STATE WORKERS (NO I AM NOT STATE WORKER). TO SEE THIS OTHERWISE IS DELUSIONAL. MAKING A TEMPORARY SACRIFICE IS UNDERSTANDABLE - NOT PERMANENT! I STRONGLY OPPOSE THIS BILL AS WRITTEN. | May-10-2011 |
| Against | No overtime for holidays? What is the point of reducing sick and annual accrual rates? | May-10-2011 |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | The most innovative governments across the country strive to recruit the best and brightest to develop quality public policies. Attempting to mitigate decades of budget reliance on the largesse of visitors to this state by cutting state employee benefits and salaries is stunningly regressive. Not only will the state lose its institutional memory and many of our best workers, it will make it impossible for us to attract the quality workforce Nevada desperately needs. Are taxes and revenue restructuring so onerous that we are willing to do this? I hope not. | May-09-2011 |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | State employees are tax payers and citizens too. Have bills, house payments, and children to educate. They contribute to the economy and support the state. Vote no on this continued burden on state workers. | May-09-2011 |
| Against | I have worked for the state for almost 3 years. I enjoy my job and have always lived in Nevada and particularly love living and working in the Northern Nevada area. I am a single parent struggling to provide for my young, non-school aged child. To eliminate any further benefits such as annual/sick time and payment compensation I will be forced to leave Nevada due to no longer being able to provide basic neccesities for my child. We are already struggling with the current cuts and can't afford to stay afloat if any further cuts are made. | May-09-2011 |
| Against | Stop penalizing state employees. Cut the top salaries in the state and raise taxes a little Cut state programs that aren't needed . We have way too many chiefs. | May-09-2011 |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | Against AB560. State employees please review AB479. This bill would have us working Mon.-Thurs. from 7 am to 6 pm. It would cut down on our alloted holidays (except for the employees who are essential to work on Friday, Saturday and Sunday...time and a half or whatever holiday pay is) Accrued sick time is also being evaluated. This is not a savings to Nevada. Most public buildings have a lease with utilities included. | May-09-2011 |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | WHILE WE ALL RECOGNIZE THAT ECONOMIC TIMES ARE DIFFICULT AND SOME CONCESSIONS NEED TO BE MADE I THINK STATE EMPLOYEES HAVE ALREADY GONE OVER AND ABOVE THE CALL TO SACRIFICE. AFTER ALL IT APPEARS THAT WE ALREADY WILL BE ASKED TO WORK AS HARD FOR LESS PAY AND BENEFITS. LET'S LEAVE SOME MOTIVATION FOR THE EMPLOYEE IN TACT. | May-09-2011 |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | As state employees we have already given up numeorous positions in the Dini Townsend Hospital and our salary has been cut significantly. Now this bill would dramatically change the manner in which we will experience our retirement and will discourage longevity. Pretty soon we won't have any veteran employees to effectively train and educate the next generation of providers in our mental health agencies and this will provide alot of long term consequences to the public and recipients of our service. Please consider voting no on this bill. | May-09-2011 |
| Against | Continued reduction of State Employees salaries and now benefits, also, will continue to drive away the skilled people providing services to those in our state who depend on state assistance for our most vulnerable NV residents. Instead of trying to solve budget deficits on the backs of state employees, when are we going to take the initiative to develop a more stable tax structure to fund our infastructure, rather than look for quick fixes that inequitably burden a small subset of NV residents.... the State Empolyees. | May-09-2011 |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | Where is the shared sacrific? To truely analyze the total impact of all these wage and benefit reductions to state employees please provide a summary of all the changes over the past 2-4 years so a total dollar impact can easily be seen. Also, please provide a comparison showing Private Sector vs. County vs. City vs. State employee salaries & benefits. This needs to be produced position by comparable position - this will show which positions are over compensated compared to similar positions in the various employment settings. | May-09-2011 |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | Leave our time alone! you're already trying to cut our pay so leave our time off ALONE! | May-09-2011 |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | As a current State employee I disagree with this bill due to the fact of the financial struggles we are asked to deal with this past 1 1/2 years. I can tell you that my family and I are drowning in a sea of dept with the cuts that have been imposed on state workers. With cuts so far I am now earning less than when I started with the state 3 years ago. I have a payday loan which I extend continuously trying to make ends meet. I do not see how my family could cut back any more. I am now taking the bus to work and adding a extra hour to the day to try to save a dollar. I do not understand how we could possibly be expected to take any more cuts and benefit increases. Especially since we are not keeping up with the cost of living, mainly that is what our merit pay increases are for. And shame on those who said it was temporary and we could see light at the end of the tunnel. Such a sad state of affairs to balance or partially balance the budget on state workers backs, I'm sure a small tax increase would spread it around more FAIRLY!! | May-09-2011 |
| Against | state employees are giving enough. we will not be able to afford to feed our own children if we keep getting cuts. | May-09-2011 |
| Against | We have invested so much to provide services for those who require our supports, there will be no one left in Nevada to support local business and the communities. We are losing everything. | May-09-2011 |
| Against | State workers keep getting less,everything state workers have worked for is being taken away.We aren't getting any merit increases,longevity has been taken away,insurance is going up,gas prices are outragous,food prices are rising and yet they still want more.The solution is raise taxes,that would solve a problem that state workers are paying for.If they have to keep axing at us,let us keep our furloughs,let us have something that is somewhat fair. | May-09-2011 |
| Against | THE SUMMARY IS QUITE VAGUE, HOWEVER, THE PRINCPLE BEHIND SUCH A BILL SEEMS TO PUT FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY STATE SHORTCOMINGS ONLY ON THE SHOULDERS OF THE PRESENTLY EMPLOYED STATE WORKER. WE, STATE WORKERS WERE OFFERED A JOB THAT INCLUDED SPECIFIED BENEFITS; BOTH ACCRUED AND ASSURED. IN TIMES SUCH AS WE ARE NOW ALL EXPERIENCING IT SEEMS ALL CITIZENS SHOULD BE PART OF THE SOLUTION, NOT ONLY STATE WORKERS. | May-09-2011 |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | Enough already! State employees are being crucified for the government's mismanagement of monies throughout the years. First the flood gates are wide open with mass spending and now our lives are being greatly impacted, as we are now held responsible for these actions. I serve in the mental health sector and people are retiring or resigning left and right which is making delivery of service increasingly difficult. It's becoming very hard to recruit as well. We serve a volatile population that needs help and should not be running around the community untreated. I am making less than employees with the VA and the county, as well as some private entities, and now being faced with multiple cuts to my pay, benefits, and retirement. I am also at risk for foreclosure, needing to find a second job. There is nothing wrong with making modifications, such as previously paying employees double time and half for holidays but this Bill is embarking on outrageous. Why would you allow double-time-and-a-half in the first place? I always felt that was an example of gross financial negligence but please don't kill our livelihood. Many employees suffer from chronic conditions or are facing illness and along with our insurance cuts, they will not be able to hold they're job. We have lost so much already, including many support staff, taking away from our direct care needs. The state hospital is finally out of the dark ages yet with all these cuts, our ability to provide quality care is decompensating. It took years to get here! I know next we will be facing the loss of our retirement. How can we be in such great debt when a multi-million dollar building was just finished last year. With our change of benefits last fiscal year, and most significantly this July, state employess are facing great hardship. I live paycheck-to-paycheck and now need help with my mortgage. I realize these cuts are not the end of the world but when you live paycheck-to-paycheck every dollar c | May-09-2011 |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | I am so angry with this type of legislation. Govenor Sandoval please stop robbing from state employees. I have worked for the state over 10 years. I am a citizen like many others yet you choose to take my lively hood and my means of living away from me. I am over 55years of age. My time to begin to slow down. Quit taking from a selected group of people to pay for every one. Discrimination at its best. | May-09-2011 |
| Against | I think state employees have given up quite alot. Somebody was quoted as saying by reducing sick from 120 hrs to 90 or 80 hrs a year this will stop abusive sick leave? Remember progressive disipline can stop the abuse of sick leave. Do not take it out on all State Employees for a few bad apples. | May-09-2011 |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | Completely against this. Public employees just got hit with major changes in our insurance plans and now this? Where is the benefit of being a public employee? We can not afford for these types of changes. Please consider what you are attempting to do and try to put yourself if our shoes and ask yourself, could you afford this type of change? | May-09-2011 |
| Against | People are already leaving state service because of the reduced pay and benefits, plus it has become increasingly difficult to recruit. We are not competitive in the private market place, especially in the area of physicians and nurses. | May-09-2011 |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | I am against AB560. As State employees, I think we have been very accepting of the cuts in pay, insurance, longevity and retirement that were necessary to Nevada in its financial recovery two years ago. Apparently, the problem is not with State employees, but those in the legislature that will not go after big business such as mining(taxes)or even banks to keep people in their homes (property taxes). Everyone needs to do their fair share. | May-09-2011 |
| For | I have for the past 11 years been employed by the University of Nevada, Reno. Few of the proposed changes to AB 560 will have any effect on my pay or benefits. The benefits, to include annual leave, sick leave, and health insurance are not realistic with the private sector. For a state employee to have three weeks of annual leave and three weeks of sick leave after only one year of service is not reasonable or affordable. Also, why should government employees receive holidays not generally received by the private sector (MLK, Presidents, Nevada, Veterans, and Family Day)? | May-09-2011 |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | Reducing longevity is discrminatory. It asks one group of employees (those with longevity) to give up more benefits than the remaining employees. Current rates of allowed annual leave are not out of line with non-state employees. Reducing merit pay is also discriminatory. Employees that are at the top of their grades/scales would not get any merit increases in all cases. These employees end up contributing less than the employees who have been denied merit increases. These discriminatory practices are all subject to judicial review and could be overturned. Any cuts to state employees should be non-discriminatory. State employees have already given enough based on the cuts in place during the last two years. Future cuts should take the form of reduction in employees (layoffs). Better would be to increase state revenues via increases in taxes, including on personal incomes. | May-09-2011 |
| Against | Legislature needs to stop taking from State employees and find a new source of income. What retirement plan do they have? | May-09-2011 |
| Against | I understand the effort in the proposed cost savings of AB560 however I would like you to please consider the potential negative impact if this bill was passed. Cutting state employees salaries and benefits will only further exacerbate morale and ultimately effect work performance. At some point a little is going to be too much and qualified, dedicated state employees will look for employment elsewhere that could result in relocating out of state. Given the current status of Nevada’s educational system it would not be a difficult choice to consider moving to another state that values its education and its employees. Thank you for your time consideration. | May-09-2011 |
| Against | Will you please stop trying to balance the budget on the backs of Nevada employees. How will alienating some of the better workers in Nevada help the state? In the agency I work we have lost a lot of people to better jobs, and can't really hire any doctors that want to work for low starting wages and no hope for future advancement. Same old politics. I was middle class but am not now, haven't been in a while. Stimulate the economy - face: when the 5% cut happens I will lose my house...homeless!! You really don't give us much chance to stay above water - at least with furlough I was able to supplement my income, now there are no such choices, you make those for us, with little success. | May-09-2011 |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | I urge the members of the legislature to vote against AB560. State workers have taken a big hit to balance the budget with mandatory furloughs, suspension of merit and step increases and longevity pay. Increase in health insurance premiums and decrease in benefits. It is time for others (including gaming and mining) to pay their fair share and not continue to balance the budget on state workers' back. | May-09-2011 |
| Against | Why do you think you can balance the budget on the State Employees back's. We did not create the problem. Seems like funds mismanagement on a much higher gov't level then the level that always takes the hit. Hold them responsible. Or how about quit the free handouts to people that should not even be in this country. Or eliminate the Governors detail all together and have him drive himself around, and purchase $4.00 a gallon fuel on his dime like the rest of us. Seems like no one has a problem with that waste of money. Remember you get what you pay for. | May-09-2011 |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | The state employees continually are getting hit with reductions in pay and benefits. Impoving the budget on the backs of state employees is not the only way. At some point there will be no other ways to improve the budget with reductions to benefits to state employees. Leave this benefit alone, since so many others of state benefits are being reduced. Please show some respect for the job that state employees are doing and keep this minor compensation. | May-09-2011 |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | I believe when an employ enters into a partnership with an agency, the agreement should be honored. Changing further benefits may be a more honest agreement. | May-09-2011 |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | I would like to add that the furlough day should not be taken away. Although a reduction in salary has hurt state employees, at least the furlough day is some compensation and has helped reduce the sting. | May-09-2011 |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | Please we have already lost Raises and long gevity pay also we are paying way more for our health insurance. It must stop somewhere please say no to this bill. | May-09-2011 |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | This bill would make it very difficult on state employees. We are already dealing with an increase in our health insurance rates, a freeze on raises, and are still working very hard to continue to provide high quality services. These cuts will affect our families and our ability to provide adequately for them. | May-09-2011 |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | There have been too many hardships on state employees already. No more reduction in pay/benefits! It is wrong! Start a state lottery, finally, for God's sake! | May-09-2011 |
| Against | What more can you take from us?????? Where is the incentive to work for the State of NV? | May-09-2011 |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | I hate Gov. Sandoval! | May-09-2011 |
| Against | Since being asked to come to work for the State of Nevada seven years ago, after working in the private sector, I've seen my benefits and wages continually decline while inflation and the cost of living increases. I am a single mother and have made numerous attempts to adjust our living expenses to accommodate for all of these cuts but, if this bill is passed which will again reduce our wages, longevity pay and merit increases, I am going to be forced to look for employment elsewhere. Already in our office alone, we have had several employees quit to either go work for the City or County. When will the state realize that the employees of the State of Nevada have made enough sacrifices to keep our budget afloat, and we are tired of always being the ones to bear the brunt of cutbacks for all the state residents. Please PLEASE do not pass this bill, you are losing valuable employees because of the threat of it's passage. Thank you. | May-09-2011 |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | Governor stated he will not tax Citizen's of Nevada but State Employees have been unfairly taxed for 3 years and will be taxed again with continued cuts and lack of pay increases. The previous cut in pay and increases in our share of costs for benifits is already significant. In my case, at a low professional wage, my existing pay cut is already well over $300 per month not including the pending round of cuts and increases. My family of 3 qualifies for Food Stamps!! Enough is enough!!! Two weeks of vacation per year is the minimum I have received with any employer anywhere else. Don't pass a law that will reward agencies for laying off public servants close to retirement. Punishing public employees seems to be like politicians having a photo opp holding a baby. Take some savings from politicians and managers salaries. They can afford the cut more then us line workers who are struggling with near poverty level wages. In the end not only do the workers suffer and the ones who don't leave must work doubly hard to cover the losses in staff but the public we serve end up paying as well. | May-09-2011 |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | pass this and you will loose alot of skilled people | May-09-2011 |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | Stealing some more from the poor is not going to relieve any budget problems | May-09-2011 |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | State employees have already suffered enough! Continuing to take from state employees increases the chances of ineffective and inefficient operations due to unhappiness. | May-09-2011 |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | My family and I appreciate the challenges that you as our legislators and representatives face in balancing our state budget. I don't believe that taking away, continuing or changing the compensation, leave or pay listed in this bill will be in the best interest of the State. It has come to our attention that it is very difficult to recruit new employees under the current rules and pay freezes. It seems it will be more difficult with the drastic changes encompassed. New employees who hire in the entry pay grades will not see raises for at least two more years if passed plus the amended benefits. The State has an abundance of jobs that require highly skilled and motivated people to complete the work of the people, much like we need the best possible leaders in office. Our family believes we have those leaders in place. Please consider this input in making your decision. Thank you for you time and service. | May-09-2011 |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | State employees have already given up a lot during this economic downturn, which is understandable. However, with decreases to pay and increases to medical benefits, as well as three years of no merit pay already (and a steady rise in food and gas), this bill cuts even deeper into a group who has already given up a lot. | May-09-2011 |
| Against | Too much of the financial problems of the state have already been placed on the backs of the State Employees, who have to feed their families and pay their bills just like everyone else in the state. | May-09-2011 |
| Against | We already are economically hurting and to reduce our sick and annual leave is asking too much of an employee. Keep the furlough day if necessary but that should be where it stops. Do not make the same mistakes that other states are making by hurting and destrouying the employees that are already giving and doing 100%! | May-09-2011 |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | This bill would mean the State of Nevada is continuing to balance the budget on the backs of state workers. The state workers have sacrificed enough. For those who were at the bottom of the pay steps when the freezes went into place, their salaries are anything but competitive. This trend is going to encourage any young person with an education to leave the state. It is a disgrace that entry level casino workers, make more than a state employee with a Master’s Degree. It is dumbfounding how people who enter this country illegally can receive full insurance for their children through Medicaid and receive thousands of dollars in benefits and support. However, those who work to serve our state struggle to pay medical bills, have reduced salaries, increased retirement contributions and insurance that covers minimally. Please consider alternatives, such as a tax increase. It is unjust for a select few to pay for the masses. | May-09-2011 |
| Against | Obviously, I am in disagreement with the reductions that ASB560 is recommended. Without going into great details about the financial reductions this bill will create for state workers, my primary issue is the overall moral of the workers. When I first thought of working for state government, I grew up hearing that if you work for the state you have for a great job for you lifetime. This was only about 10-15 years ago. Today, we live in a climate that the general public has such a negative view of state workers across the board. My intention and I am sure many other state workers intentions are to assist and help those who are in need and this message needs to be emphasize to those that either don’t fully understand what we do or have a false sense of the true nature of state government. Despite the current situation with our economy in Nevada and I do respect that some sacrifices must be made, I sense that non-state workers do not understand a very important fundamental component of our work. We do not work for profit. State government is not a business but a necessity to handle a broken society or a society that needs structure. No one likes to discuss taxes, yet when a child is neglected or a person with an untreated mental illness commits a criminal act, everyone then starts asking questions. I really believe that this bill is being driven by many who don’t understand what state workers intentions truly are. The reality is this, without proper financial compensation and respectable benefits for state workers more neglectful acts will occur. Safety nets that at least try to minimize these acts will be greatly compromised. There will be more media attention to these problems. I closing, I do not support ASB560 and strongly disagree with this bill. | May-09-2011 |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | The state employees have sacrificed enough - they have taken pay cut after paycut, accepted they will not receive longevity or merit increases, dealt with furloughs and the doubling of their medical insurance premiums. They do not deserve to be cut once again in another area of their incentives to continue to produce more work with less. Please do not pass this bill - how much will the state employees have to sacrifice? | May-09-2011 |
| Against | State employees are already having FRLOS which equal a 4.6% pay cut and have been for the last two years. We are now having insurances premiums increased, services decreased, and a looking at a permananent 5% pay cut. Now we need to lose annual and sick leave, we haven't had OT pay in our department in over two years, no longevity pay? Why is it that state employees are having to take the brunt of the State's financial woes? We took State jobs because of these benefits, because we would receive average pay for our jobs, and now this is all being taken away. What's the benefit of being a state employee??? Unfair and unjust if this bill is passed! | May-09-2011 |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | You are stealing from state employees with this bill. In the past several years I personally have taken what equals to 11.5% cuts in pay, via loss of longevity, furlough and additional moneys taken for retirement. Now the governor wants the furlough will be exchanged for a flat 5% without benefit of the day off and you want to reduce sick and annual leave. After 18+ years with the state, I feel like I have been bent over time and again because of governors who do not have the backbone to stop funding illegal aliens and letting our minerals leave the country without adequate compensation to the state. Balancing the budget on the backs of state employees is wrong. I am also tired of hearing unr cry over money. College is a privilege, K-12 is required by law. | May-09-2011 |
| Against | Why is it that no one is considering raising taxes for the short fall? Your not going to have any state employee's left when the smoke clears... You should be figuring out how to reward your state employees at this point. Eventually you will have to fix the tax structure problem in NV. | May-09-2011 |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | This is yet another attempt to Tax the State Workers while telling them to continue to provide the services that the people of Nevada require. You should instead raise taxes on Nevadans as a whole instead of taxing simply the subset of people who have already sacrificed much and continue to serve the state of Nevada. With the loss of insurance coverage, the increase in rates, the furlough days all ready in place why should we have to sacrifice even more while continuing to provide for Nevada? ALL NEVADANS should have to pay to support the neccessary programs for their standard of living instead of state workers being punished for providing those services. | May-09-2011 |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | I just went to work for the State, and the benefit package was a key reason I became a nurse for Rural Services. If the benefit package is lowered I may have to reconsider employment to another state. I am not the only one on probation here. | May-09-2011 |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | I believe state employees have sacrificed enough for a government who is not willing to raise taxes and instead are willing to allow the brunt of the economic burden to fall on the shoulders of the very people who have been loyaly serving the state. | May-09-2011 |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | The budget shouldn't be put on the backs of the employees. It has already been years since a raise was given. To take away the accrual of annual leave and sick isn't right either. All employees work very hard and should not be penalized. | May-09-2011 |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | I have been a loyal and dedicated state employee for fifteen years. My husband died last year in a drowning accident, leaving me with our two year old son to raise on my own. This type of action would reduce my pay to a point where I will lose the home we worked so hard to buy and leaves me wondering if I could even put food on the table. | May-09-2011 |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | I don't think the state employees should bear all the burden of balancing the budget. I hate to see our S/L & A/L cut. I think it is awful that they are even considering doing away with 1 1/2 time for holidays. Has any other company or goverrment agency done this? Elinating the retirement buy out puts long term employees at risk for termination because they make to much money & they would perfer to hire cheaper personel. The suspension of longevity pay & merit increases seems to be neccessary at this time. | May-09-2011 |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | It should not be the responsibility of the state employees to carry the wait of this, we are already hurting and you want to take more. I can't give more, I just can't my kids already go without, how am I supposed to give them even less? | May-09-2011 |
| Against | May-09-2011 | |
| Against | Stop cutting our benefits! | May-08-2011 |
| Against | Please, please, please don't try to fund the budget deficits on the backs of the state workers. We're really hurting and nobody seems to care. | May-08-2011 |
| Against | State employees have already taken a 5% cut in pay and huge increase in cost of medical insurance putting families in lower income brackets at risk of not even having insurance. Some state employees now qualify for children's medical care through medicaid because it is less costly then the state's insurance. | May-08-2011 |
| Against | May-08-2011 | |
| Against | May-08-2011 | |
| Against | May-08-2011 | |
| Against | Please--don't take 5% pay cut. Maybe another furlough day, please. Think about the family that will suffer with AB560. My husband was dignosed with Brain Cancer in 2000. His health and well being is going down hill. I can not afford this 5% pay cut. You have taken my longevity pay; merit pay and will be taking my benefits away. State Employees are not the bank to balance the budget with! Please think twice or three times before you put this on the state employees. | May-08-2011 |
| Against | I feel the state employees have taken enough of the cuts. We have been on furlough, now instead of furlough you want us to take a 5% pay cut. We have really been hit hard with the insurance. Now this? Also I would like to know why the teachers, firefighters and police have unions with bargining rights when this is a right to work state and state employees do not have bargining rights. I also responded to this on the weekend, not on company time. | May-08-2011 |
| Against | Some of these concessions are necessary, but the amount that this bill is asking is way too much. | May-08-2011 |
| Against | state employess made a lot of sacrifices this year as it is. We are feeling exhausted and frequently overworked. changing our annual leave and sick leave accrual will not do us any justic. It appears that the state employees are expected to fix the budget of the state out of our pockets. it should not be our responsibility only to fix the state budget. | May-08-2011 |
| Against | THE FACT THAT THIS BILL WOULD KEEP STICKING IT TO THE STATE EMPLOYEES IS AMAZING TO ME. I HAVE WORKED 23 YEARS FOR THE STATE AND I DESERVE AND NEED THE TWICE A YEAR LONGIVITY. I WAS NOT ABLE TO GIVE ANY OF MY NINE GRANDCHILDREN CHRISTMAS GIFTS THIS YEAR, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. IT IS TIME TO STOP TRYING TO BALANCE THIS MESS WE ARE IN ON MINE AND OTHER STATE WORKERS BACKS. WORKING FOR THE STATE IS NO LONGER A PRIVILEGE OR AN HONOR. IT IS A BLEAK SITUATION JUST MUSTERING UP THE DESIRE TO GO TO WORK AND WORK FOR NOTHING. OUR HEALTH INSURANCE, OUR LIFE INSURANCE, OUR LONGEVITY, PAY RAISES IS NOT ENCOURAGING FOR US AND WE ARE NOT HAPPY EMPLOYEES ANYMORE. ENOUGH SAID!!! | May-08-2011 |
| Against | May-08-2011 | |
| Against | May-08-2011 | |
| Against | Please. For 3 years we have received no raises of any kind (my pay is down roughly $8/hour), our insurance premiums have gone up (while the covered benefits have gone down), gas, food & the overall cost of living has gone up. The hiring freeze has put an end to but a few promotional opportunities, thereby eliminating any chance to earn better pay. The pay freezes have already affected the state economy because we have less money to spend. This bill also affects the retirement of all state workers & the future economy of Nevada. My family cannot afford extras, my family can no longer afford to contribute to our charities (in a time when it is needed the most) and we can no longer afford to help friends & family in more dire staits than we are. Our children will be going to college in another state where tuition is less, because the cuts to higher education will cause tuition to increase. We plan to leave the state as we can no longer afford to live and work here. My fiance lives and works out of state...the only way he could find a decent job in construction. Nevada is not an expensive state, but the continued cuts to state workers is creating an expensive state for state workers. Yes, we have jobs, but if we can't afford to live on our pay then we must go elsewhere. It is well known the private sector pays better for the middle & higher level positions. I personally took a $400/month pay cut to work for the state because of the benefits & retirement. The private citizens of Nevada are more than aware of the Nevada's economy. Why would we think they would not want to find a solution that benefits all Nevadans. Possible solutions include a small state income tax and/or operating all non-essential state offices on a 4 day/10 hour per day work week. State workers are leaving for the private sector, and I know of one state worker interviewing for a state position in another state. How many experienced and knowledgeable state workers have to leave state | May-08-2011 |
| Against | May-08-2011 | |
| Against | This is taxing the State workers again and again and again. | May-08-2011 |
| Against | May-08-2011 | |
| Against | Reducing the amount of benefits State employees receive will diminish the state's ability ti maintain a quality work force. all reductions to employee benefits should be placed on all Governing and Legislative body's, that will effect them to the same degree as the lowest paid state employees. | May-08-2011 |
| Against | I need to report that these are my own views, not those of the department for which I work. State employees do not have collective bargaining. The state employees do not have the same wages or benefits of the counties and cities employees. Yet, state employees are being viewed as having those benefits. Salary surveys are available documenting that state employees are not overpaid. Since the state employees do not have collective bargaining, wages and benefits are being taken from them while those covered by collective bargaining retain their wages and benefits. I have employees working second jobs now trying to keep their houses from foreclosure and their bills paid. I know of one department which has provided food cabinets so that employees who are in need of food will have it available. Longevity was promised and given to employees who then counted on that money as wages. I have been told by families that they planned on that longevity money to shop for their children's school clothes and buy the Christmas presents. Employees use their furlough days to work second jobs. Now, they may have to work for a pay decrease and not have the furlough day to work extra hours at their second job. I have had to counsel employees who are trying to quit, cashing out their retirement to survive, and hoping to get reemployed after receiving their benefit. The good employees have options. They are starting to leave state service for better paying jobs. We have lost some of our brightest shining stars in government. Additionally, long-term employees with valuable knowledge, who have the option to retire, are retiring. Many of these employees now work for consultants which now cost the State more for services. By continuing to cut state employee benefits you are going to lose the educated employees who have choices and we will not be able to replace these employees. This will not benefit Nevada. State employees are not asking for raises. These empl | May-08-2011 |
| Against | Why are public employees now public enemy number one? We pay our taxes, support our local businesses, donate to charities. The reduction in pay and benefits to state workers will have a huge ripple effect on Carson City, Reno, Las Vegas and their neighboring counties. With gas prices rising, are we going to still rely on tourists to keep our state running? We have shared in the burden (furloughs)etc. But we cannot continue to be forced to take cuts. Many of us are on the edge of losing our homes, older experienced workers are taking early retirement, younger, vital, ambitious ones are leaving for companies who offer better pay and benefits. With our medical benefits reduced, pay frozen and now paid time off being reduced, the only people who want to work for the state now are teenagers right out of high school who are here until they find something better. Customer service is suffering, state money is being wasted. What a way to run your own state!!! You should take pride in your employees, but instead we have been walking around for the last four years with targets on our backs. Moral is low amongst the experienced workers, who used to take pride in their jobs providing needed services to the citizens of this state. If the cuts continue, the caliber of people who will want to work for the state will be the same as those working in fast food restuarants, car washes and gas stations. This will be the level of service you will be providing for your constituents. Please don't allow that to happen. | May-08-2011 |
| Against | This bill would place undue financial burden on state workers. You have cut our pay but want us to pay more for the little benefits that we have worked for being state workers. Most of us also do not get merit raises so we are already taking more than the 5% cut in pay. By cutting our pay, reducing benefits and making state employees pay more for those benefits the State of Nevada will see a further decrease in revenue when state workers are forced to reduce spending because of their own lost earnings. | May-07-2011 |
| Against | State employees have already given a lot over the past two years. I realize the state has a budget shortfall, but asking the state employees to give more is unreasonable. If this bill passes then what little incentive there is to work for the state will be gone. Even in this tough economy many people will leave and the state will be forced to higher new employees and pay for their training. | May-07-2011 |
| Against | As it is you people keep taking and taking from state employees, and haven't given us anything back. We were made to take two years of furloughs, and now this, a long with a possible 5% cut in pay. As I State Trooper of over 25 years this sicken him. We caliber of people we are getting is, to say the least BAD. We have new Troopers with families that can't afford insurance for their families and now you're taking away annual and sick leaves. If this continues you can rest a sured there won't be anyone left, and the State can then privatize the Highway Patrol, D.O.T, P&P, and all the other law enforcement agencgies because no one will be left. So the last one out make sure to turn off the lights, we don't what to spend too much. Trp. James Brannum | May-07-2011 |
| Against | I have a friend who's a state employee and am objecting on his behalf. It doesn't sound like state employees are as overcompensated as other government (county/city) employees are. Maybe this is too much. | May-07-2011 |
| Against | I am against this bill because I am a state employee and this is not going to be beneficial to myself and my family. The State of Nevada needs to raise taxes it should not be on the backs of the State employees. If this bill is for "NEW EMPLOYEES ONLY" then that would be a compromise that I could deal with. Just like the furloughs and 5% paycuts for State employees let it affect the NEW employees ONLY PLEASE.... | May-07-2011 |
| Against | You can only take so much away from the state workers before you dont have any state workers anymore. There is ALREAYD a mass exodous of people leaveing places like Ely State Prison for better jobs with better benifits. Dont Make a bad situation even worse. | May-07-2011 |
| Against | May-06-2011 | |
| Against | May-06-2011 | |
| Against | May-06-2011 | |
| Against | May-06-2011 | |
| Against | If the state needs to reduce exspenditures then let it NOT be at the expense of the employees who were hired with certain guarantees. Including, but not limited to the rate of annual & sick leave accural and Holiday pay at time & a half. These costs are minimal at best. Whether the amount of leave is accured at 4.3 hours per week or 3.5, the use of that time will, eventually be used or paid out if the employee leaves. It is not a cost saving move when the amount of money paid out is the same. As for the Holiday pay at time & a half... The looming continued reduction of pay itself, and the elimination of furloughs offsets that more than equally. Morale plays a larger role in efficient State work than a few dollars in Holiday pay. By the continued chipping away of the compensation that all workers recieve and the continued expectation of more "Output for less" will do more to harm not only with the state's image but the actual output of the individual employee. Although I, as an example, truely think my position is important in helping the state recover, I also start to question just how much the state appreciates me, as a worker when the administration continually looks at lowering costs at the expense of the "lower level" worker and not the streamlining of the process itself. Reduction of redundancy in paperwork- a cost that could be reduced,more privatization of jobs, contracting out ( not outsourcing to other states/ cities/ countries)certain processes reduces costs and aids in local business development. Not just paper source contracts, but IT work, etc. I think that the actions considered in this Assembly bill would NOT help the state government cut costs, but would create more harm and ill will amoung the workers. | May-06-2011 |
| Against | Nevada State Employees are making substancially less than state employees in California. They have a better retirement plan and better insurance benefits. This bill will do very little to balance the budget and will also make it more difficult to recruit qualified candidates for positions. Most of the state employees have already given up 10% in step increases plus a furlough day (another <5% cut in pay. Most of my fellow employees have resigned themselves to the furlough day. If these days could be used like comp time it will allow managers to properly schedule the one day a month pay reduction while allowing the employee to take the time off at the discretion of the manager and the employee. I really think that the other citizens of the state can join in on the pain by contributing to the fiscal problems too. Many of the state employees are federally funded and there is really no reason for them to have to make these concessions. | May-06-2011 |
| Against | May-06-2011 | |
| Against | May-06-2011 | |
| Against | May-06-2011 | |
| Against | May-06-2011 | |
| Against | I believe if you are going to give employee time, make it just a specified amount of time yearly, not per pay period, and that specified time be for annual and sick - no monitoring of both. That will enable all employees to know how many hours total they have, and would ease the burden of payroll and supervisory employees alike having to ensure that everything - paperwork, leave slip approvals, time sheets, coding, etc - can be generic. It will also eliminate abusers of the leave that take the hours as soon as they earn them. A total at the first of the year will let all employees know what they have, and make them manage their time better (hopefully). This is the way it is done in the private sector, and I bet they don't have near the paperwork coding snafus as the State does. | May-06-2011 |
| Against | May-06-2011 | |
| Against | All the Nevada government continues to do is to balance the state budget on the backs of all the state workers, except teachers a few other select groups. Try raising some revenue through some new taxes for a change. There will no longer be an incentive for good workers to want to work for the state. | May-06-2011 |
| Against | Families with young children get sick, and they also need to spend time together as a family. By reducing sick and annual leave, this bill has negative impacts on families. My family also missed my last merit pay increase by 23 days in 2009, costing our family thousands of dollars over the years. This bill is killing hard working Nevada families. Please stop these attacks on us. | May-06-2011 |
| Against | The state needs educated employees. By removing all of the benefits offered you will force those educated employees to seek employment large companies, fed gov't or out of state. You can't compare benefits offered to state workers to those offered by small businesses. If you want to keep a good work force you have to be somewhat competitive with the local city and county gov't. | May-06-2011 |
| Against | May-06-2011 | |
| Against | I have an idea, why doesn't the state just charge us to work here. I am sure this will balance the budget and make the public happy. | May-06-2011 |
| Against | At a minimum, State employees who have to endure a reduction in pay should not have to work those additional hours; therefore, I support retaining the imposition of furlough days rather than just reducing their pay. No one in the private sector would expect to take a pay and benefits cut without some sort of compensation. In addition, it seems counter-productive to continue taking away longevity pay. The State will suffer in the long run when benefits are removed for employees. Those who have given the State the best working years of their lives deserve a small token of recognition. Perhaps the longevity pay can simply be reinstated to start at a higher number of years? Finally, I absolutely do not support reducing annual and sick leave accrual, for the reasons stated above. With no merit pay or cost of living increases, these items are small compensation for State employees. | May-06-2011 |
| Against | When I hired on with the State I was promised certain compensation and benefits in return for my work, experience,loyalty and dedication. It was intended to sway my decision to forgo higher wages in the private sector for "job security" with the State. I honored that agreement......The State did not! | May-06-2011 |
| Against | May-06-2011 | |
| Against | This is a violation of the implied contract between the state and its employees, who were hired with the promise that thought their initial compensation was significantly less then what they had been earning in the private sector, that their benefits package would eventually provide economic parity. Now that they have been faithful and spent most of their lives to get to that point, I believe that the more unscrupulous of our states politicians want to break faith, gut workers benefits and give the funds to wealthy business owners in the hope of recieving a kick back or a donation to their election campaign. Please don't try to balance a broken tax system on the backs of working individuals, fix the system, like all the previous tax committees have told you to. | May-06-2011 |
| Against | I am a single mother of 3 children, one deemed disabled. I am an employee of the State of Nevada. I feel that portions of this bill could be severely detrimental to my family. The reduction of annual leave and sick time could cause increased hardships in the event that any one of my children becomes ill, or myself included. Also, I enjoy the work that I do, and I am proud to represent and assist my state and community, but the continuation of the suspension on longevity pay and merit pay increases, coupled with the reduction in pay, could possibly cause someone to feel unappreciated. Merit pay increases are important to ensure employees are recognized by their employer for their dedication and quality of work. Without that, one may seek employment elsewhere. The State of Nevada could lose valuable, hard working, dedicated employees who devote themselves daily to the betterment of the State of Nevada. | May-06-2011 |
| Against | This is not the solution. Eliminate unneeded positions, punish the ones that are still effective, needed positions. | May-06-2011 |
| Against | May-06-2011 | |
| Against | May-06-2011 | |
| Against | I have watched many state employees recently leave state employment for better paying jobs in the private sector. Major industries in Nevada who do not pay their fair share of taxes are compromising our legislators, many of whom now represent those who contributed large amounts to their elections instead of representing Nevada residents (many of them state employees). It is not just unfair to ask State employees to shoulder the burden of Nevada's deficit, while further eroding Nevada's middle class; it is unethical and sickening that certain legislators act as nothing more than whores for the rich industry pimps that purchased them. These certain legislators are the ones pushing for passage of these bill. | May-06-2011 |
| Against | I am a state worker and with all the money the state is now taking out and the insurance going up. I am now making less than I did in 07. What this bill is asking is we give up our Holiday and take less vacation and sick time, we have all ready given up raises and any extra pay we may have gotten and there is no such thing as overtime pay. I am a single parent trying to raise a child and I don't see rents, utility ,food or gas staying the same, I tried to apply for food stamps or help with my gas/light bill and I was told I make to much money (they go by what you make not what you bring home oh and it's only by a couple of dollars that is so sad) Right now each and every one of us in the agency I work for we are now doing the job's of 3 people because of cuts in State jobs. Instead of taking away from the state employee's so much why don't you go after the bigger company's? I know that people move here because they don't have to pay state taxes but that might be the way to go. I have read the letters in the paper about us state employees making so much money well I am not sure what state they live in but it's not Nevada. I think its time to start thinking about other ways to save money and let's leave us state employees alone. If you look at how many State employees have lost their homes or cars repoed because we can't afford to buy food to feed our families and pay the mortgage and car payments too! Think about us hard working state employees' and how much we have giving all ready. | May-06-2011 |
| Against | Gov. Sandoval is trying to save face my keeing his campaign promise of no more taxes. So instead, he is going to try & balance the state budget off of state employees backs. Gov Sandoval - you want to implement pays cuts? Ok then, why don't you start from the top? Start cutting pay from the employees who make a six figure salary like maybe, yourself? These people could probably afford a 30% or 40% pay cut. I'm just a low man on the pay scale & I can afford any more cuts. The one furlough day was bad enough. I'm living paycheck to paycheck. The increase in my healthcare is only a small portion of less money I will be getting in my paycheck. If you take anymore away from me, I'm toast. My house will join the multitude of foreclosures & I will have to file for bankruptcy, making some lawyer in LV even more richer. I'm wondering if any of our LEGISLATORS are reading any of the comments here - I really doubt it. | May-06-2011 |
| Against | Why do State Employees always have to be the ones to carry on the state? Average salary is around $30,000 a year. They have already had to endure a monthly furlough and cut in health benefits. County employees i.e. Washoe have their retirement and health insurance paid for unless they have a dependent. State employees pay their own retirement and health insurance. Instead of going after State employees again why not try going with county employees first. Can you try to be somewhat fair instead of "punishing" state employees again. | May-06-2011 |
| Against | May-06-2011 | |
| Against | It would not only be a tragedy to watch all the Brave Men and Women of the NHP who put their lives on the line, to again watch every law enforcement agency in the state again surpass them in pay, benefits, sick leave, longevity etc. It will break them down again just like ten years ago, when 30% of the workforce left to other agencies who supported the frontline police officers who are actually doing a job that not many are brave enough or willing enough or simply are just not qualified for. Unbelievable. I am saddened again by my choice to stay in state government for the past 16 years. When the late Kenny Guinn found 300 million dollars he gave it to every state resident. When the pot is short you take it only from the state worker. Not fair. | May-06-2011 |
| Against | i do not agree with this bill | May-06-2011 |
| Against | May-06-2011 | |
| Against | May-06-2011 | |
| Against | I have been working for several years without a pay raise, have experienced pay cuts in the last year and feel this is an unreasonable reduction in light of these circumstances. Also, this is unfair since it penalizes staff who work in the hospital but preserves benefits for outpatient staff (inpt. staff lose compensation, but outpatient staff still receive full pay for the day off). | May-06-2011 |
| Against | I just can't afford anymore cuts, I am living pay check to pay check as it is, I'm a single mother who works in a high risk area here at the state of Nevada and I am finacially falling through the cracks. I can't make it on my salary as it is, and I have been denied three step raises but prices keep going up, and up, and up. Benifits are going up in price as well. I am finiacialy on my knees here and I can't afford anymore cuts. | May-06-2011 |
| Against | May-06-2011 | |
| Against | State employees have taken many cuts already. Please stop hurting us, we have more than paid the price for this budget shortfall. Raise taxes so the burden is shared by all or find someone else's life to ruin. | May-06-2011 |
| Against | The State is driving qualified professionals from State Servive and in the future it will be difficult to recruit qualified personnel. The cost of recruitment, training, and retention can be significant. State employees have made significat concessions for the past two years. What the Governor proposes is, in reality, far more than a 5% pay cut. Because State employeees have no collective bargaining voice itt is up to our represetives to help us. | May-06-2011 |
| Against | May-06-2011 | |
| Against | May-06-2011 | |
| Against | May-06-2011 | |
| Against | May-06-2011 | |
| Against | Governor Sandoval stated he wants to cut annual and sick leave because Nevada's state employees get more than the average of the 12 western states' employees. Does that mean he's going to increase general fund state employees' pay (on a job-to-job comparison most employees in that group DON'T make the average), restore longevity/merit raises (again, BELOW the average), or put more money into the PEBP health care plan so those employees don't pay more than the average of the 12 western states? No? I didn't think so. The budget can't bear the cost, he says. So why go after the leave, which makes NO difference in the budget? General fund state employees are already limited as to how much leave they can accumulate and/or cash out, so even that doesn't make a difference. Remember, the teachers, police (except NHP), and firefighters won't be affected by this change at all, since their contracts are directly negotiated with the city/county entities for which they work. Those groups may have to pay someone else to cover their days off, but state employees who are paid from the general fund don't. As far as "abuse" goes, that's a matter for an employee's supervisor to deal with. Punishing the vast majority who don't abuse the system because of a few offenders is misguided and petty. At a time when the state employees are getting hit with reductions in pay coupled with extreme increases in health care out-of-pocket costs, it seems wrong to also go after their ability to earn leave. Show some consideration and appreciation for these workers -- make budget cuts where necessary, but don't mess with their leave benefits. | May-06-2011 |
| Against | Wow! My husband is in the private sector and already has better benifits and retirement that I do at the state. Now they want to take even more from the state worker? How are we supposed to survive if you keep taking away what little we do make and making services and goods so expensive that we can't afford them? I would rather keep the furlo. Leave the rest alone. I also don't understand how reducing our sick and annual accrual will help the state financially???? State employees make less than most in the private sector, we give that up to have better benifits. Now you want us to give up the better benifits and make even less. | May-06-2011 |
| Against | Admittedly I have an interest as a state employee, but I am dedicated to this state as much as anyone. Please for the benefit of my family with medical problems, I have taken on new responsibilities during the furlough and holidays due to the reduction of my income, and I would like to continue this time commitment as medical insurance will be so much more expensive. I agree there are cuts to be made, but please let me know my dedication and sacrifices are acknowledged by not making these changes permanent. When the economy turns around, as it is doing, I will be working more and making less. I am proud to be a state employee making sacrifices, but I would like to know that in response the state understands my role and dedication and "doing my part," maintain this as an exceptional time and not a permanent problem. I need hope and my family needs hope. I wish all the best to us and the Great State of Nevada. Thank you. | May-06-2011 |
| Against | The only shame greater than this is the utter disregard for the education of our children. The burden of covering unfilled position openings, the mandated unpaid day off; reduced support. | May-05-2011 |
| Against | Nevada is the league leader in foreclosures, last in education, and now employee compensation. I'm tired of seeing others in my profession who work for local governments going on lavish vacations, driving luxury automobiles, and living in houses 2 to 3 times the size of my 3 bedroom shack. And now, on top of adding to the already high expense of my health care, you "politicians" go and figure out yet another way to screw the already over worked state employee. I have one child and my wife is a stay at home mom. I have had my share of ups and downs while working for this state but this definitely is an all time low. I am not proud to call myself a state employee anymore. I guess this is what happens when attorneys are selected to serve high ranking government positions. I am a registered Republican but I voted for Reid. We as state workers have got to take a stand or suffer the consequences at the hands of these greedy, inconsiderate legislators. Reduce my leave accrual and already pathetic pay, and I'll be sure to give a days worth of nothing in return. | May-05-2011 |
| Against | I work for DWSS, our caseloads in the Reno office are well over 300% of standard, I have been with the state for 7 years and I vote. If you continue to cut our pay and benefits you will not have quality people working for the state. The state workers did not create the recession, stop making us suffer for it.Do not cut our holiday and sick leave time, you've already forced furloughs down our throats for 2 yrs., no pay raises for 2 yrs. you also want to take away the furloughs and cut our pay by 5%, we share the same increases at the gas pump and grocery store that private sector people do, where do you think we will get the money to pay our bills? When I started working for the state I was hired and told I would be eligible for so many hours of sick leave and annual leave, isn't this bill illegal? How can you change this? Isn't this a breach of contract? The benefits I have with the state now are well under what the private sector offers at a large company. This doesn't keep up with the private sector and one moretime what kind of employees do you want to recruit, is a dr. going to work for the state if he will never be able to get a merit raise? I don't know what you people are using for brains. The public is so misinformed of what and how much we are really paid, stop reading your own press and start seriously thinking about what you are going to do to thousands of people, who vote. | May-05-2011 |
| Against | I feel like I am being discriminated against for being a state worker. Perhaps we should be shaved, tarred and feathered, herded through town to be ridiculed and persecuted...we are not the reason the state is suffering and shouldn't be held to the fire to make ends meet. Please, stop the cuts...put the pride back in our jobs. | May-05-2011 |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | I guess I am not sure why state employees and their families are repeatedly punished for working hard for the state. When I was hired to work for the state I felt it was a privilege, but when I tell other people where I work now, I get a chuckle out of them? IS THIS HOW YOU COMPENSATE HARD WORKING STATE EMPLOYEES. CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEXT ELECTION SINCE I MADE A BIG MISTAKE VOTING FOR THE WRONG PERSON WHO LIKES TO PUNISH STATE EMPLOYEES ONLY. | May-05-2011 |
| Against | It's bad enough that our medical insurance is going up and our coverage is becoming obsolete. Two straight years of furloughs now possible pay cut & you want to mess with our sick and annual leave! No time and a half for working on hoidays? To top it off buy outs over 25 years if we out source our service's! REALLY! It's like taking from Peter to pay Paul. Come on, I am already struggling being the only person in my family bring income in. I do not agree with this what's so ever!!!! 22year state worker, this is what i get for being committed and loyal to the STATE of Nevada. | May-05-2011 |
| Against | Why should the state employees be the only ones taxed in Nevada. You're trying to balance the budget on the back of state employees. | May-05-2011 |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | I belive that the staet worker has shoulder enough for the state short falls in the buget. I belive that we as state got our selfs to this point and it is time for the state as a whole to start helping with the short falls and quit expexting the state worker to shoulder it. I as a state worker am more then willing to pay a state tax along with everyone eles. Becaues you keep doing this kind of stuff to the state work soon you wont have state works. | May-05-2011 |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | WE STATE EMPLOYEES HAVE ALREADY HAD OUR MARIT INCREASES SUSPENDED FOR 2 YEARS AND SOME GOT THEIRS ANYWAY DEPENDING ON THEIR START DATE-IF THE START DATE WAS BEFORE JULY 2009 THEY GOT THEIR MERIT RAISE AND THOSE OF US WHO HAD A START DATE AFTER THAT DID NOT-SO THEY ACTUALLY GOT A RAISE IN 2009 AND HAD THEIR 4% CUT OUT OF THAT-THOSE OF US WHO STARTED LATER SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN OUR INCREASE ALSO SINCE THEN WE ALL HAVE HAD FURLOUGH DAYS AND RAISED PREMIUMS FOR OUR INSURANCE-WE SHOULD BE GIVEN OUR MERIT RAISES-EVEN THOSE IN PRIVATE EMPLOYMENT GET RAISES-SOME OF US ARE LOSING OUR HOMES AND JOBS AND THOSE OF OUR FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO KEEP OUR JOBS ARE STILL LOSING OUR HOMES BECAUSE OF PAY CUTS AND INSURANCE INCREASES-MAKE THE MERIT RAISES EVERY TWO YEARS INSTEAD OF EVERY YEAR AND GIVE THOSE WHO DIDN'T GET THE INCREASE AFTER JULY 2009 GET ONE NOW AND START THEM ALL IN JANUARY-DECEMBER TO MAKE IT FAIR TO EVERYONE.AS FAR AS HOLIDAY PAY, IF IT IS YOUR REGULAR SHIFT YOU SHOULD GET REGULAR PAY. IF YOU GET CALLED IN YOU SHOULD GET OVERTIME PAY-THATS ALL. LEAVE THE ANNUAL AND SICK LEAVE ALONE,=. | May-05-2011 |
| Against | I work at ndot for the benifits. Please dont take them away. | May-05-2011 |
| Against | If you keep taking things away from us, and reducing our health benefits, how are we suppose to take care of our families? | May-05-2011 |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | Lawmakers, I know that there are some very tough decisions ahead and I trust that these will all be made in the best interest of the State. I applaud everyone for not wanting to raise taxes during these difficult times. I have to agree with many (regarding AB560),that we are continuing to balance the budget on the backs of our State employees. When we cut salaries & benefits for the State employees, that is in a sense a tax. The only difference is that the State employee is losing the resources before the paycheck is issued instead of after. This is a tax on only a small percentage of the States population. I realize that the State & its employees have a duty to provide & answer to the public, but let us not forget that a State employee is also a part of the public. The State employee is subjected to the same cost of living in this State as any other resident. I am 53 years old & became a State employee in 2002, after spending many years in the private sector. I have been employed in the construction & mining industries as well as being a private business owner. State salaries are moderate in my field and I accepted State employment primarily for the benefits. By taking away these benefits, I am reduced to working for wages. There comes a point when it may not be worth continuing with State employment. Please do not continue with this downward spiral of State employee benefits. Many State employees decisions depend on your decisions. Respectfully, Dave Black | May-05-2011 |
| Against | This bill looks like it just kicks state employees when they are down. There have already been two years of cuts and no increases, and we expect another two years of cuts and no increases, and on top, this bill wants to take more away, without a genuine reason for saving the State money. It is a slap in the face to State employees. | May-05-2011 |
| Against | With the economy issues we have I understand the need to continue the longevity pay and merit pay increase temporay suspension. But reduceing the rate of accural of annual and sick leave is just a slap in face to all of us that work so hard for the state. | May-05-2011 |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | Why are you trying to take away wages and benefits away from state employees. I weat to work at a lower wage than the private sector. The benefits compensated for this. Why do the state employees have to support the entire state? Take away the governors vehicles,plane and make him pay rent for the house he lives in. PUT A TAX BACK ON FOOD AND MAKE IT FAIR FOR AVERYONE IN THE STATE.YOU WILL NOT HAVE ANYONE WORKING FOR THE STATE OR WILL ANYONE WANT TO GO TO WORK FOR THE STATE. | May-05-2011 |
| Against | I am a state employee and it is WRONG to balance the budget on the back's of the State workers. Employee moral will drop off a cliff. I also worked in the private sector for 20 years and it is NOT true that as state employee's we get more generous benefit's! My husband works in the private sector and has much better medical insurance than I do and pays less for it. The Republican's in office are really beginning to get an earful from their constituants and that is going to spread far and wide in this country so let's see some REAL SHARED SACRIFICE for a change! EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT "NO RAISING TAXES" is not a SERIOUS belief under the current ecomomic conditions. | May-05-2011 |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | Eliminating hoiliday pay while requireing working on holidays is perposterious. Holding back our pay increases will only cause more problems within the state. We are already going on multiple years without a pay increase as it is. The cost of living in the state has gone UP, yet our pay is going DOWN. | May-05-2011 |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | Why would we be for something that takes even more away from us... it has been difficult enough dealing with all of the pay cuts ect. Why dont we start making some smart decisions instead of taking everything away from people who actually strive to work and take care of their families. | May-05-2011 |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | I feel that the adjustment of annual and sick accrual has no budgetary benefit and should not be considered; additionally, the suspension of merit increases coupled with all of the other changes inhibits growth and will most likely result in the loss of good people. You all talk about reform mostly the outdated practice of last in first out with regards to layoffs why should pay be any different. NAC and NRS establish merits and longetivity but the legislature relys on these salary savings to balance the budget. I think that until an honest conversation about spending and taxing take place it is unfair to place all of the pain on workers we did not cause the problem, and should not be asked to sacrifice if no other actions will take place to fix this problem | May-05-2011 |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | The employees of the State of Nevada can not take any more cuts. The health insurance is enough to hurt those of us with families. Keep furloughs. Leave the benefits alone. The benefits are a lot of the reason people want to work for state government. | May-05-2011 |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | I had a bad feeling that the furloughs imposed on state workers 2 years back was just the beginning for these greedy politicians: they planned to start there, then slowly take more and more from us as time goes on.....look where we're at today! | May-05-2011 |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | This is another example of trying to balance the budget on the backs of state workers. This is NOT a fair practice! Raise taxes a few cents - esp. for gambling establishments - instead! State workers are not slaves and it is already difficult to hire and maintain a quality state workforce! | May-05-2011 |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | The State Workers have had to endure almost 10% reduction in income over the last 5 years starting with the first year Govenor Gibbons was in office and he reduced our raises from 4% to 3% and then the second year raising the percentage from 2% to 3% if you do the math the State Workers were getting short changed by about $600/year. Now, we have furloughs and no longer receive longevity pay thus, another reduction in pay by close to 7% of our income. With the changes to our medical insurance the State Workers are looking at a 19+% decrease in income. As far as the reduction of accrual of annual leave and sick leave for state employees to align the State workers in Nevada with the other 10 western states, again the State workers are getting the short end of the stick. I can see changing things on new employees but, how about giving these employees an incentive by aligning those with 20 years with the other states in the west? I would challenge any legislator and the govenor to come out into the field and try to do our jobs for a period of 1 week and see if they can keep up under the pressure that we are having to endure because we are so short handed. | May-05-2011 |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | Hello all and any representatives who read this comment, I have been employed for the State of Nevada for 11 years now working for the department of Health and Human Services. We serve citizens in our community who would otherwise have no other resources. I work hard everyday and give my job 100% I love working with people and helping others, although my job is a very high stress job at times! I feel fortunate to work in this field and have felt lucky to have a job working for the State of Nevada. But that seems to be changing, as a "worker bee" I have always told myself that i chose public service for the afforementined reasons as well as the fact that it offered something better. I tell myself that the ability to have a decent job with good benefits is what makes this country great. I tell myself I am lucky to have a state job with a little more oppurtunity than private sectors offer. I know that this is a tough time in Nevada but why does it seem like certain groups are targeting us state workers as the soluition to solve the budget crisis. We chose State employment for the benefits it offered please don't take those away! | May-05-2011 |
| Against | I will not work a holiday for regular wage. There are enough C/O's leaving the system as it is. The passing of this bill will only make things worse. Who will be left to keep things operating, on or two officers and a bunch of inmates? | May-05-2011 |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | Reducing the accrual of annual and sick leave would put state employees in a position where they were forced to take unpaid leave. This would result in the further improverishment of the citizens that are state employees. It would increase the amount of people unable to make a living in Nevada and eventually reduce the tax base. Although the state is required to show that it is taking steps to reduce the deficit; it cannot and should not attempt to reduce the deficit by punitive actions regarding state employees pay and benefits. This unconscienable action is an indicator of the true regard and value that the legislators who proposed and support this bill have for state employees. | May-05-2011 |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | The continued sacrifice of one and all to get us through this difficult time is understandable. However if you want to focus on small businesses and their success the continuation of cutting pay of state employees will make the small businesses suffer. If we can not be paid the money then we can't spend the money to help businesses. State workers make up a great deal of the spending force in Nevada. Continue taking cash from them and you shall continue to bring the state to its knees economically. | May-05-2011 |
| Against | I understand that the state is need of additional funds. However by taking away annual and sick leave you are adding insult to injury which could lead to disgruntled workers. Isn't it bad enough you are freezing a wages for undisclosed amount of time plus you are taking 5% of our current pay away. Why do the state employees have to suffer to make up for poor budgeting. | May-05-2011 |
| Against | This bill will kill moral and employee longevity and loyalty. Everyone needs incentives to work. These benefits have always been big draws for quality employees with loyalty and dedication. The longevity pay and buying retirement by the state should be gone, as well as a few of the paid holidays, such as Martin Luther King Jr.Day (January 15) and Presidents' Day. If you just take a few non-essential holidays, you will not have as much dissention. The annual and sick leave are very generous, but could be combined into Personal Time Off without too much hate and discontent. If you lower it to 5 weeks of PTO for the first 5 years, effective with new hires, it will not be noticable, but will save the state money. The softer the blow the better. | May-05-2011 |
| Against | This is horrbile. We are hardly able to live on what we are getting now and you still want to make more cuts! MAKE CUTS ON THE BIG BOSSES THAT DON'T DO ANYTHING AND EARN THREE DIGIT SALARIES! CUT THEIR PAYS AND THEN THE STATE WILL BE IN GREAT SHAPE... | May-05-2011 |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | How much can we take from state employees? Raise taxes and allow all to contribute. As a state worker I recieve approx half the salary as my public counterparts, enough is enough. | May-05-2011 |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | I am against this bill. I am a dedicated employee and have worked for the State of Nevada since 9/93. I have chosen this as my career and have always strived to do a great job and go above and beyond. Although I understand some sacrifice is nesessary I do not feel that the balancing of the budget should be entirely on our sholders. After years of reduced benefits already,I feel it is wrong to ask us to give anything else. We at the welfare dept are working huge case loads and to ask yet another sacrifice is wrong. I have earned these benefits several times over. | May-05-2011 |
| Against | It will just be unfair as 9-5 Mon-Fri employees will still get a full day off to spend the holidays with their families. However, those who have to work will get short-changed in the process. They are deprived of spending time with their families and not get fully compensated for this. At least make it worth their while to be away from their families on holidays! | May-05-2011 |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | Effective 7/1/11 my agency will have laid off half of its employees and reduced the hours of several key employees. This agency is no longer capable of carrying out its mission statement effectively. My health insurance has doubled, I'm continuing to lose 5% of my income (and we will probably not be given the monthly furlough day to compensate for the 5% pay cut), you're cutting cost of living raises and yearly raises....the list goes on! The majority of Nevada State workers already do the work of two people and yet you continue to balance the budget every two years by taking more away from employees. I for one am tired of hearing "Well, at least you have a job" because on 7/1 I will now being doing the job of 3 people while continuing to earn less, paying double for insurance, and no chance of ever making anymore money since the pay freeze began on 7/1/09. Everytime there is found money it goes towards education and is not spread evenly throughout state government. On 7/1/11, when state government starts moving at a snails pace, I will be advising our complaining constituents to contact their legislators. | May-05-2011 |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | The state will see a lot of turnover and decrease in productivity and quality of new hires | May-05-2011 |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | Proposed changes to AB 560. It is so very dissappointing to continue to see the lack of progress truly made in balancing the budget. I can't believe the only way to do so is on the backs of the State employees. Many of us have not had a pay increase in the last two years. The cost of living continues to rise, and the bills still come in. Even with the changes many of us have made in our personnal lives to lessen our expendatures, in addition to seeking out part-time jobs, it still is not enough. Now, to propose to permanently cut our pay; continue to have no merit salary increase; a reduction in leave accrual; limited or no OT pay; and a considerable change in insurance benefits especially in Norther Nevada... shall we just work for free. While I am happy to be employeed, how much more will we be forced to give? When the Furlough policy was implenented, that was supposed to have saved the State money. The section of the state that I work for and the office that I work in has followed that to the letter, sometimes having to jump through hoops to do so since we are required to be "on-call". It was acknowledged that certain departments were exempt, and others were just not able to follow that policy based on who knows what excuse. I feel as though I continue to be punished for something I didn't do. The media tends to lump City, County, and State into one along with the pay grades of fireman, police, and teachers. I am neither. I am employeed by the State of Nevada and a State employee whose salary is inconsequestial and that is what you continue to take from to where there is nothing left. The Governor wants quality work which I feel I give as do many of my co-workers. I am doing what I was hired to do and then some. How much do you lower the bar as an employer and feel that that is fair. As an employer and an employee neither one of us is entitled. It is unacceptable to continue to demand and take from one specific group so that others may sit co | May-05-2011 |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | It is my understanding that state employees make up the majority of the work force in Nevada. By continually taking away from us you are taking away from all local econcmy (execpt for utilities, food necessities and gas) You are killing us all. | May-05-2011 |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | If you want intelegent qualified people to work for the state please do not pass this bill. A state job use to be highly sought after, because of the benefits offered. No one will want to work for the state if you take everything away from us. We have given enough please don't destroy the rest. | May-05-2011 |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | I FEEL AS A SWRONE CORRECTIONAL PEACE OFFICER TO UPHOLD OUR DUTIES FOR OUR STATE AND OUR CITIZEN OF NEVADA TO PROTECT AND SERVE OUR COMMUNITY WITH THIS CRIMINALS ON THE STREET THAT THEY COMMIT IN OUR COMMUNITY. WE AS WHOLE HAVE SUFFERED ENOUGH ON CUTS ESPECIALLY BY TRYING TO CUT OUR BENEFIT. WE ARE THE BACK BONE OF GOVERNMENT WHEN IT COMES TO SECURITY AND SAFETY OF THE STATE. OUR JOB IS THE MOST DANGEROUS PROFESSION THAT WE DEAL WITH ALL ALL KIND OF INFECTED INDIVIDUAL DAY IN AND DAY OUT 24/7.OUR LEGISLATORS PANEL SHOULD REALLY REEVALUATE YOU DECISION. WE DON'T MAKE NO MORE THEN $40,OOO YEAR TO SUPPORT OUR FAMILY IN THIS DANGEROUS PROFESSION OUR COURAGES BROTHERS AND SISTERS FACES EVERY DAY WITH THIS FELONS.I WOULD LIKE TO SEE A SURVEY, IN HOW MANY LEGISLATORS MEMBERS WILL DO OUR JOB FOR 1 WEEK ON DAY SHIFT,SWING SHIFT AND OR GRAVE YARD AND REALLY SEE WHAT WE GO THROUGH. THIS IS A REALITY CHECK FOR YOUR MEMBERS IN LEGISLATOR TO SEE HOW IT IS TO WORK IN THIS PROFESSION. TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO TRY IT AND SEE HOW IT WILL CHANGE YOU MY DECISION.I SAY ENOUGH IS ENOUGH, WE HAVE PAID THE CONSEQUENCE OF OUR DEPRESSION IN OUR STATE. I AM AGAINST THIS BILL AND AS WELL AS MY BRAVE BROTHERS AND SISTERS. PLEASE VOTE AGAINST THIS BILL. SINCERELY OFFICER HENDERSON | May-05-2011 |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | Although this bill isn't necessary, it should have been submitted on ITS OWN and not lumped with the other compensation/benefits bill. All current State employees, especially those who have been with the State for a significant length of time should not be penalized for wanting to stay in the State's employ. The State is already the lowest paid (for the most part) of the municipalities. This administration needs to STOP taking the State workers for granted and be thankful that so many of us wish to stay working for State. In addition, any change that is levied solely against State employees is tantamount to a tax on ONLY that portion of the populace, which supposedly Governor Sandoval is against - any new taxes. | May-05-2011 |
| Against | People come to work at the State of Nevada for the benefits we recieve like the vacation and holiday pay. State agencies have never been the highest paid but we compensate with a few extra benefits like these. By eliminating these benefits you affect our retirement and take away another reason why anyone would want to work for the State of Nevada. Trying to take more and more money out of the state employees pocket and trying to balance the budget on our back is wrong. | May-05-2011 |
| Against | AB560 should not exist. With reductions in sickpay and holiday the state infrastructure will crumble away and there will not be any incentive whatsoever to work for the state. State workers in other states are very unhappy with there lower holiday and sick pay, and are struggling to make end meet or justify working for the state. With this bill in place may state workers with the best talent will simply leave. | May-05-2011 |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | Many people set goals in life and I was definetely one of those people. After retiring from the military I went back to school and got my degree. I loved working for the government in some fashion so I applied for a state job. I have almost 9 years with the state and was looking forward to earning the benefits of more annual leave and also progressing up the pay scale. With all of these changes I see a bleek future and my goals shattered. I do not want the change of the annual leave nor the change in sick leave. I think for the people who stay and yes I do plan to go to 20 years with the state; I would like to have a chance to get the longevity pay and merit increase. The furloughs have affected my financial situation but I would rather have them than a pay cut. Please help the state workers not hurt them by cutting their benefits. | May-05-2011 |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | I have been a psychiatric nurse for most of my twenty years of nursing. I consider it a calling as much as a career. If this bill is passed it will greatly impact quality of care, be much more difficult to recruit and retain qualified nurses. I anticipate losing many nurses to VA and the private sector if our pay and benefits continue to be cut. We have recently lost doctors, social workers and our director of human resources due to superior offers from other agencies. A few years back state nurses were given a pay raise in order to attract and retain nurses. This came about after patient deaths at SNAMHS were determined to be in great part due to a shortage of nurses. Please vote against this bill as it will cost us much more in the long run. | May-05-2011 |
| Against | As a hard working state worker for over 27 years not only do I fear the losses of that will be imposed on our income and retirement but also the punishment of being a dedicated state worker. No life is not fair, but when I signed on in 1984 i was told if I met my obligations the state would meet theirs towards my retirement. | May-05-2011 |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | State em[ployees have already endured two years of freezes, furloughs, and substantial reductions in benefits, including health care. Continuing cuts is unfair at this point. | May-05-2011 |
| Against | This bill will not only hurt state employees, but will wipe out any incentives that remains to working for the State government. Don't forget, training new employees to get up to speed takes many years! We are already losing a lot of valuable experience from people who are retiring and some earliear because of all these cuts in the state benefits. Please stop making the state workers pay for the shortfall from the economy! We need to buck up and raise taxes! Add on a penny or two to gas tax, people will pay that. No one will notice the difference especially when gas prices goes up by the dime in no time. Increase sales taxes. The claim that it will hurt people who are unemployed is false. The people who can afford to go shopping and spend more will be the ones paying more. | May-05-2011 |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | I moved to Nevada 6 years ago, I worked in the private sector for 25 plus years, the pay, incentives, insurance were all leaps and bounds above what I have with the state; however, I choose to persue a career here at the state certainly not for the pay scale but the benefits the state offered. I certainly understand that the budget needs to be balanced and that spending needs to change but I feel we have contributed our fair share as state employees to help balance this budget and you still are trying to take more from us. Leave our annual leave accrual alone and our holiday pay. You taken 4% of our pay and gave us a furlough and now you want 5% and you wish to take that furlough day away. Way to improve morale amoungst your employees. If you want good educated employees, you need to leave some things alone and this bill needs to be killed. | May-05-2011 |
| Against | I realize that our Gov has a low personal opinion of State workers. Contrary to that opinion, more continues to be done with less. It's a shame that the common solution seems to be to cut everything that made these jobs worth having when salaries, especially to start, were so much lower than private sector jobs, taking many years to even get close to a private sector salary. Yes, the current economy dictates cuts but the heavier burden on the group of people, already stretched thin, that service Nevada citizens seems ludacris. It's disproportionate. It’s so bazaar to me that changing all the “rules” after people commit to their jobs and dedicate themselves to our state is such an easy mark. This sends a clear message that loyalty and hard work are not valued. I’m not in any way saying we should compensate people regardless of their performance but in reverse, don’t penalize across the board either. Don’t forget, on top of all of these cuts, losing furlough days, a trade-off still used in many other states and the only compensation in a long time. | May-05-2011 |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | With the wage cuts that are being pushed by the legislators and the Governor, and the insurance changes for the state employees, the only reason left for state employees to stay state employees are the other benefits. If these benefits are cut or reduced, the likelyhood of a mass exodus increases dramatically. Taking away the holiday pay for state employees means less time with their families. This may lead to a loss of productivity. Getting a second job to make ends meet is a rather risky venture due to the higher unemployment rates in this state. If there are not enough jobs to go around for all, where is a second job going to come from? | May-05-2011 |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | I took a position within the State at 1/3 of the salary that I am used to making because of the benefits. If the benefits keep getting reduced, how is the State going to continue to attract good employees? A good employee will do twice the workload. Please protect State employees. | May-05-2011 |
| Against | State workers are already low paid.... protect them now. | May-05-2011 |
| Against | Protect our State workers!!! | May-05-2011 |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | I cannot speak for all state workers, only myself. I work for state parks, I feel that I have done my part already to help the budget crisis,i.e. furloughs,no longevity,no step increase and no C.O.L.A. I am also being told of a possible pay reduction as well as decrease in benefits as of July 1st. If you want to make more cuts I feel you should be looking at the Administration level of state agencies. Why are administrators keeping there jobs and perks while the field staff is being layed off? Again, I dont assume to speak for all agencies. Why is State Parks giving seasonal jobs to former employees that are collecting retirement from State Parks? I beleive this is called DOUBLE DIPPING, there are people out there just trying to keep food on the table, they need a job. Reducing the Annual leave and/or sick leave is not going to help anyone. | May-05-2011 |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | I disagree with changing the accural of leave. I can not see how it will have any positive impact on the budget. The impact that it would have is on State Employee's moral, as they are already making large sacrifices for the benefit of the public. Freezing pay steps is also an unfair way to distribute the burden of balancing the budget. It is unfair across the ranks. I have no problem doing my part to help, but the burden should be distributed on an equal basis through all who are compensated by the State of Nevada. | May-05-2011 |
| Against | State employees have been hit hard for the past few years by reductions of staff, furloughs, longevity, merit increases, the ever exponentially increasing health insurance premiums and decreasing health insurance benefits. Over the last few years it is becoming difficult to recruit and retain new employees due to these items and this bill only makes it worse for personnel already in the system and new hires. It is absurd to think that the budget can be balanced from taking away the worker bee's benefits. Morale is already at an all time low, what incentive is there to stay with the state and produce? | May-05-2011 |
| Against | Who was the brainiac came up with this awesome idea? | May-05-2011 |
| Against | I am aware of the need to balance the State budget. While I am not excited about the reduction in pay, I realize the need. The reduction in the rate of annual leave accrual is the main item in this bill that I am against. I find it hard to believe that a reduction in annual leave will save the state any significant amount of money. Currently the State has many very qualified professionals who are paid less than their counterparts in the private industry. With these reductions in benefits there will be little incentive for professionals to stay with the State when the economy improves. | May-05-2011 |
| Against | This can't keep going on, the state workers have taken about all they can to balance the budget on there backs, we are already starting to lose our best workers and this will only make it worse. | May-05-2011 |
| Against | Are you guys serious? Do you want our dignity? Wait, you guys took it already! | May-05-2011 |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | May-05-2011 | |
| Against | How can you possibly take more from us? We are already doing furloughs, we are so short staffed now we are expected to do the work of 3 people. And we keep getting more responsibilities placed upon us? Why not impose a food tax and help everyone out? Everyone expects the State workers to shoulder the weight of all cuts. | May-05-2011 |
| Against | I'm a state employee with Nevada Department of Corrections. The furloughs and cuts are already creating a hardship on my children and family. I'm risking my safety each day for the sake of public safety and to provide for my family. With all these cuts its becoming more difficult to provide. My situation is common among my peers. | May-05-2011 |
| Against | I currently work for the Dept. of Corrections. I have worked here for approximately 4 years. When I was first hired The Dept. of Personnel had a paper for me to sign stating what my hourly pay would be, my merit/pay increases should I stay with the Dept., my sick leave accrual rates, my annual accrual rates, retirement plan, medical, and dental/vision plan coverages. They asked me to sign and I signed. We made an agreement. Or so I thought.Since that short of a time everything mentioned above has been taken / raised. Immediately no more merit / step increases. Medical/vision cost had went up next. Retirement contributions were risen as well. Then came the furloughs which readjusted/decreased our pay by almost 5%. Now instead of getting one day off a month in lieu of the 5% paycut. We will just get the 5% paycut and no day off. I have no problem sacrificing which is what we have all done.... and said nothing. How much more? Now this new bill of taking more? This will put a hardship on myself and my family. It already has been a hardship. Please do not pass this bill. | May-05-2011 |
| Against | Appears to provide very little savings to the state budget. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | State Employees have given up enough of pay and benifts already. We had our step increase were froze, we had our PERS raised. Also we are facing another raise in PERS and our health benfits are being raised. I feel all elected Officials should have their pay and benfits reduced by all pay cuts, freezes and increase to PERS by the same ammount employees, this should help in not taking money from employees that were promised when hired on to work for the state. I understand that everyone has to sacerfice in the tough ecomomic times and I believe elected officials should lead by example. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | Quit cutting the pay and benefits of hard working Americans and start cutting the pay and benefits for everyone in the Congress. The middle class is already disappearing and we are watching the rich get richer while children are homeless, people are without work, and someone who has never worked in a classroom is taking away education. Unbelievable. Bring the troops home and use that money to fund everything you are looking to cut today. It is time to get down and dirty and start cutting from the top instead of the bottom. Trickle down did not mean the people at the bottom were left with crap!!! Wake up legislators and do something right for the working people of America!!!!!! | May-04-2011 |
| Against | I guess you don't want anybody working for the State. Hey next we can make all the jobs private also | May-04-2011 |
| Against | That's a douche move, what are teachers next? I need an education. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | Sandoval why don't you take a pay cut | May-04-2011 |
| Against | State employees are not the cause of the State's money problems. State employees have already given more than their share. Please do not pass this bill. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | I work very hard for the citizens of Nevada and I'm appalled that my service as a servant is regarded as non-essential, over-paid, etc, etc... The roadways of this state are vital in every aspect of this states success. I make approximately $30,000 less than my counterparts in the consulting world, and I do not abuse my leave and I feel I earn every minute of time I accrue. You have already destroyed our benefits, taken away longevity and have annihilated any incentives for state workers to stay employed, thus early retirements for instance. You are not doing a very good job of making public service a career goal for people. You want to do something effective to the state employees? Get rid of evaluations and allow management and supervisors the right to fire non-productive employees. Reduce the high levels of management in each organization and increase the worker bees. Top heavy management is skewing the bogus over-paid comments about state workers. Some of the hardest workers I know do not make $30,000 a year and have families. Get rid of the Project Management Division and half of the Assistant Chiefs in NDOT and see the huge budget and salary change at least in that organization. Quit hiring consultants because they are costing the tax payers 4 times as much as the state employees who are more than capable of producing top quality roadway projects and have been proving it for years, and proving that consulting is an expensive political move and nothing more. it is not stimulating the economy, it is padding the consulting firms pockets because they are about profit and overhead, not to mention their headquarters are not even in this state. The vast majority of revenues is going to other states and other countries. With a two state income household a pay reduction and benefit annihilation is taxing in many many ways. This bill is extremely hurtful because I have given my entire adult life to serving the citizens of this state and the United States. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | As an RN, my pay rate is lower than the private sector, VA and County nurses....we are not the "pigs at the trough" as other states. I accepted the lower pay (for 15 years) for a better retirement...the "American way"...work hard and you get the reward after all of the work. State workers are the easy mark and I would pray that our state would find something more inovative to alleviate the problem for ALL OF NEVADANS! | May-04-2011 |
| Against | its hard enough as it is especially when its a one income family like myself.but im sure the people that want to pass this make a lot more than i do. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | I'm very disappointed by even the attempt to cut state employees even further. It is very demoralizing that your hard work is not even worth rewarding. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | This bill is asking our state workers, who work hard everyday, to get paid less and lose benefits. Insurance costs are going up but there are no pay increases to help support this difference. Our country is failing because there are greedy people who would rather keep getting richer and making those in the middle class lose what they have worked so hard to get. I am all for ending the tax breaks for the rich, I think the nations cuts should start with those. Don't make my family suffer so yours can continue to live the "good" life!!! | May-04-2011 |
| Against | Attacking state employee benefits alone will not save the state enough money to eliminate the budget shortfall. It's time for those in appointed positions to start thinking about what is right instead of doing the least amount of collateral damage in order to retain the majority of votes for upcoming elections. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | 5% cut, not merit raised, no raises for cost of living is understandable. But with the 5% cut and the increase paying more for less health insurance is another $150 out of each paycheck alone. And put all these other proposed cuts on top of that, no that is so unfair. When will the mining company or big business contribute to helping us out of our deficit. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | Every time we turn around we here about a teporary fix to the budget. We need a permanent solution for the budget,ie. permanent funding for what the State needs to survive. If we do not need certain state provided services than get rid of them. Give the state workers what they signed up for when they were hired.You need to stop worring about political careers and do whats right for the state. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | The lower grades need the little bit they have not already taken away from state workers, it's not fair, not a living wage, and doesn't help those who are too far from retirement and those who are unable to live on disability. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | If State Employees must take a cut in pay, then the furlough is a much more reasonable method. Most state employees have adjusted to the furloughs and appreciate the opportunity to spend additional time with family as a result. Additionally, the reduction to the rate of accrual of annual leave and sick leave for state employees is ridiculous. There are way too many other cuts to benefits and pay proposed, so this is one benefit that should be left alone for current state employees. It doesn't save a huge amount to the state immediately, so why "kick 'em while they're down" even more? | May-04-2011 |
| Against | I would like to have the semiannual payment of longevity pay and merit pay increases back. As it has been a struggle to support my family with the cost of living going up, however I am still trying to ajust my bills due to furlough and no pay increases. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | I would rather not find out what calibre of employees would remain at with an employer that continues to remove benefits with such reckless abandon. This is NOT the way to repair the economy! | May-04-2011 |
| Against | I am against the suspension of the merit pay. I feel it is not fair to those of us who are stuck at the bottom. I am a pay grade 27-1 and plan on having a career with the State of Nevada. I feel we deserve the same opportunity that those before us had to advance in our careers and be rewarded for the hard work we accomplish for this great state. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | The current reductions in pay and benefits has already caused serious financial damage to those of us who work very hard as a State Employee. For someone like myself approaching retirement age I will never be able to do so if these cuts are passed , in fact, it will be necessary to seek a part-time position to supplement additional cuts,if one could be found. These are just the financial repercussions it feels very insulting that goverment is attempting to hold us hostage because we have to accept whatever they do. Those of us who are older don't have the options younger employees have to move on and grow with the Private Sector. We have to endure these underhanded assults to our pride and conviction to be a State Employee. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | State workers are not lesser employees than in the private sector. Some of these items were rules in place when hired. Removing these now would be unfair. If new employees are added under new rules then it's fair. You can't change the rules after the game starts | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | AB 560 is another attack on state employees and their families. Instead of focusing on cuts to state employees, please fight for a balanced budget that seeks new revenues and demands shared sacrifice by everyone- not just state employees. State employees already are taking a furlough. There have been no step increases in three years. Our medical insurace has more than doubled. I am very disappointed at the people that are backing this bill. Stop punishing state employees. You are not only punishing state employees, but also their familes. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | stop taken it out on state employees who have already been barely making it | May-04-2011 |
| Against | As a State Correctional Officer I am appalled at the way I as well as my fellow officers are being treated.AB560 is a good example of the blame for the budget crisis being levied on us.I have worked diligently and proud for the Dept. of Corrections for six years and have endured many changes in policy which we have adapted to,up to and including the one day furlough a month(almost $200.a month)to many of us.We do a job nobody else can or wants to do and if AB560 is passed we'll be doing alot more for alot less.Many officers I have spoken with are saying they will quit and seek other employment if more and more of our benefits are stripped away.I look forward to working my paid holidays and the overtime pay,it really helps with making ends meet and yes I am against AB560. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | I have been with the state for 8 years. I do not believe that we are living by our mission statement anymore. The State is not a desirable place to work and work performances are declining fast. I feel that I am an extremely hard work and I try to exceed work expectations. I have been hit hard be the decline in the economy and struggle to keep my head above water. Please do not take any more away from us. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | Do any of you ever work Christmas or on Thanksgiving. All this will do is cause people to call in sick and then you will be forced to pay overtime on a Holiday no less. Also if the state needs some of us to retire early why not purchase service credit. This would save money in the long run. You people have not worked for years at some of these agencies and have no conception of how hard we work. We deserve our raises and our longevity pay. We pay bills too. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | The proposed changes result in an even bigger pay cut in addition to the 5% and drasitically reduced health insurance benefits. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | Employees of the State have been making sacrifices and deductions for the past 3 years~ taking another thing away from employees is not the answer. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | As an employee of the State of Nevada I am sickened and disheartened by the continuous devaluation of my services to the public. I was once proud to be a State employee, and I actually believed my services to be worthwhile and valuable to our Legislature and Governor. There is no doubt that my services are valued by my clients, however the Legislature fails to value our clients as well as us. This Bill devalues and demoralizes every state employee in Nevada. To consider this Bill as a possibility is to prove that the Legislators that support it are equal to a band of thieves seeking to steal from hard-working Americans, only to pass the savings on to special interests and other less worthy causes. I vehemently oppose this Bill!!! | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | It sounds like there will be very few benefits left. This used to be coveted job to work for the state and this would turn it into a job that only the desperate will want. As someone who went to college and obtained a master's degree I will be making very little money for the skills that I have. If another job should arise I would take it. This would be a loss for the state. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | It would've been easier if you'd just published what you were leaving in place. This bill will finalize a full on assault to all state employees. I'm a taxpayer too, or was that overlooked when "TAXING" only state employees who apparently are SOLELY responsible for the entire state's economic issues. Thanks, appreciate it.... | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | State workers did not put Nevada in this crisis and do not deserve to have to pay for the problem. We are paid less than the public sector in similar jobs. The only benefits were that we would get some vacation time and longevity pay to offset the difference in pay. The public sector thinks that all State workers are lazy and over paid. They do not know the real story. DMV workers put up with frustration from the public about increased registration fees. We don't set the fees, your Legislators do. We also have to pay those fees. If you don't like the fees, contact your Congressman. Our health insurance is in the toilet. Whoever says State workers got it made are sadly misinformed and watch too much TV. The unhappy Public sector is looking for a scapegoat for their own problems. I am doing everything I can to save money for the taxpayer and I continually get bashed from the Public that I make too much money and got it too easy. If you were informed you would think differently. I am not too blame. Stop penalizing me. Why don't we try to work together to fix things rather than find blame? Now there's a concept. How's that for CHANGE? | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | Why are the poor, students and state employees taking the hit for the state's problems. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | I do not see where the benefit exists for the employee. We come to work for the state because it offers a better overall plan than working in the private sector. In removing merit increases, longevity pay, and annual cost of living increases, we're well below the cost of living standard for the region. Prices for necessities continue to increase, and our wages/salaries are frozen. Thus reducing our abilities to help the local economy grow, because we cannot afford to live here any longer. Private industry pays 2x's to 3x's as much as state service, for a comparable market, so state service made up for that by offering stability of employment, and benefits such as healthcare, sick leave, and annual leave. Removing those elements, or reducing them removes the motivation to remain in state service. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | Unfortunately we have two years already of decreasing pay and benefits, please stop heaping the entire burden on the shoulders of State employees, please increase gaming tax 1/4% to cover the deficit or increase sales tax so all who benefit in the stae pay, not just us. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | Good afternoon, my name is Allen Calkins and I work in state goverment at DMV. Up to this point I can still pay my bills, with the new proposal my insurance premium and deductable are both increasing. I also have not received a step increase coming up on three years and that equates to a 15% redution in my pay in addition to a furlough day. I believe if you are going to give a pay cut at least let us stay at home and save gas money, thank you for your time, Allen. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | Are you kidding? Nevada is pathetic. Sandoval is a political puppet bowing to mining and gaming. A lot of well informed economists warned at least a decade ago that failure to diversify would ruin Nevada. Carson City didn't get it then and it doesn't appear they've learned a thing. I'm glad I baled 27 months ago before all this sh*t escalated (making 32% more without the grief, tyvm). How you have any engineers and scientists left on that sinking dinghy is beyond me. My condolences to those state workers and teachers who are stuck trying their best against these odds. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | What more do you want to take from the State Workers. For the last two years, we gave 4.6% from our pay, gave up our longevity pay for two years and also our merit pay increases. We haven't had cost of living increase for I don't know how long and now you want to reduce annual leave and sick leave and not pay employees for working on holidays. You are also requesting high deductibles for health insurance ~ if you take away these benefits and decease our pay how are we to pay for insurance. I have cut my budget and have no more to cut so how do I pay for my insurance and support my family? | May-04-2011 |
| Against | Come on, when are you going to stop making the state employees take it in the shorts just because we can't get our budget together? Really? Is there any benefit for working for the government anymore? I'm thinking not. Ask the government for help, all the other states did, what makes us so different? This state is going downhill fast, and the worst part is we will punish our workers who are working harder than ever with less staff just to cut a few cents, most departments are top heavey, lets cut loose some supervisors or better yet, lets do some taxes on everyone in Nevada, it doesn't hurt as bad. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | When I was hired and started on January 3, 2011, I was very happy to get a job with the State of Nevada. Now I that I have been working for 4 months, I am wondering how I am going to pay for my bills as I am experiencing difficulty making ends meet. I looked forward to receiving my first pay check and when I received it, I was shocked to see how much they took out for PERS. And I was getting used to taking my furlough days off because I could make appointments and take care of things that I could not normally do during work hours. And now they want to take it away from us and just give us a 5% pay cut...what? How much of a difference in quality care would it make if we do happen to miss one day a month for furlough? I will tell you and that it will not make a difference. Please consider not giving us a pay cut as we are all struggling and please keep our furlough days going as we can do a lot in one day off to help us stay strong to continue doing well in our jobs. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | The bill changes introduced places further burden on the working class people to shoulder the responsibility of this current economy while the wealthy and buisness owners get a pass. Keep chisseling benifits away and one day you'll being paying for it in lawsuits due to staff inexperiance and medical cost do to poor health. Employeers use to beleive in healthy, happy employees providing higher quality work. You increase taxes on the rich they'll still be rich, you keep taken money from the middle class they become the lower class needing more social programs. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | This would make a negative impact on the already low moral of state workers -with all of the other cuts on top of this, what is the true benefit of being a state worker????? | May-04-2011 |
| Against | State workers are already overworked and underpayed. State workers have already had to take pay cuts and furloughs, and don't get any merit raises. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | Employees everywhere look at the employment package when they take a job. Despite all the banter about "high paid" public employees, the State of Nevada does not pay high salaries like Clark County and the only reason to work for the state was the benefits. This bill and efforts like it should be stopped before nobody is willing to work for the State of Nevada. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | Reducing the rate of annual sick leave will not save any money. Why not give people the option of having a floating holiday if they are required to work on a holiday. Then you don't have to pay them for the extra time and they don't feel like they are working for nothing. When does it stop being temporary? It's already been two years without longevity or merit salary. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | Are you kidding me? As if we have not already given enough to help this budget. The moral of state workers is poor at best and you want this. Insurance premiums are going up, no longevity and no raises for cost of living and furlough days. The economy is crashing, but heaven forbid you raise any taxes. What have state workers done to have to take the brunt of all this. Leave us alone for a while. We are doing way more with less since we can not afford to hire staff, it is crazy. We hardly get sick leave no matter how many dedicated years we work and annual well it should stay the way it is. RAISE TAXES, which means that I and non state employees would have to pay to help the budget. Thanks for your time. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | Let's not go backwards in time! State workers in Nevada (I am not a State worker by the way) already are poorly paid compared to other State government workers! It is a privilege to get a government job. Government employees to very important jobs. Please do not take away any more compensation or benefits from these essential American workers! | May-04-2011 |
| Against | Eliminating holiday pay is barbaric. Increase annual leave so I can work my second job more frequently. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | As an employee, I am tried of the state putting such a big burden on us. Why not try a golden hand shake to some of the employees that are close to retirement. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | As state employee's we have contributed greatly to Nevada's budget recovery effort and we cannot afford to have more money TAKEN from the people that are still working hard to help Nevada in these hard times. We have already lost 4.6% of overall pay due to furloughs, lost our step increases, lost our longevity pay, lost our cost of living increases. And to take a 5% pay cut across the board would intern devastate the people on their first step who have already been reduced below their original heir pay rate. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | To whom it may concern; We are all sharing the burden of this economic depression, but taking away time and one-half for working on holidays! Not justify! DMV, Schools, Post Office, etc all shut down on Federal holidays, and employees still get paid. As a Correctional Sergeant for NDOC, we do not have the luxury to shut down the prison. How can I hold employees that are schedule to work holidays like Christmas, away from love ones, if they call in sick? Federal holidays are not a privilege, they are days to spend with family that I and we as Americans have earned thru hard sacrifices! Please do not demoralize their meaning my making them a regular work day! Thank you. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | The State of Nevada employees have suffered enough direct cuts. Instead of cutting the hard working state employees benefits and pay, why not stop the social services for people who are abusing the system and are not in our country legally. I work very hard and it disgusts me that our hard earned tax contributions go to people who are undeserving. Do you know how many drug addicts are on food stamps who sell the food stamp card for half the price just to go get their fix? I'm tired of being the target of the Governor and the Legislature, Stop penalizing us for others mistakes. State employees have made enough sacrifices for the last several years. It's time for others to carry this burden. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| For | So long as these cuts allow the state of Nevada to keep people gainfully employed I feel that this sacrifice would be for the greater good. I've heard some people gripe about the cuts and how it seems like the end of the world for them but when asked if they had a choice between taking the cut or not having a job everyone would prefer to have a job. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | State workers are already working for more than one person's job right now. Reducing more is not fair. I know we don't have a choice. It's kind of "take it" or "leave it". | May-04-2011 |
| Against | It is hard for me to fathom why it is felt that state workers are expendable. We have families and bills like everyone else. We struggle to make ends meet and survive like everyone else in Las Vegas. Our medical benefits have been hiked up and to be paired with a proposed 5% pay cut, how is that fair? Then to say that the average state worker makes $60,000 a year...well I can tell you that I am not in that category, not even close. You have state workers fighting foreclosures, repossessions, failing to pay bills, etc. So, where is this information coming from that we can afford to lose more money? We serve the public, but we are also apart of the public; going through the same struggles and difficulties as everyone else. No merit pay, no longevity pay, no holiday pay...are we worth anything? Do we not deserve some kind of consideration? The furlough is hard enough, but then to be told, well that doesn't work because you are not getting your "work done" or "customer service is suffering" because of that one day off "without pay" is insulting. Where do you add up that taking that day away and just giving a straight 5% pay cut, with a continued freeze on merit and longevity pay, hiking up our benefits, decreasing sick and annual leave is going to improve customer service or work load abilities? Makes no sense. Where is our value in what we do and give daily? | May-04-2011 |
| Against | LEAVE THE FURLOUGH AS IS. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | I am a state employee of 9 years and I find this is hurtful in reducing my annual and sick leaves which are earned benefits. If you had to cut something, then cut the sick leave, which might encourage better attendance, but to cut the annual leave is basically a salary cut equal to a 1.3% salary cut hidden under another name. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | It is because of cuts like this that I have had to seek emloyment elsewhere. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | I think first of all trying to balance the budget on State employee's backs is absolutely wrong, we have the same expenses and commitments as people who work in the private sector. The people who say that we earn more than those in similar occupations in the private sector obviously have no idea what they are talking about. I work in the private sector for 25 years before coming to work for the State and I can say that I don't make more than what I did in the private sector and I have far more resposibilities and duties than I had in the private sector and I've now worked for the State for 13 years. The governor is completely wrong not trying to go after mining and gaming for additional revenues,they do not and have not paid thier fare share. If they are asked pay pay their fare share what are they going to do leave the State, I don't think so. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | State workers did not single handedly create this crisis, but it seems our paychecks and benefits are easy targets when the Gov and Legislature pound their chests. The Gov is seriously misinformed that 'customer service' is suffering throughout government offices, due to furloughs, but it sounds good. Furloughs are preferable to the 5% wage reduction. Furloughs equal 4.6% wage reduction; however pensions are funded at the gross rate. Wage reduction would filter through to affect pension contribution. With furloughs, threat of wage reduction, increased health insurance rates and reduced benefits, little is left of our dignity except accrued sick and vacation time and now that is at risk. Please be an advocate voice and help spare State workers additional'devaluation'. Respectfully submitted.... | May-04-2011 |
| Against | I am an administrator in a state agency. I believe that we have already borne more than our share of the burden in balancing the state budget. Eliminating holiday pay will remove any incentive to work holidays at times when agencies already operate with the barest minimum of staffing, while achieving insignificant savings. There are numerous bills in the Senate and Assembly that seem designed to kill anyone's desire to enter into or remain in state service. We have already seen our insurance premiums almost double, our coverage lessen and our life insurance cut in half while enduring five percent pay reductions since July 2009. While I am grateful to have a job and I enjoy serving the people of Nevada, there are limits as to what I will endure to continue to do so. It seems that Governor Sandoval believes that any public employee should both work and retire in poverty with the barest minimum of benefits. Good luck getting anyone to work for Nevada under these conditions. I urge your vote against this well-intentioned but ill-conceived piece of legislation. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | Within the private sector the way to encourage quality applicants is to offer incentives/benfits to those applying. Public service should have benefits that drive the brightest and best to desire to work as a public servant. The benefits we currently have are not so extravagant, nor so many that we should willingly let any of them slip away. We have done our part to help the state of Nevada through its current fiscal difficulties. Enough is enough! We are sharing in the difficulties and burdens and suffering ourselves. No more cuts! Folks in the private sector are starting to see more hours, more pay, and more jobs. How many years more do the state workers have to suffer before our leadership realizes we have suffered the death of a thousand cuts long enough? | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | We've been furlough-ed for the passed year and a half. We've had the last increase in living taken away. We've had future raises and step increases halted. Our health insurance has increased dramatically. Now you want to take away our holiday, sick, and vacation? We are already paid WELL under the rest of the nation. How about having cuts in pay for teachers and fire dept. too? Maybe that would even out the budget if ALL STATE WORKERS took the same cut. Why are we only feeling the pain of the budget? | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | This will take a lot away from State workers who work so hard to have Holiday pay and other benefits. I just started my position in 2010 and still struggle with paying for bills due to the freeze and also the Health benefits which will be increasing in July are going to really affect myself and my husband. State workers do not make as much as most people think. We need to go after taxing more people who are wealthy and Casino's. I can't believe this would be consider with State employees who work so hard everyday. It frustrates me to even think this would even be consider when I am making 39,000 a year especially with a Master degree in which I worked so hard to recieve. I know the governor stated he will be taking a 5% pay cut, but what is that 5% pay cut bringing his salaray down to 100,000 a year. He should be making as much as state employees are making. It is also frustrating to hear Holiday pay will be affected. I cherish those days especially with family far across the states to go and visit on Holidays. I can't believe Holiday pay cut would even be consider. If the state wants to cut back I think the state needs to look at employees working 4 10's. It has been proven by statistics that it helps with the budget. Overall, I am hoping and praying this bill does not get passed. It will put a major hardship on myself and my husband who are both struggling right now to make ends meet. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | Wrong to have this elimniate the minor compensation an d havre the bill as opened ended. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | Enough of solely taking from the state employees. They are not to be used as a bank.. Raise taxes! | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | I understand the need for making changes in order to save funds, however, the governor continues to state that the sacrifices need to be shared. He also states that the general public is also dealing with the same problems. Apparently he forgets that we, like the general public are making those same sacrifices along with his constant desire to modify what we agreed to when were hired. We have families and bills too and have been taking one cut or another for many years under him and every other governor. I for one am sick of it. This is not what we agreed to when we were hired. The state offered these benefits and we agreed to them, besides as we have learned historically...every time changes like this are made...they are never temporary we end up sacrificing from that point forward. We have already lost numerous knowledgable employees because they are tired of dealing with this type of thing. To say I am against it is an understatement. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | In 2004 I hired on with state under the assumption I was trading good wages for security. Presently all that security is going out the window,at this rate there is no reason for myself or any self respecting technician to work for the state of Nevada.When all the dust settles all we'll have is under qualified personnel,high priced contractors to fill the gap,and a piss poor infrastructure.I myself have looked elsewhere for a plan B to make sure that my family survives and progresses. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | Continue the furloughs | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | If you take away benefits such as listed in this bill many of the quality state employee's would no longer wish to continue to work for the state and find like jobs in other states. This bill would make the State of Nevada not a desirable employer. I want to know that the Correctional Officers in this state are the best there is to offer. I want to know that when I send some one to Jobconnect that the case managers not only know what they are doing but that they really care about those they serve. This bill would hurt the state of Nevada fiscally as well and demoralize this state more then it already is. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | State employees should be allowed to keep the benefits they were promised when they hired on with the State of Nevada. For several years now, State employees have been sacrificing through mandatory monthly furloughs and the suspension of longevity pay and merit increases. We have been doing our part to assist with this economic crisis and now it is time for others must step up and sacrifice. State employees should not have to carry this burden alone! Thank you for allowing me to provide this input. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | I can agree with suspension of longevity pay, however I disagree with the the suspension of merit pay increases. If you have a new employee that started at a step 1 two years ago and is only a grade 25-27 what incentive do they have to continue working for the state? Insurance and retirement is going up, their pay is being cut, and you are wanting to eliminate part of their leave. They can't even look forward their annual merit pay increases. So, I would ask once again why would they want to stay with state service? If employee's start leaving state service for better paying jobs with better health benefits, where does that put the state? Money put into training, hiring employees with little or no experience. I would rather see an audit done of all the comp time that gets accured by the various agencies. You might find that most of it comes from general fund agencies. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | When I choose Public service as a career, one of my considerations for accepting the position was the benefit package. State employees are being forced to carry the burden of the State deficit by continually taking cuts to benefit which include pay, health care and leave time. While private industry was getting fat during the good times, State employees were fighting just to get a minimum cost of living raise. Whatever happened to everyone coming to the table willing to give their portion to help us out of this situation? I choose public service as career just like everyone else had the opportunity to do. Once the economy recovers and salaries/jobs increase in the public sector the State will be begging for good and honest hard working people due to all the employees that have quit for higher pay and benifits. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | I am early in my career and have already had my merit step increases frozen for two years. I would like to know how reducing our annual and sick leave as well as continueing to freeze our merit increases could possibly have any significant impact on our budget? Meanwhile, the cost of everything ie fuel, food, utilities etc. continues to skyrocket. Almost impossible to keep up. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | Stop taking from your state employees. What's wrong with everyone in Nevada contributing towards the deficit with a small tax increase. If you keep taking from those with degrees, they will go else where to get complensated as they deserve. You keep taking from officers that drive to rural areas, who is going to keep the prisons safe? | May-04-2011 |
| Against | This governor is putting an undue burden on a small facet of society(State workers). Many of these people are going to fall below the poverty line if these draconian cuts are passed. He claims that we all need to sacrifice during these difficult times yet he asks to balance the budget on the backs of state workers. This is unacceptable and I hope the reasonable people in the legislature find a more equitable method to spread the suffering. Shame on you Mr. Sandoval! | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | This is a giant TAX on State workers only and not the residents of the whole state. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | Well gee, I think I am going to start making payments to my creditors according to what I want to make instead of what I was contracted to do. How about $10.00 a month. The goverment created it, broke it and now wants to break us. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | What benifit are you going to gain by taking away our annual and sick leave, please leave some benifits alown or it wont be worth staying here. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | My only hope is that it would be applied to ALL state employees if it is passed and necessary without any exemptions for the priviledged ones. I am able to retire from the private sector soon and personally do not care what the rules are but for those that MUST stay with their state jobs and support their supervisors it just makes things more difficult. I cannot believe that the first choices for cuts if education and state employees. What kind of mind set is this. I THINK ALL ELECTED OFFICES SHOULD IMMEDIATELY CUT THEIR SALARIES IN HALF AND ALSO CUT THEIR STAFF IN HALF AND ELIMINATE THEIR EXPENSE ACCOUNTS COMPLETELY AND THEN THEY WOULD FINALLY KNOW HOW IT FEELS. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | As a state employee, losing already most of the health care benefits, most likely my furlough day, please don't take vacation away also. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | I do not work for the state but my wife does. I know for a fact that trying to balance our budget on the backs of the state employees is going to backfire. When all the talent moves to the private sector, we are going to be in a world of hurt. This is a bad idea! | May-04-2011 |
| Against | It is unacceptable to use state workers compensation as an excuse for poor management of state funds. State workers should receive compensation for the work that is assigned. The benefits being eliminated by this proposal are equal to bonus payments received by private workers. Please do not pass this bill. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | As a Correctional Officer, we have a duty to protect the public. Who protects us when our wages are frozen and reduced, our Employee Assistance Program is taken away, our medical benefits skyrocket, safety equipment is inoperable and cannot be replaced, inmates harm or kill us because of lack of staff. You do the math, one officer in a unit with 250 inmates with none of the above, what is the probable outcome on a bad day? Some have had to obtain full time secondary employment to support their families, which makes individuals more susceptible to becoming stressed and ill in an environment that is diseased to begin with. Who protects Correctional Officers? Who protects all of the other state workers and retirees that have been loyal to Nevada? | May-04-2011 |
| Against | THE FOLLOWING HAS BEEN REDUCED: OUR PAY,OUR HEALTH BENEFITS AND AS A CORRECTIONAL OFFICER OUR OVERALL MORALE.OUR DUTIES ARE TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC WITH THE MINIMAL STAFFING THAT WE'VE BEEN PROVIDED DUE TO FURLOUGHS AND THE SHORT STAFFING. AS A SINGLE MOTHER WITH THE INCREASED DEDUCTIONS IN HEALTHCARE, THE REDUCED BENEFITS GIVEN AND PAY CUTS.IT'S EXTREMELY DIFFICULT AND STRESSFUL NOT BEING ABLE TO DEPEND ON A CAREER THAT WILL BENEFIT ME AND MY FAMILY IN THE LONG RUN. IS THERE ANY HELP OR ALTERNATIVE FOR US? HOW ARE WE SUPPOSE TO LIVE, MORE OR LESS SURVIVE. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | STATE EMPLOYEES ARE THE ONES WHO FEED, BUY CLOTHES AND SCHOOL SUPPLIES FOR THE CHILDREN WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CREATION OF EDUCATOR POSITIONS IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM. ALL THE ATTENTION ON EMPLOYEES OF THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT HAS LEFT STATE EMPLOYEES FORGOTTEN. EDUCATORS HAD NO FURLOUGHS, YET STATE EMPLOYEES HAVE AND STIIL DO. CUTS IN PAY, LOSS OF VACATION AND SICK BENEFITS ARE TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE. IF MY ELECTED REPS AGREE TO THIS OUTRAGEOUS BILL, I VOW TO SUPPORT AND CAMPAIGN FOR CANDIDATES WHO RECOGNIZE THE STATE WORKFORCE. FOR THOSE WHO HAVE AGENDAS SUPPORTING AB560, NEED TO GET OUT OF BED WITH THE CASINOS AND REQUIRE THEM TO PUT-UP JUST LIKE THE MINING INDUSTRY DID AND STILL DOES. IT IS NOT "ROCKET SCIENCE"...................... | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | I retired after 30 years of service. I was very greatful when I was hired with DETR, since I was a single mohter of 2 boys under 5 years of age. The benefits that I was greatful to have I can't express enough gratitude. Please don't take one of the many, and most important, benefits there is to work for this great State. Thank You, Marisol Guzman | May-04-2011 |
| Against | We as State Employees are already having to take a cut in pay, our health insurance is being cut not to mention our longevity and step increase no longer exist. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | I am leaving state service and taking an early retirement NOT on the state of Nevada. However, this bill, in effect is a tax on State employees when the Governor said "No tax increases." State workers do a wonderful job in this state and this kind of treatment is sending us out of service, which may be part of the design of the bill, anyway. I believe we all should tighten our belts at a rough time like this for the state and the country but to even take away time and a half for working on a holiday is just mean spirited and couldn't possibly save the state THAT much money. As far as eliminating MERIT pay, that is just plain dumb! Longevity pay is another matter and all that does is encourage "hangers on" to continue in service to the state. MERIT pay encourages good work habits and superior state employees to continue to do a great job and thereby save the state untold amounts of money as they get their jobs done. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | With all of the reductions with my salary and health care premiums, I can't afford any more benefit reductions! The sick/annual leave, longevity/holiday pay is one of the few benefits left, that employees get. Please stop taking from the employees. Thank you! | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | The State employees have giving enough in lost wages & health cuts. Why can't you people look in into cutting Adminstrative costs,like the Governer & other Administrators haveing two fully staffed offices in both CC & LV this is all on the tax payers dime. The last I checked Carson City was still the Capitol of Nevada, this is where all State Business should be Conducted & stop wasting money on these Administrators travel time & expences. If these folks want to hold these top dollar jobs they should be in Carson City. If they do not want to live here then they can pay there own travel & expences. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | I can't believe that our legislatures are contemplating these changes. We're faced with a 5% pay cut that will affect our retirement, higher insurance costs with less benefits, and you want to take more away from us. Nevada has one of the highest foreclosure rates in the nation, if you continue to decrease our wages, increase our deductibles where we have more our of pocket expenses, you will be hurting the state of NV even more. RAISE TAXES this is the only solution. One question, does anyone realize that the LSST tax increase sunsets in June 2011? If not someone should, this will be an impact as to the amount of tax that is being collected. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | It is not okay to take away sick pay and annual leave. We have already lost enough! | May-04-2011 |
| Against | My wife and I are both State workers and feel as if only State workers are paying to get Nevada out of the hole. Each year we are getting less and paying more. I have to commute to Reno for work every day with gas precises going up and my wages and benefits going down again. Everything is costing more to live on and it seems like Nevada State workers are the only people in the State barring the burden. The workers of the great State of Nevada should not be forced to give up any more then we already have. Make every one in the State be responsible with a 1% tax for the whole State. We must All take part in sacrificing something to bring this State back to where it belongs. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | How much money actually will be saved by this bill? It seems like another Sandoval ploy to prop up his presidential bid. I am ashamed to tell anyone that I work for the state. The public and legislature treats us like we are illegals stealing food from their disabled children. So much for my 23 years of hard work at a salary and benefits 22% lower than a equivalent job on the outside. Our agency is losing valuable employees who spent years learning their jobs. We can't fill the positions because no one qualified wants to work here and start at the pathetic entry level salary we have to offer. The only reason I stayed was because of PERS; the only thing Nevada does better than most states, at least until the governor figures out a way to raid it. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | I have been a state employee for 19.5 years and to this day do not understand why, with every budget short fall and every Governor that faces this situation, the state employees are ALWAYS the part of government that ends up paying for the shortages of the entire state with our jobs and pay. How much more can be taken from us monetarily yet our contribution rate for PERS is increasing along with our medical coverage is increasing for less coverage and our household expenses keep increasing but the government continues to take from us for the budget shortages for the State. If you take away our pay increases on a continued basis yet our work load continues to increase because of the elimination of staff or departments, you also take away any incentive for us to WANT to continue to do a GOOD job for our state. Is this bill accompanied by a 5% pay cut along with all the other incentives you are continuing to take from us? I am extremely tired of paying for the entire state with my income and my livelyhood as a long time state employee! Where and when does it stop? | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | If you make being an engineer for the state so incredibly unapealing, smart and talented people will either move to different states or look for opportunities in the private sector, thus eliminating the strong, educated, and hard working state emloyees, leaving the unmotivated and lazy ones. This is a bad idea. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | State employees are being asked to sacrifice in every way....furloughs, pay cuts, increased health insurance premiums and reduced benefits, no step increases, unfilled positions resulting in increased workload, reduced sick leave benefits, reduced annual leave benefits, attacks on PERS.... It's just too much. Everyone understands the pay cuts are pretty much unavoidable, as are the unfilled positions, and increased health insurance costs, all of which result in direct monetary savings. But when you start talking things such as reducing sick leave, reducing annual leave, gutting PERS....why would ANYONE choose to work for the state in the future? For the low pay and crappy benefits? It's time to stop blaming state employees for everything that is wrong in this state. They didn't create the problems, and they don't deserve the across the board, vindictive attacks that are being directed their way. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | I would support all the proposed changes except the merit pay. Local economy would be better stimulated if the state employees had more money to spend. For example, state employees make up about a third of total employment in the Carson City MSA. Some of these people commute in but are spending in nearby communities. This is a wrong approach to help the local economy. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | I am at a loss in trying to figure out how reducing State Employee's sick and annual accrual will save the state money. All this will do is make employees go to work sick and spread their illness to everyone else they work with. It will also reduce moral, which, given all the pay cuts and raises in health care and retirement contributions, is not healthy at it is. If no one exceeds what they are allowed, this will not save the state a penny. Many State employees, myself included, have accepted that we have to take a cut in pay to help with the budget, but this is going too far. Please do NOT do this. BTW - I would prefer to keep the furloughs in place than take a flat pay cut, even if that furlough is increased to 10 hours per month. Thank you for your time. Nanette Ames - DETR employee | May-04-2011 |
| Against | thsese incentatives are the very reason that people apply for state jobs.If there is no insentative, we might as well be working for private businesses. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | Do not punish state employees for the mistakes of state administration and budget. If this state is suffering I think all people living in Nevada should do their part, raise taxes for everyone. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | Regarding the continued suspension of merit raises and longevity pay, I will not complain if you would do the same thing with the teachers! They only "work" 180 days a year but get their raises and bonuses and "institute" days! I can't balance the whole budget for you! | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | State employees will pay more for insurance premium, co-pays, deductibles. State employees will pay more for retirement. Gas, food and pretty much everything cost more. Please no pay cut, no benefit cuts. Thank you. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | The State has already removed any incentive for seeking State of Nevada employment, are you seriously going to assure that the State will only employ dregs that cannot gain employment anywhere else. As a 29 year State Employee, I accepted a lower wage to assure certain benefits. I could have worked in the private sector and made a higher wage rate and invested monies, etc., but did not based on the security of the State. You now intend to continually lower our wages, and remove al benefits, utterly ridiculous. Inflation conitues to grow, and you're going to insure that State employees begin having to file bankruptcies on thier debts they incured while they were actually earning a living. With the State taking cuts on one end, and food, transporatation, groceries, health care (or lack thereof)etc. taking a cut on the other end, we can assure we all go bankrupt. Please do not pursue this travesty | May-04-2011 |
| Against | Nevadans are supposed to be sharing the burden of budget cuts, but it seems to me that government workers and educators are paying for the state's economic woes by a larger proportion. The ability to purchase credit for service for retirement is very important to me. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | Please do not make any changes to state worker compensation and benefits. I am a state employee. Since my wife was laid off from UNR and has been unemployed for many months, our "share" of economic hardship has been extremely difficult as it is (with a furlough, more costly health benefits, and increase in retirement contribution). I do not feel that it is fair to change our annual leave, sick leave, holiday pay, retirement benefits, longevity pay, and merit pay. We state employees should continue to help the state financially by continuing in their current form the furloughs, suspension of merit pay, and suspension of longevity pay. Our great state employees already get the most work done with the least amount of employees per capita. Please don't punish our state employees further for their hard work. Thank you for considering my comment. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | The public servants are adding to the problem by not being able to afford to keep their homes, spending on leisurely items, or paying for needed day care in order to work. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | Reduction to state employee benefits should be applied fairly across the board. Currently state employees have "merit" cuts that take the ten step pay progression employees have. For staff with less than 6 years on the job the loss of merit pay is effectively 20 percent (plus 5 more proposed), but staff already at the 10th step only have a 5 percent pay cut. This bias will eventually lead to a loss of quality talent to replace the mass of upcoming retirees. Instead of merit pay cuts, the salary cuts should be straight across the board for all employees. Instead of a 5 percent pay cut and no step increases, I suggest a larger pay cut (say 7-10 percent). Also, PERS should be shifted for an option of defined contribution instead of defined benefit. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | I do not remember my last raise. I am 62 and will never be able to retire since my husband is disabled and I have to work. I need benefits for us both and money enough to pay the rent and put food on my table. HELP THE STATE WORKERS, DO NOT HURT US ANY MORE. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | State employees have already taken enough of a hit. Some State deparments are completely broke while others are buying new office furniture every month so that their funds won't be decreased. There needs to be a finacial audit of every State department to see were funds are being spent. I guarantee plenty of money will be found there. Use the funds properly instead of cutting more hard working State employee benefits. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | Treating state employees poorly will not help economic recovery. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | I think the state employees have suffered enough through this deficet. The first thing layed off people will do is go on unemployment and for the Single parents and individuals that do not have high grade paying jobs a substantial increase in cuts of holiday pay and sick/annual leave will leave us in a devistation to add to the already declining economy. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | The Governor states we all have to share in the "sacrifice" to help the state. Why no new taxes then? It seems the only people sacrificing are State Employees by having their salary and benefits picked apart and reduced. On top of that, any other cutbacks, like education, affect State Employees as well. What are the people of Nevada that are not State Employees, being asked to do? My salary is reduced, my furlough is taken away (so I have the pleasure of working 40 hours a week for less money), my insurance premium goes up, my deductible goes up and NOW YOU WANT TO TAKE SOME OF MY ANNUAL LEAVE AND SICK TIME?!!!! How much sacrifice has to come from me and my other State employees? Not to mention all I hear about is how education is affected. The reduction for Mental Health is just a crime. I say to the Governor, come and REALLY follow a RN at NNAMHS and see what we have to do in Outpatient. Maybe then you would think twice about taking away some of our Annual Leave. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | State employees are at the state's mercy for pay issues. Please do not disrupt the state employees pay or you may find the state no longer has qualified employees. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | I took this job knowing that it was less pay than the private sector but it was the benifits that was the big draw for me. Can't we find a better way to balance the budget other than on the state workers backs? | May-04-2011 |
| Against | Why Keep taking? Why not incorporate a FLAT STATE TAX, or a FOOD TAX?, everyone Documented or undocumented has to eat? | May-04-2011 |
| Against | Why does all the cuts have to be on the state employees? | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | In All Fairness to the people who serve the public in the State Of Nevada, any bill passed by the Nevada State Legislature needs to be affective for "ALL" State of Nevada employees beginning with the Governor and all other elected officials. "The Buck Stops With Them." Please do the right thing and Lead By Example. Don't condemn our great state to years of lethargy and a future of the past! Thank-You | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | This bill cannot be passed without amendments. State workers have made the biggest sacrifice during this recession. Further reducing their benefits will continue to lower moral and make it even less attractive to recruit and retain employees. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | Another method of stripping state employees of every benefit given when accepting a job with the state. Security and benefits as well as a structured pay scale were the primary reasons to work for the state. Now they are attempting to remove every reason to work for the state and the security it provided. This is supposed to be Nevada Employee Appreciation Week! Not feeling the love here. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | Balancing the budget on the backs of the employees is not equitable or fair. The result will force the best and brightest of the public employees to leave state service. What will be left will be all the people who can't get a job anywhere else. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | I have submitted the this idea no less than 5 times over the last 5 years. This won’t fix the problem but every penny saved counts. Currently when computer equipment is replaced at NDOT (4-5 years) it is turned into purchasing and purchasing calls Computer Corps to come pick it up. That very same is equipment is sometimes still useful but old enough it, why not sell it back to the employees for say $100 - $150? if you take a sample rotation schedule of 4 years with say 1800 computers that would rotate out an average of 450 machines to be replaced each year. The State could bring back in 45,000 – 67,500 a year instead of giving this away to Computer Corps. This is just NDOT! Yes paperwork needs to be completed, yes the equipment needs to be sanitized of sensitive information before this sale can take place but that is already being done, labor is already being purposed to push the paperwork and to sanitize the equipment. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | Most state employees have children and families that they need to care for. We suffer enough with the cuts to our pay. Please do not "force" the state employees to suffer more than we already have. These additional cuts would have the upmost devistating affects on state employees whom might consider terminating employement because they cannot afford to work anymore. Please consider not passing AB560 for the sake of the states well-being for its employees and their families. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | State Employees have borne the burden of balancing the budget for decades. We currently have had our pay reduced by 4.6% with furloughs, ou insurance premiums are skyrocketing while the services are being reduced, we have lived with no merit and longevity pay for two years. How can anyone be expected to live like this? New employees are affected the worst. They must try to live on meager salaries and loss of benefits. I think the loss of holiday pay will only effect only a small percentage of employees. I believe the legislature should find some other way to balance the budget than on the backs of state employees. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | I cannot afford to take any more cuts! I am a single mother with no help. I am struggling to make a living as it is. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | I am opposed to any further cuts to state employ pay or benefits. Pay cuts, step freezes, furlough days ,health care cuts, personnel cuts,changes to the retirement system and added job responsibilites have all come together to create a negitive working enviroment that will affect the State of Nevada for years to come. Good hard working talented people are leaving and they will not be back. Look at what the state is offering. Would you hire on? I know times are difficult but if we are to do more with less we need the best people we can get. A state government run by poorly trained inexperienced people is not going to get us where we need to be as a state. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | Enough already! Start collecting revenue from mining, and more from gaming. The state population has tripled since 1980; revenue needs to be collected to keep up with the states needs. Gold is at an all time high and this state should be receiving a set amount per ounce from the mining corporations. How ridiculous to let them remove this finite resource and not compensate our state. Once it is all gone we will be left with a ruined landscape and toxic chemical waste. It is 2011 people not the 1860's, no one would run a business this way! Why do we run the state this way? | May-04-2011 |
| Against | Figure out how to generate state income. I do not see how cutting annual and sick leave accrual will save our Nevada coffers. I feel that it is simPly punitive. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | I understand continuting the temp suspension of longevity pay and merit increases, but why reduce sick and annual leave accrual, and why get rid of the the holiday pay?? Getting rid of holiday pay will hurt mostly the police that protect this state, very few State employees work holidays, why attack the police? Why attack state employees? This should be about saving money not about hurting public employees, I am tired of this private vs. public war, we are all citizens, we all put money back into the economy, someday someone needs to realize that by hurtin public employees you are only hurting yourself, someday people will feel proud about their state and the employees that it employs. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | This bill is totally unfair to all state employees. We were promised particular benefits upon hiring in for state service, which sadly, most of those benefits have been revoked or sigficantly cut. And as we all know, they will never be restored. No wonder young people will not take a state job, there is no reason. They go to college and earn their degree, then hire in to never receive a pay raise. I know several co-workers who are losing their homes due to all of these cuts. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | I am a state employee. We provide service for the State and the people of this state. We are also citizens of this state and deserve not to take the brunt of the taxes of this state. We have already sacraficed so much to avoid taxing the non state workers of the state of Nevada. Please allow us to maintain our holiday pay and annual leave and sick pay as it is the only relief we get. I feel like we are really getting beaten down - Give us some dignity | May-04-2011 |
| For | It's time to reign in the oppulance and extravegance that state employees have long enjoyed. If they want health care, they can go buy it from the provider. If they do not like the pay, they can find jobs elsewhere. If they want more money, thy can get a second job. That's what you call 'Free Enterprise.' Just keep the DMV open when I need it. And send those state employees to spelling/grammar class. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | I have been a faithful State employee for over 17 years. As an RN, I could have taken more lucrative positions in the private sector, but I have chosen to work for the people of the State of Nevada. I work in Mental Health which is an area of high burn-out. But, I still go to work everyday with a smile on my face knowing that I am helping those who otherwise would be without Mental Health services. Working with people day after day who have so many psychosocial problems and who are struggling so hard each day can wear on one's emotional and physical stamina. One of the benefits that has helped get me through the tough times and continue to be an effective and compassionate State employee is the annual and sick leave time that I can use to re-juvenate or to heal. Please do not take away this needed benefit. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | do not approve this bill. State employees have ALREADY taken reductions that exceed more than their sure of the burden of the state's financial crisis | May-04-2011 |
| Against | I went to one of the top seven business schools in the country and graduated with honors. I was drawn to state service in large part because of the vacation and sick leave accrual. Continue in this misguided attempt to balance the budget on the backs of the State Employees and you face losing the best and brightest. I am already seeing a mass exodus of some of the most knowledgable people tha state has had. You are crippling the state to please the Republican agenda. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | Dear Sirs, When I got out of the Army in 2001 I rushed home back to Nevada from upstate New York because there was a job open at the DOT and thats what I wanted to do. I wanted a job with good benefits, time off and resonable pay. That is the ONLY reason to work for the state. I have been here almost 10 years and I am a supervisor 1. I am married and am raising 4 children. If my benefits get cut any more or my pay, I will be forced to go work in the mines or at the test site where I can at least pay my bills and afford to take my children fishing and camping. Right now it is tough to do that. Counting the merit increases that are not coming is killing me. I know you have heard it all before, but please bear in mind that if you don't do something to retain your state employees, you will loose them and the only people you will be able to hire are people that no one else will hire. You will then have an ineffective work force which will make it easier for the contractors to get ahold of our maintenence work. Thank you for your time. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | While I understand that difficult decisions have to be made to balance the budget some of the decisions here make little sense in light of other areas that can be cut and from what I see are not. What I am referring to is the enormous amount of money spent on Illegals in this state and the Governor has made it clear that made it clear that this is a tricky area to address because most of them are "families" where the children are legal, well guess what I have a family too and my whole family is legal but I'm supposed to do with less while they don't. How about the millions of dollars that could be saved by not spent to printing everything in two languages to cater to these "upstanding citizens". Maybe there should be more effort put into looking into the waste due to the large number of people that are defrauding or just plain exploiting our welfare system. If these things were addressed I would gladly consider giving up a little of what I was promised by the state when I was hired to help balance the budget. | May-04-2011 |
| Against | Why don't you just have state employees work for minimum wage,that way we can go back to planning our families future because you won't be able to cut more!!!!!!! How are we to plan? | May-04-2011 |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | May-04-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | As a state worker and public servant, I truly believe we have sacraficed more than enough with pay cuts, major health benefit reductions to place us well below the private sector in Nevada for health care benefits, and longetivity pay freezes. Do not insult to injury by tacking on reductions in Annual Leave and Sick Leave Accural to the stew. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | This bill is punitive to state workers. It serves no other purpose. It creates no substantial savings for the general fund. I almost wonder if this bill was introduced as a barometer to see how much state workers will allow to be taken from them. If there is no outcry to the ridiculousness that is AB560, what is next? Will the next bill remove all healthcare coverage? Well thats almost been done already. Will the next bill wreak havoc on our retirement...wait been proposed already. How about suggesting merit increases never return? Nothing is too preposterous to suggest to take from state employees, if you go by what has been introduced in AB560. We all know that you cannot get elected Governor unless you have Gaming and Mining backing your campaign. I am a lifetime Nevadan that has lost my home to foreclosure and I have filed bankruptcy. Meanwhile, how many millions of dollars in profit has the Gaming and Mining industries made coupled with all their tax loopholes? It is time for all Nevadans to share the burden of balancing the budget since we know Corporations will not have to. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | We have already had enough sacrifices with our jobs. our insurance costs have and continue to go up. not just our premiums but our out of pocket expenses. we have had 24 furlough days over the past 2 years. we have had no merit or longevity pay. most of us do not even get overtime. To take the one benefit we still have with our time off isn't right. Many of us use this time to help keep us from being overwhelmed and overstressed. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | AB 560 is another attack on state employees and their familes. Instead of focusing on cuts to state employees, legislators need to find solutions for a balanced budget that seeks new revenues and sacrifices shared by everyone – not just state employees. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | For some reason people are seeing their state governmental employees as the villain in this economic recession and era of high unemployment rates. I must say, state employees did not create this poor economy on the state or federal level. I work very hard and am willing to do my share, and my share happens to be 4.6% of my pay, with no incentive for exemplary work due to the fact that there will be no pay increase in the foreseeable future, no cost of living increases, diminished retirement, and 'streamlined' health benefits. Nevada has the smallest state government in America, yet politicians are making us sound like the financial juggernaut stealing the soul from the state. We are not the bad guys, so quit treating us like criminals. We all share in this financial trouble, perhaps we should all share in the repair. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | State of Nevada employees are already doing more work for less pay than any other state in the USA. Taking away benefits will be an insult on top of an insult. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | These should be basic benefits of any worker and a poor place to angle cutbacks. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | Haven't you already done enough to us? | May-03-2011 |
| Against | Have you lost your minds. You are continuosly taking away benefits. Increasing the cost of healthcare and deductibles and over working us and you want to keep sucking the life out of us. This is the reason we are barely eating, sleeping, living, or surviving. This is the reason people are killing one another. We can not continue to live and let you take, take, & take!!!!!!!!! How about giving something BACK!Appreciation for JOB WELL DONE!Disabled Veteran! | May-03-2011 |
| Against | State Workers have already sacraficed enough. Many have seen up to a 20% decrease in pay with these past two years of cuts, without considering COLAs. The Governor wants to decrease those benefits that exceed the western average, but doesn't propose increasing those benefits that lag behind the western average. The Economic Forum predicts additional revenues, but the Governor doesn't propose to have any of that revenue go to provide relief to State Workers. We are not the enemy, we provide a service that the public wants and should receive fait compensation. If this vendeta against State Workers continues, the public will soon receive what they pay for; poor service for poor compension. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | Why are State Workers being punished for working for the State of Nevada? We have had our wages cut, longevity and merit raises suspended for over 2 years already and our insurance premiums go up drastically and for someone who has worked for the State of NV for almost 28 years I am being cut way more than 5%. Why is the budget being balanaced on the back of the State Workers??? | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| For | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | If you want the best people to want to work for the State, you can NOT continue to not only erode, but devastate the very reasons people continue to work FOR the State. It is patently unfair to balance the budget on the back of the State workers, to resolve years of poor decision making about how much to spend and what to spend it on by reducing State employees to subsistence levels. I work 40 hours weekly and spend 10 percent of my pay on fuel to get to my job, another 10 percent on food, half on my mortgage. Utilities, insurance and basic items like clothing, home repairs and the like eat up most of the remainder. Now you plan to cut our pay 5%, health insurance is now little more than major medical and this bill is seriously being considered? I envision sickouts at the prisons on holidays. Lawsuits filed by us long-term tenured employees if we get laid off with no service credits being purchased. People of talent and skill telling the State to take a leap, taking their years of skill and knowledge to the private sector where the benefits are no worse, but the pay is much better. Want to fix health insurance? Make the teachers and county workers all join PEBP when they are young and healthy, instead of dumping them on that system when they are retired and in need of medical assistance. Want to reduce budgets? Eliminate public works projects for Universities and buildings, raise gas taxes to pay for roads and make builders actually pay for the infrastructure their projects require instead of granting them tax break after tax break. Perhaps the State desires to drive out the older, more highly paid workers that actually know what we are doing, but bear in mind it is that very staff that keeps things from becoming so FUBAR that the populace as a whole are not howling at the doorstep of the Legislature. This bill is not only harmful, it is literally insulting to the State workers. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | Enough is enough. My wife is a state employee, and has lost out on base pay, merit, and longevity for the last 2 years. Health insurance costs have gone up and with the changes coming in July we will have to skip routine health care and maybe even maintenance meds. Now you want to take leave benefits away too? The other stuff can be explained by saying it's the budget, but the leave doesn't cost the budget anything. The employee gets paid for an 8-hour day regardless. It's petty to reduce their leave on top of all the monetary hits they're taking. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | Time to stop screwing the state employee. An agreement was made when we were hired and all this is going to do is force the state to spend money in court when they get sued. This is a state issue which affects all residents not just the state employees. The States inability to balance a budget should not be on the backs of the state worker alone. Keep the furlough not a pay cut. Maintain the temporary suspension of merit raises and longevity. Leave our annual and sick leave alone. We worked for it and it was a contract at employment. I hope you all are enjoying your raises and your work out center which I am sure a large majority of you have not used. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | Please do not pass this bill. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | Most State employees work hard and take pride in their work. Reducing their pay, denying their earned merit increases and decreasing sick & annual leave reduces morale. Please do not pass this bill. Thank you. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | There is no justification for this bill beyond continued state worker bashing. I thought our paycuts were tied to the failing economy. This is state worker appreciation week! Is this how you appreciate our efforts? This is flat out meanness and nothing else. Workers should receive the same considerations as businesses, afterall through our efforts, we support business, raise families and invest in our economy and State. Our paycuts should be sunsetted and our remaining benefits should be untouched. We are tax payers and voters too. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | State employees are being unfairly targeted where cutting down on leave is concerned. They have already lost pay, and their health care costs will skyrocket starting July 1. Why go after leave benefits too? That doesn't affect the budget one bit! Sick leave is capped as to how much can be paid for when an employee leaves, and annual leave is capped as to how much can be accrued. Regular and overtime pay, merit and longevity, those do affect the budget. But LEAVE? Come on, please! | May-03-2011 |
| Against | There are no triggers to reinstate the regular pay. Three weeks of sick leave could possibly be reduced to two per year, but the current rate of annual leave is fair compared to private industry. Private companies have other means of compensating employees such as bonuses, cars and other... This is in normal economic times, however we State employees have "never" gotten these extraordinary benefits. In the IT division we have worked at a lower rate than our counter parts for years. Now we are being asked to give up even more. When the economy turns around how will we make up for the lost wages. In addition we are loosing valuable younger employees who can find jobs in other areas. They are saying it is just not worth taking the risk to stay. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | Although I understand that the state is in a financial bind, we peace officers put our lives on the line for the people of this state everyday and this bill will make that risk feel even more unappreciated. We aren't pushing papers on those time and a half holidays we're risking our lives so that everyone else can take a long weekend with their families. So far we have taken furloughs that create staffing shortages, putting us at more risk, empoyees are getting fed up with the cuts and leaving making staffing even shorter. There has got to be a better way. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | What else can we do for your? The housing market in Las Vegas has gone to the dogs, gas prices are sky-rocketing, food prices are going through the roof. You have made sure that our medical insurance is so bad that we hope not to get sick. Now you want to take some more, sure why not. Just ask the State employees, they'll do it, while other get more and more, e.g. City and County workers. I work in a position were I am doing the job of 2 (some times even 3) with a pay of 2/3 of the salary I should have had. It's a good thing I like my job, but do like to get paid for what I do. Instead of merit increase we got furlough. Thank you all for always thinking about the State employees. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | From the news articles we are already losing our furlough. There are already many who are excempt. Please keep the furlough vs. taking a straight 5%. Our benefits have already taking a large hit. I feel I am a relativly healthy person but my medicine alone will cost approx $800 a month. Changing the accrual of or annual and sick leave is another slap in the face. We have had pay cuts, no raises, loss of step increases. Every cost has gone up-gas,groceries, insurance and medicine. We owe double what our house is worth. Please don't take anything more. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | It's just wrong to go back on what was promised to employees when hired on. If you want to change for new hires, go for it, but please grandfather in existing employees | May-03-2011 |
| Against | As a state employee, these continued cuts to our pay, benefits, are completely disheartening. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | Us State workers are being asked to take the whole load of a budget crisis. We are citizens too. We are struggling....please don't take so much away from us. We are struggling already. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | YOUR NEW POLICES ARE NOT GOOD FOR EMPLOYEE MORAL. WE BECAME USED TO THE 'NO PAY, NO WORK DAY' NOW IT'S GOING TO BE 'NO PAY, WORK ANYWAY DAY' - ALONG WITH AN INCREASED PERCENTAGE OF PAY CUT. NO RAISES. NO INCENTIVE. THOSE OF US THAT HOPE TO WORK LONG ENOUGH TO RETIRE, HAVE JUST WORKED OUR HIGHEST YEARS. WE WILL NEVER MAKE MORE THAN WE DO NOW. NOW WE WON'T EVEN HAVE THE OPTION OF TAKING A DAY OFF TO BE SICK OR TO RECHARGE FROM JOBS THAT ARE SOMETIMES THANKLESS. WHY SHOULD WE BE THE ONES TO HAVE THE MAJOR BRUNT OF THE FINANCIAL CUTS? THERE MUST BE OTHER WAYS TO SHARE THE BURDEN? CURRENT EMPLOYEES ARE LEAVING THEIR JOBS AND EVEN LEAVING THE STATE FOR BETTER CONDITIONS. SOON THERE WON'T BE ANYONE TO GOVERN. THE 'ATTABOYS' ARE RINGING HOLLOW. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | Please do not reduce our benefits further. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | Really? Gov. Sandoval just sent out a proclamation praising state workers for the work we do and then slaps us in the face wanting to cut our pay and take away our leave time! We have not had a raise in over 6 years! For the last 3 legislative sessions, state workers have had to give up more and more benefits. It's time to find another scapegoat! | May-03-2011 |
| Against | If we have to maintain freezes to continue to help the state maintain I understand. We all need to do our share to help in this time of crisis. Its not easy to have to continue to endure with the cost of everything else going up but we all have to do what we have to do. However cutting more of our already cut benefits is getting to pushy. We all understand the situation and near desperate place we are in but to keep pushing people you depend on for keeping you safe and caring for the public is only going to make things worse for everyone. I know I dont feel entitled like many do. However I dont think its appropriate to lower morale and once again put state workers under the gun to make up for the rest of the countries mistakes. I am thankful to have my job and paycheck and will endure in and through any means nesessary. But lets think to make it fair among all channels and levels of employment. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | As President Obama recently said: America is the land of opportunity. Our citizens have a dream to succeed & better themselves through hard work , diligence & perseverance. If our pay, benefits, retirement, leave accrual, MSI's, longevity pay, etc. Is cut, then the true meaning of America is lost! What a shame! There is a better & different way to save money without further burdening state employees! Stop being selfish, put aside the politics & do what's right! | May-03-2011 |
| Against | I believe that there are many areas in which we need to evaluate for appropriate use of state fund but my concern is that you are cutting in the wrong areas. State workers in my area make less then people working in a similar position for Non-state workers. I think at one time there was an abuse of the systems and now we are paying the piper. I fear that you will loss many state good state employees and people will not want to hire in at the current rate offered. Have a difficult time understanding why we would ever pay for housing and give criminals money, when we who are working are having ours cut. It's a bad message to a lot of good workers. You have a challage and I support you but I ask you to look before you jump. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | I am against yet another attack to the state worker's jobs, pay and benefits. State workers only make up a small percentage of the overall workers in the State of Nevada. Why must legislature and the Governor repeatedly "rape" the same individuals? Make a state income tax. Tax every single worker in the entire state equally. Anything that shares the state burden with the entire population. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | No fricken way, you take and take and take - NO MORE!!!! | May-03-2011 |
| Against | I supervise and work with numerous state employees. I can tell you the feed back I get is that for those employee at the lower grades, these reductions along with the other reductions in pay and benefits are have a greater impact on them, in essence constituting a regressive tax. Additionally for those at the lower income levels, the most of their income is spent on essentials and that spending goes directly back into the economy. So to reduction in pay and the benefits runs counter to all the policies in which State and Federal government is trying to stimulate economic growth. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | The State Budget is a very real concern for all of us. But taking away from public employees all of the benefits for which they work very hard is not the way to resolve or balance the Budget. Most state employees do not make huge salaries. Many are the sole support of their families and when a person makes only $25000.00 per year, for example, and any benefit is cut or taken away, the move pushes them more and more into poverty. In addition, not only do they not get a merit raise (that is also a State ruling)their salaries get cut by enforced furlough days/salary cuts or straight forward deletion of the job. All politicians running for office talk a good line about having services for their constituents. Then, as soon as they are in office, they take away the very people who can provide the services the politicians promised. Meanwhile, no politician I know of gets his/her salary cut, gets his/her benefits decreased/comes out with less income the more years he/she serves. If this sounds like frustration, it is. You continue to harm the people with the least power and then berate the dictators and rulers of foreign countries who do the same. Thank you for this opportunity to express a small part of my dismay at the uncaring, irresponsible acts of the state legislature and Governor's Office. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | Taking away sick time causes stress, which leads to more illnesses which in turn will lead to poor work performance and poor quality of work. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | this bill feels like a "kick em while they are down" mean spirited action. State workers are already taking a pay cut/furlough, insurance coverage cut and premium increase, we have lost merit increases and longevity pay, why mess with our annual leave accrual, sick leave, holday pay and purchace for credt of service? COME ON ALREADY....ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!. How will these additional items rescue the budget mess any time soon. Is the goal to make public service bottom of the barrel? | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | Leave our sick leave and annual leave ALONE!!! I am sick of my benefits being hacked away while the mining companies sit high on the hog. Restructure our revenue system! | May-03-2011 |
| Against | Please NO!!! | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | You pass this and you are going to lose alot of staff ... | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | there are thousands of people who live in nevada thousands! why should the few state workers carry the entire state?? a small tax across the board for ever person ENJOYING living in nevada would HAVE ALOT MORE BENIFIT THEN PUNISHING SOME FEW THAT ARE SCRAPING TO GET BY. IT IS NOT ROCKET SCIENCE HERE!!!! MY 7 YEAR OLD TOLD ME THIS. HOW EMBARASSING. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | How in the name of all that is holy will reducing annual leave and sick leave POSSIBLY save anything for the State coffers? This makes no sense at all. What will happen is that employees will come to work sick because they can't take off and infect everybody in the office. I once worked at a mine where we only got two sick leave days a year and that is exactly what happened. In the 35-odd years I have been in the workplace in various arenas, I have NEVER worked in a place where employees weren't paid overtime if called in on holidays. What will happen is that employees will refuse to come in and they will be within their legal rights to do so. This will cause all kinds of havoc when a powerful snow storm hits on Christmas or New Years day and snow plows and emergency vehicles are silenced. Why should they bother to come in to work on their day off for an employer that is heavy handed and uncaring? Oh, I forgot -- everybody thinks the entire state is Las Vegas and a desert. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | All of these changes are putting a lot of us state workers at poverty level and just a step above being in the street. We are all working so hard for seemingly slave wages. Everything is being taken away from us but we are working three times harder because of staff shortage. So wrong!!! | May-03-2011 |
| Against | As AB560 continues to be discussed this week, know that Nevada State Employees are being recognized for all of their hard work and dedication during the week of May 2-6, 2011. Please honor them by voting against AB560. As a dedicated Nevada State Employee (5 years of service), I plead to you the Legislature, to consider the importance of public service and the sacrifices dedicated public servants have already given up since 2009. Our merit and longevity pay increases have been suspended, we have lost our step pay increases, we have lost our cost of living increases, we have been stripped away of good healthcare benefits and have been provided with zero vision care, limited dental care and the conversion to a high deductible health care plan that has zero coverage until state employees meet a $1,900 deductible, and not to forget state employees are doing more with less as some agencies have been shut down. It is ridiculous for career politicians to use dedicated loyal public servants, employees who are efficient, effective and proud, to balance the budget. It is an approach without conscience to pass AB560 as there is no budget reason to reduce the accrual of annual leave and sick leave for state employees. Please use your power as Legislatures wisely and responsibly. Do not allow AB560 to pass. Thank you for your time. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | State employees have had their pay reduced, benefits cut and COLA increases stopped. We have had to do more with less and have done so with little complaint. Enough is enough though. There are other means for creating revenue to supplement the State's shortfall such as increased taxes for the mining industry, closing NSP, etc. The States economic crisis was not created solely at the hands of State employees and definitely not at the hands of the lower to mid level State employees. We have done our part and to continue cutting from those who are already in some cases, bare boned, would be unjust. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | As a Registered Nurse, starting pay for the state is very low. It takes years of Merit raises to equal the private sector. These raises are now frozen. Good benefits are one good reason to work for the state. If you eliminate this, good ole competition could cause many nurses to leave. Remember, even in this ecomomy, there is a nationwide nursing shortage. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | As one of the state employees who is working twice as hard for less money, any further cuts would be another slap in the face and an indicator that the governor neither respects us nor values our service to the state. why is it that state employees have to bear the majority of the budget cuts?? what is wrong with a state tax?? why not let everyone share in burden and not just a select few? I'm sure that would not be a popular stance to take, however. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | If you keep trying to balance the budget on the backs of the employees, you will end up losing the quality employees, and end up with the dead weight. Try and getting rid of the dead weight and rewarding the quality people. You keep talking about running the government like a business. DO IT!!! PS. Are you and your staff going to suffer the same results, or are you all exempt | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | Whiney state employees need to stop complaining and start protesting. Sick Day May 6. Except those employees who want to take it all out on the new employees only. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | There has to be another area that the budget can be balance from. The state employees shouldn't have to take on the burden, we are already getting paid at the rate we were in 2007! | May-03-2011 |
| For | Pay State workers less. Make sure you put the Governor and his staff and the legislature and their staffs on top of the list when making cuts. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | When state employees are hired on, they are told in writing (on the job announcement) and in their employee orientation, the benefits that they will receive. While I believe employees do get a great benefit of sick and annual leave, it is one of the only ones that is not increasing the employees costs and doesn't really save he state GF money directly by reducing the benefit. My concern is if this goes through, we will see an increase in sick leave usage, an increase in workers compensation claims and Family Medical Leave Act illnesses due to stress. So the idea of saving GF money on the backs of the employees when employees understand that taking their sick and annual does not directly save GF dollars, may backfire. I doubt these things were taken into consideration when this was proposed. Employees are expected to work harder and be paid less and also have increased costs. Total cuts to employees, directly or indirectly is a lot more than 5%. A lot of employees with families are struggling already. A tax increase is the only fair way to go to balance this budget. Employees didn't make this revenue shortfall, the state suffers as a whole and all should help us get out of it, not just employees. Oh, and by the way, employees are taxpayers also. So they will also get that increase if it is passed. Although I love our state and want to help and do my part, I believe it is everyone's responsiblility, not just the employees. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | I'm looking for another job. Enjoy Nevada without my tax revenues. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | leave our annual and sick leave as is.The rest of the bill I could understand.But believe it or not we do work hard for our state and I feel we should be let something!!! | May-03-2011 |
| Against | Wow really???? Take away our pay, give us less benefits, more retirement contributions, take away our furloughs? As State employees we are willing to do our share but enough is enough but go ahead and send us a proclamation for employee appreciation week. REALLY? I do not support AB560. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | Taking away the currently imposed furlough day will make it tough for employees to make medical appointments as this is a great time to book such appointments. Reducing the sick & annual time will mean less healthy employees coming into work and possibly affecting the rest of the working crew. Annual leave is accrued at a fair rate. It should remain the same. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | Please leave the state employees alone. We are not the issue. We can't balance the budget on our salaries. We pay taxes as well as everyone else. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | Nevada state employees have already had merit salary increases, cost of living raises and longevity pay taken away. They are required to take one furlough day per month at a cost of 4.6% of pay. The percentage of retirement taken from gross pay has increased. Health insurance deductibles have risen from $250 in 2009 to $800 in 2010. They will be $1,900 per individual in 2011. I'm lucky to have a great job with the state and I'm glad to do my part but enough is enough. The budget cannot be balanced on the backs of state employees. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | YOU CAN NOT BALANCE THE STATE BUDGET BY KILLING ALL OF THE BENEFITS FOR THE STATE WORKERS. THE DEFICIT WAS NOT CAUSED BY THE STATE WORKERS YET YOU ARE MAKING ONLY THE STATE WORKERS PAY. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | I believe the State Employees have had enough taken away from them. They should reduce the upper management saleries including the Govenors. Stop spending money on Weight rooms and Office remodels and put it to go use. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | the state workers are already taken cuts | May-03-2011 |
| Against | Give me a break already. My position is not funded in any way by the General Fund, and yet I'm forced to take furlough days or possibly a permanent pay cut instead while also losing my longevity pay. The quality of my health insurance is worse, yet more expensive and now you want to go after my leave time as well. Instead of passing the buck, why don't you do your job and fix thsi State's revenue structure. Some cuts are fine, but this proposed budget is rediculous. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | This bill will continue to destroy any benefits of being a State Employee. This bill uses State Employees to balance the budget. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | Do not think it is fair to make the State employees pay for the mis-management of the government. Why dont you raise sales tax, then everyone contributes to increased revenue. Do not think for one minute that this governor one the election because he said he would not raise taxes. He won because everyone hated Gibbons. Cutting programs for the poor, removing holdiday pay and sick leave from state employees, cutting wages from a select group without coming up with some revenue is not the way to balance a budget. Raise sales tax 2%, everyone can live with that. Lottery tickets, Do you even realize how many people drive to california every weekend to buy them. That money is going to another state!! Wake up people, opne your eyes, quit acting like children and do your job. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | I am against this Bill. Please, State of Nev employees have suffered enough. You are slowly eliminating a large group of people from participating in the state's economy. My neighbor still has his job, still makes the same amount of money, still accrues the same amount of vacation, and he is not paying any new taxes. If he were paying some type of equitable new tax (to reduce the deficit)then he would be contributing to reduce the deficit as well, but he is not. Instead, I am bearing the brunt of the deficit. Can you not see how unfare this is. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | You have already eliminated all paid leave for continuing education which is mandated by our profession and necessary for our jobs as our employment is contingent on licensure in the State of NV. So if you reduce our annual leave, then we will have to take leave without pay in order to meet the requirements for our continuing education for our licenses. And we will not be able to take any time off for vacations. Having worked almost 20 years for the state, reducing our annual leave and sick leave creates a burden leaving little time for rest and recuperation from the increased workloads. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | I feel taking benefits away from the people that are working so hard for this state in absurd. There has got to be a better way to help the budget than taking what is left from the citizens who are employed and supporting our communities. most of us have not received an increase in our salaries in two years and many of us are barely making it now. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | The government previously was worried about a brain drain for Nevada since our college students were moving away from NV for better pain and baby boomers were retiring. How do you stop brain drain with low pain, no benefits, removing holiday pay? I don't think the public realizes our pay is maxed out at 10 years. How many people want to work 20 more years with no raise? And now the few benefits we have you want to take. SHAME ON YOU. For those of us who have been with the state for 10 or more years, and are over 40 years old; we are too far in to our lives and retirement to change and yet we would not have devoted this time to the state if we knew we would be lied to and what we thought we had and were building while working would be taken away. You get what you pay for. Don't expect much with the way you are showing appreciation for our hard work and dedication. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | This bill does nothing to address the chronic revenue anemia suffered by the State of Nevada. Instead, it attempts to earn political points through the symbolic and highly cynical sacrifice of public servants. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | State workers have not had a merit increase in two years and our health benefits have also been reduced. We are a valuable empolyees and have taken many hits over the last few years. Please preserve the workforce of the many loyal Nevavdans who live and work here. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | State employees do NOT need to carry the burden of the ENTIRE State of Nevada on their backs by having wages or benefits reduced. There is already a furlough day which is manditory for State employees. Give us that again. LEAVE THE REST OF THE BENEFITS ALONE. IT'S JUST NOT FAIR TO STATE EMPLOYEES!!! | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | We are taking enough cuts with the 5% and the health care premiums going up to double or three times what we currently pay. I already lost my home what more do you want from us? Blood??? | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | stop screwing state workers. there is no way that ALL state worker and state cuts will fix the deficit. Raise or implement new taxes for all the residents of Nevada. Start doing the job you were appointed to do and that's taking care of the state as a whole. State workers are a part of the state as residents not just employees. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | Mr. Sandoval stated he will veto any tax or fee increase imposed during the legislative session then AB560 would fit the definition, I have listed a definition of a Tax - a : a charge usually of money imposed by authority on persons or property for public purposes b : a sum levied on members of an organization to defray expenses Also taking five percent from a state employee paycheck seems like a tax? | May-03-2011 |
| Against | SO NOT FAIR! Jeesh, by doing all these things you give state workers nothing to work towards. Just to work until retirement and then they are basically screwed there too. PLEASE re-think these. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | State employees have given and sacraficed much already. They have givin up 4.6% of pay. Cost of insurance has gone up. Coverage has gone down. They have not been givin their longevity pay or merit increases in 2 years or more. Many positions with the state require advanced schooling ie. degrees and or certificates and the pay is not equivilant to the private sector. It is lower than the national average however the benefits were the golden hooks if you will to entice employees to stay on with the state so you wouldn't lose their knowledge and skills. Ultimately causing you to constantly have to retrain and refill vacated positions. If you take away the benefits and decrease wages and take away the incentives keeping employees here I feel that you are going to see a mass exodous of well qualified and trained employees. Please think about the future of state employment and vote against this bill. Thank you | May-03-2011 |
| Against | State employees are the lowest paid government employees in the State of Nevada. However, state employees have already been cut to the bone. Our medical, which used to be paid for if you were single, has gone up and up. We have already had a reduction in salary of 4.6% and now you want to take away any time off we have earned. Why are you targeting state employees. County employess still get longevity pay and MAY have to endure a 2% pay cut. Since they already make more than State employees, there is no comparison to the damage in income. STOP beating up state employees. Find other places to make cuts, or tax gaming like they do in all other states. I understand the casino's own you people and you don't want to step on their toes, but someone needs to take a stand in the right direction. You are not only NOT helping state employee morale, you are not helping the budget that much with these unfair cuts. STOP IT. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | I strongly appose this bill as I don't believe that the state's budget problem should be balanced solely on the backs of the hard working men and women who work for the state of Nevada. Freezing the longevity pay and the step increases is one thing but after the proposed 5% across the board pay cuts and the definate increase of monthly insurance premiums, I feel that the state worker has done their fair share in this budget crises. The reduction in the accrual of annual and sick leave is taking it too far. That is something that will never be returned along with the proposed 5% pay cuts. The compensation of the state employee has always been below what the private sector employee receives and that is justified by the bennefits that they receive, but taking so much is going to deminish the quality of employee that applies to public sector jobs because there is no reward for doing so, the benefits are just not there anymore. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | This bill is a slap in the face to current state workers, especially the ones that have invested 15-20 years or more of service to the state. It will also make it harder to recruit good workers in the future. Why would someone want to become a state worker if wages and benefits are cut to nothing. They will choose the private sector. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | I don't see why the burden of the states debt rests almost entirely on the hard working shoulders of it's employees. How would the state run without them? | May-03-2011 |
| Against | Haven't state employees given up enough at this point?! Most people I've talked to in the private sector agree and believe that the only way out of this mess is a tax hike. A small increase in taxes on EVERYONE would net much more than continuing to cut into the livelihood of one small group of people. State workers pay taxes and buy goods and services too. We also vote and will be watching carefully how our legislators vote on this issue. Fair is Fair. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | Just more pinches for State Workers and it really hurts! Especially single income people (no two paychecks helping me out!) like myself. Get off us already! TAX< TAX< TAX< the businesses and Casinos and leave us alone! We have sacrificed enough and we don't even get to see where and how all the money saved (thanks to furloughs) has gone or that it has even made a dent! I have four years left before I can retire - Thank God! | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | I am strongly against the passage of this bill and will be actively encouraging the removal of any legislator that votes for this bill. As a state employee, I feel it is legally and morally wrong to further reduce the benefits that have such a long history of being made available to the hard working employees of the State of Nevada. I understand the need for temporary sacrifices to be made but this is going way too far. Especially in light of the 5% across the board reduction in pay that appears to be coming soon. How can you even consider the loss of additional benefits! | May-03-2011 |
| Against | As if the state workers have not taken on the blunt of the deficit. We cannot afford anymore. We have taken pay cuts and another hit with another decrease in pay, increased payment on insurance benefits, and decrease our annual and sick leave. Raise taxes and stop taking from state workers!! | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | Not appropriate to balance the budegt on the back of state employees. When you figure the merit freeze, the reduction in medical benefits, furloughs and longevity pay, and increase in PERS State employees have already taken a 15-20% decrease in pay. I have 18 1/2 years in and I computed that if I retire early, I will earn about the same as I am now, when all the these reductions are taken into account. I can see a huge drain coming on the State retirement system if this bill is passed. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | This Bill should be split up. Sick and anual leave are already below industry standards. In favor of the other cuts. QUIT punishing state workers and grouping with High over-paid Management, Safety, and Officials. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | Enough is enough. I have been employed by the State of Nevada for 22 years and tired of continually being looked to with pay cuts, no merit increases, longevity pay being taken away and now this. Please stop asking state employees to make up for the deficit. I have worked long and hard for the State of Nevada and have very little to show for it. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | This is the best the legislature can come up with to balance the budget. The voting people of Nevada can do better. Vote all the bums out of office. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | I came from the private sector nearly 3 years ago, thinking it would be a "safer" job. I took a 15% cut in pay thinking it would come back to me in a few years. Of course that hasn't happened. While I understand that we must all sacrifice for the good of the State, I do not think it is fair to demonize the state worker and make them the prime target for cuts. The private sector is getting back to business as usual, and while they will thrive, we will continue to suffer for at least another two years. People don't go to work for the state because they have always wanted a desk job. They used to do it because a cut in pay (from the private sector) meant job security and good benefits. That has all changed. When the time comes to hire again, it will be difficult to recruit qualified people when they can make more in the private sector and the benefits are comparable or better. I already take home more than 7% under what I started at, and with the decreased benefits at higher cost, plus the higher cost of living, our standards of living continue to fall. As it is, I am one paycheck away from missing my house payment (which I continue to pay even though my house is under water by about $100,000). I understand 13% of Nevada is out of work, but that also means 87% is working, and they don’t all work for the state. And not everyone in the State has taken a pay cut. In fact, had I known it was going to get this bad, I would have never left my old job (which I would still have, and would have received raises for the last three years). That job has been filled, or I would go back. If it was one thing or another, it would be easier to support. But when you add no pay increases, no longevity pay (which I don’t even qualify for), furloughs or pay cuts, reduced leave, higher insurance rates and higher co-pays for insurance, it becomes increasingly difficult maintain a positive attitude. And no matter what is decided, it needs to apply equally to all state employe | May-03-2011 |
| Against | We need to keep quality employees. Taking away and/or reducing the benefits is not going to encourage quality employees to stay or work for our state. Recruiting will bring only less than stellar qualities. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | as a pay grade 21-4 , vested employee, eough has been taken from me and my family. do not take any more from us.it is hard enough to pay my basic needs for my family. the State could make a "State tax like most of the us States. you've already taken more than what this State should. revise you're own spending. Don't take what we have earned any further. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | Don't hurt state employees anymore. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | I can understand some of the cuts and I'm willing to do my part, but when you are a single mom, not by choice...You see my husband died of a heart attack 3 years ago...I believe this whole bill needs to be shut down. I do not get Merit Salary increases anymore and I don't even get the cost of living raises anymore, I have worked hard 20 1/2 years for the state and I earned my annual leave!!! If I work a holiday, which doesn't happen often if never, I would expect to get paid just like in the real world...Usually an employee would look for another job with another agency so I'm kinda on the fence about that one...I've already given up longevity payments, which of course were set up as an incentive pay to work for the state...I've given up my time (furlough, which of course I kinda like). I don't work I don't get paid!!! Please think about us single women out there who are just trying to keep our homes and raise our children. When my kids are sick I need either sick or annual to take off to be with them...They are the most important people in my life!!! | May-03-2011 |
| Against | Please do not reduce our annual and sick leave. I have worked for the state for 18 years. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | As Nevada State employees, we cannot keep losing our benefits. Along with no COLA's, no merit pay, no logevity pay, furloughs, almost non-exsistent medical insurance, this bill takes away from our annual and sick leave. Enough is enough! Please do not support this bill. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | The More you hurt the state employees the worst the economy will get quit this no tax increase and rase the taxes you all know this will fix it but your all to woried about your own personal careers to fix the problem and to admit you all could have prevented this a ong time ago | May-03-2011 |
| Against | Again the State is trying to recoup money from the State employees. It just is not right. We are paying for mistakes made by the politicians. There are other ways of getting the money, say try cutting spending, not off the backs of the State workers. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | As a state employee, I feel I deserve better than this. There has to be other measures to be undertaken or else employees like me will be homeless. This has been a difficult two years that I am in the process of losing my home and with this proposal I think I am losing my American dream..... | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | I feel the State workers have given enough, you can't fix the budget by taking things away from our teachers and state workers. It's time to start taxing and give up this NO NEW TAX stuff. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | YOU PEOPLE HAVE NO FEELINGS, AND AS FAR AS I CAN TELL YOU HAVE NO HEART! OUR ILLUSTRIOUS GOVERNOR STATED THAT EVERYONE IN NEVADA IS STRUGGLING AND THAT WE ALL NEED TO PITCH IN AND MAKE SACRIFICES. THE STATE EMPLOYEES HAVE BEEN MAKING SACRIFICES FOR TWO YEARS NOW WITH NO RELIEF IN SIGHT! IT JUST KEEPS GETTING WORSE! WHEN WILL IT BE SOMEONE ELSE'S TURN? YOU PEOPLE NEED TO START USING THE BRAINS GOD GAVE YOU. YOU NEED TO PUT YOURSELVES IN THE SHOES OF YOUR STATE EMPLOYEES AND OTHERS WHO ARE SACRIFICING FOR THE MISTAKES OF OUR STATE GOVERNMENT. THERE ARE OTHER AVENUES THAT YOU CAN TAKE....OH BUT THAT WOULDN'T BE A WISE POLITICAL MOVE. HOW SAD THAT YOU ALL PUT POLITICS AHEAD OF HUMAN LIFE. YOU SHOULD ALL BE ASHAMED OF YOURSEVES! PEOPLE ASK ME WHERE I WORK & WHEN I TELL THEM I WORK FOR THE STATE, THEY TELL ME HOW SORRY THEY ARE FOR ALL STATE EMPLOYEES. THEY ACTUALLY SAY "THE GOVENOR & LEGISLATORS SURE ARE PICKING ON YOU ALL". MY 26 YEAR OLD SON WORKS FOR MINAMUM WAGE. HE GETS TIPS, WHICH OF COURSE VARIES EVERY NIGHT, BUT STILL AREN'T THAT GREAT AND YET HE IS MAKING MORE MONEY THAN I AM! HIS JOB OFFERS INSURANCE, WHICH IS NOT VERY GOOD, AND AFTER JULY 1ST OURS WON'T BE MUCH BETTER. I REMEMBER WHEN PEOPLE USED TO ENVY THOSE WHO WORKED FOR THE STATE AND WOULD DESIRE TO HAVE A STATE JOB THEMSELVES. NOW THE ONLY ONES APPLYING ARE THE ONES THAT HAVE EXHAUSTED ALL THERE OPTIONS AND JUST HAVE NO CHOICE. I AM VERY GREATFUL FOR HAVING A JOB. I WOULD BE MORE GREATFUL TO HAVE A JOB THAT WOULD PAY ENOUGH TO PROVIDE ANY SORT OF REASONABLE LIVING. I'VE WORKED HARD ALL MY LIFE, RAISED 3 CHILDREN ON MY OWN AND I AM HAVING TO FIGHT HARDER TO STAY AFLOAT THAN EVER BEFORE. WE NEED SOME RELIEF, SOME HELP! | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | Please brainstorm SUSTAINABLE solution(s). This BAND-AID on the backs of public servants of this state - is unconscionable. Common knowledge dictates that AB-560 will not solve the budget woes we currently face. It took decision makers of this State years to get us to the bottom of the National barrel. I hold the hope that ‘recent elected’ officials will have the courage to stand up and do the right thing! What we need is Leadership that grasps - our now dire need - for generating revenue, and possess the ability to focus on transparent asset management. As a 3rd generation Nevadan I’ve enjoyed state worker employment and 25+ years in private sector employment as a “contributing tax payer”. It is egregious to try to balance the entire budget on the backs of the working middle class. If the Leadership of Nevada desires to tout “living prosperously” in Nevada - focus on the middle class - like state workers – make it your priority. AB-560 is yet another example of the war being waged on the middle class by elected officials. In terms of stripping our educational system; here’s some food for thought. How about creating a “tax”- (let’s call it an ‘Incentive Revenue’ to become a USA citizen. Apply it to any/all individuals who desire education; yet are unable to provide official documentation proving citizenship. Lastly, although state workers were asked to participate and provide ideas/solutions under the previous legislative régime – I find it curious that we received literally no feedback - not even so much as a thank you! I respectfully request please Vote against AB-560 and work toward realistic solutions. Thank you! | May-03-2011 |
| Against | I am concerned when this will stop-how much more are you going to take- you will have a hard time hiring qualified employees-I am blessed to have a job but we can only take so much in cuts before we all lose our homes and move out state. I used to think that being a state worker was a good thing now I'm not so sure- I feel the more you cut the more people will lose their homes- the worse off our state will be- people will stop spending---even more-I don't understand how cutting sick, vacation will save the state money- when will the entire state feel the budget cuts--in reality the state workers are taking more than a 5% cut- with cost of health benefits- increase in pers- cut in pay, cut in raises- and the medical- there have got to be better solutions and better insurance that what we currently have- --I have kids that will be hurt by education cuts- | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | State workers ae tired of the load. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | State workers have been punished enough! Stop this insanity! Give back what is owed to us. Quit taking our money, give it back! | May-03-2011 |
| Against | Why should we be penalized for working a holiday which takes us away from our family? ANY employee working a holiday should be compensated for it. We not only don't get out merit raises as the private sector does, but now are in jeopardy of losing more vacation time and sick time. Many of us are struggling families with children and with the economy a vacation is barely feasible. Having this time taken from us makes our time with family and children all the more scare. We are dedicated to this state and put our time in as directed. This is complete discrimination against the state workers. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | I write his because I care… I care about my future, I care about my family and I care about progressing. Nevada State workers are hardworking people that serve the needs of this state every day. Quality individuals, who make up the support structure on which it stands. If we keep chiseling the very foundation on which we support, it will tumble. Not right away, but not far off… Educated, quality workers will leave seeking better benefits & employment somewhere else leaving NV with leftovers and those that just want to use the state as a stepping stone instead of making it a stronger place of job security. What you decide as representatives is a decision that represents the workforce’s day-to-day lives. I want employment that I can look forward to progressing in. I mean this in a way of not having to promote up only to see it taken away by yet more cuts. These cuts may seem simple to those who propose it and can afford it but, try explaining that to those in the lower grades, where simple trivial cost for everyday items becomes a decision or a burden. It doesn’t stop there either; you have to take into a whole the rising cost of living, the increased insurance rates. I’m tired of moving my kids from one daycare to the next based on cash flow which seems to be dictated by the ebb and flow of the state’s budgetary issues in turn end up on the backs of its workers. Sure I could quit but I’d rather be a part of a great place of employment. I’m tired of losing…I’m frustrated that I can’t have vacations with my kids…I’m tired of being a target from those who probably make 2 or 3 times more than the average state worker and can afford these hits. Remove the power you have and put yourselves in shoes of those that want to start a career with the State of Nevada. How do you as a legislature want to be remembered, those that stood by their peers or those that want to add to the weakening of our foundation. We just can’t afford it. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | Lets be Fair now. If you keep taking from the ones that give someday they wont be here...... Then what will you do? | May-03-2011 |
| Against | Sorry, as a state employee I am more than willing to do my part; however, we have already taken a mirage of "hits" to our compensation package in the way of merit and step freezes, furlough days, and longevity pay. In addtion, our health benfits have decreased while the premiums increased. CLearly, taking benefits away from employees seems the easiest and less painful to the citizens enmass. Perhpas if ALL employees took the same reductions as the CLASSIFIED group has, maybe we wouldn't be in this perdictment now. Get back to the basics, cut teh fluff and not the heart and soul of teh state...it's employees. Thank you and good luck, you all have a touch job ahead of you. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | How many of us have to lose our homes, not get medical or dental issues taken care of, etc. I've lost my home because you've taken so much from me already while I tried to help an aging parent during an emergency. Now I don't know how to pay for a crown or get the struts fixed on my used car since I had to sell my inexpensive new one due to cuts and threats of more cuts. You already make Nevada a place to NOT live or work, stop making it worse! Charge a .5% luxury tax on high priced items!!!! Stop killing the state workers. Stop making us laugh at the rediculous lie when the appreciation email came out this week from the Gov. He doesn't appreciate us! I work my rear off for my job, and thought it would kill me this past year because of the stress. There is NO thanks from you! Stop killing the dedicated workers! | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | NO MORE CUTS | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | The last sentence is far too vague and leaves it open to additional changes. Haven't public employees taken enough cutbacks already? | May-03-2011 |
| Against | I keep hearing that there are people working for state that are not qualified and would not make as much in the private sector. I did this same Unemployment Insurance job only Auto for CSAA (AAA auto Insurance) I was paid more and had better benefits. The only reason I am not still there is my husband was transferred to this are. My husband worked for state in order to have set hours, but has since had to quit because out benefits are so poor and the pay is so low compared to the rest of his industry. Yes there are people who have worked for started since the dawn of man, are at the top of their pay scale and are therefore over paid for their position. It is the same in all large corporations. I have three children and barely have enough sick time to care for them, let alone myself. 9 times out of 10 I come to work sick in order to save that time for them and I get migraines. This is too much! Really start looking at the books of each are to find the proper cuts. Don't penalize areas if they don't use their full budgets by cutting the next years. Combine more areas so that their resources can be shared. The feeling of working at state is really poor. I enjoy my job, but it's hard when you know that your elected officials are doing everything in their power to take food out of your kid’s mouths in order to balance the budget. I can deal with the pay cut, the furlough, I am even trying to figure out how to pay for their teeth since my employer will not assist, but now when they get sick I can't even care for them. I have to find someone to pay to care for them IF I can find one. Sick days are needed for being sick! Annual time is needed to prevent being sick by allowing time off to de-stress. Taking that time off will just create discharged as people will STILL be sick and will in the end have to take Leave without pay and will be written up, then terminated. So all the money and time it took to train a good person could all be lost with one swine flu. Kid gets it, t | May-03-2011 |
| Against | Give the state workers a freaking break! | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | In our office of 38 people, we have lost 7 employees since potential furloughs were announced. Because we are fee funded, not general funded, we can fill these vacancies. Our last interview round was 13, none were suitable. You would think it would be easy with all the unemployment in Nevada. The state has mandated that we hire at step 1 even if the applicant has decades of experience. We find that applicants are flat out unqualified, do not pass the background check, their references are unfavorable, or have serious issues. In other words, the state is limiting their choices to the bottom 20% of available workers. Who wants to make 25% less than the going rate with meager benefits besides? This doesn't cut it when public health and safety is at stake. We need real economic reform starting with the mining and gaming industries. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | This bill discriminates against the state employee who has not reached the top step. It does not effect those who earn the most but it really hurts the newer employee who has taken a 10% pay cut for step increases and 5% for the FURLO we are required to take, 15% may not sound like much to someone who makes $70-100,000 but it really hurts newer employees. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | State wages are already well below private sector jobs in the same field. Reducing benefits any farther will make recruitment of future workers much more difficult. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | Working for a government institution is one of the most difficult environments to work in. Rules are put in place to help safeguard the use of taxpayer dollars but in reality all it does is create an environment where people have to expend extra time working through the bureaucracy and inept in-order to get their jobs done; finding loopholes to promote those that are well known but ineffective; or else they become part of the dysfunction due to the conditions under which they spend the majority of their waking hours. The only reason I stay on is because of employee benefits. We are having a massive brain drain in the state due to some of the recent economic decisions being made. And, this is not just institutional knowledge that can be documented and picked up by a new employee for lower pay. These are people that have skills that are difficult to find in Nevada, if at all, especially for the pay that is being offered. Just look at the current state job postings and you will see that 11% of the posting are just for IT professionals. Many IT people that I know are leaving for more lucrative jobs, with bonuses and good, if not better, benefits than the state offers. I know our governor and legislators are looking at making the state more competitive with business but the industry does not directly compare to businesses employing casino or food and beverage workers. If you wanted to do something meaningful then you should consider right-to-work rules and empowering accountability. If benefits get cut any further, along with our pay, I too will be looking for work elsewhere. Work that will be much more rewarding and productive. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | This is one of the worse bills anybody cuold think of. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | What more do you folks plan to take away from the State of Nevada workforce? This is totally out of line and it's time for the Govenor to implement a tax system that would be equitable to all people instead of trying to balance the budget on the back of state workers. I know you're no hearing anything new but just wanted to add my thoughts as well. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | I'm appalled at all the proposed cuts targeting the working class puplic employees. We're not livestock or property to be neglected and used. We're people and we do a damn good job, so please start showing us the respect we deserve. This session should be seen as an opportunity to balance out a severely top-heavy infrastructure instead of yet another example of kicking the working class further down the gutter. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | This is ridiculous, as a state employee with over 20 dedicated service years, this is how you thank us. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | I disagree with the proposed changes and beleive that state employees have sacrificed enough. It is time for the burden to be placed on everyone and consider a state income tax to resolve the fiscal crisis. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | In 2006, when I chose to accept a job with the state, I weighed the benefits against the significantly lower salary (I worked in the private sector for 12 years). I accepted the lower salary, based on the positive attribute (pension, vacation, sick leave, and greater job security). With the changes proposed in AB560 (along with Sandoval's other "let's beat up the state worker" proposals), the balance starts to tip. I suggest instituting such changes perhaps only for future employees; that way they know and agree to such benefits in advance. Please don't look to strip away even more money from the pockets of Nevada's lowest-paid public employees (state workers, vs. higher paid local and county workers). Leave us be with the 4.6% pay cut, the lack of merit/step increases, and 130% medical premium increases that we've accepted for two years already. PLEASE! Seek revenue where the money is, instead of hitting middle-class workers! | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | State employees have already been hit with furloughs, increased cost of PERS, increased cost of medical (with a huge decrease in coverage). The state has a very difficult time hiring medical staff, scientists, engineers, IT, and other technical positions. Many trained employees have left state service because private or Federal jobs have much better benefits. This will make it worse. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | There comes a point when benefit and wage reductions start to negatively impact a business' employee environment (including especially State Government)such that you're no longer really saving money. My perception is that we're already at that point in State government. Remember, this is a group of hard working people who demonstrate their competence daily in a state where government employee staff as a percentage of population is one of the lowest in the nation! And is one of the fastest growing states! What we're starting to see now is experienced staff who thought State employment would at least give them annual raises and some decent benefits are jumping ship (with all their experience flying out the door). I can tell you, there are constantly open positions in our programming staff that just can't seem to get filled. Qualified people come in and interview, but with continued choking off of incentives to stay with the State they don't accept what we can offer. You can build a six foot brick fence with four feet of brick, but it Will have holes in it. Please keep focused on the big picture, the large goals, one of which is getting people working and moving them off the unemployment dole and into paychecks. Targeting State employees is quite simple to do, easy as shooting fish in a barrel. But honestly, hasn't targeting one captive group of people gone far enough?? Applying additional cuts to just State workers seems pretty much the same as taxing just that one group... You wouldn't pick out just construction workers and tax them, would you? Why continue to do it with State workers? | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | I understand that the merit and longevity freezes need to be made to save the state money for the next two years, but I don't understand why you need to reduce the leave time. The only thing people take state jobs instead of private sector, is the little extra leave time. In my opinion, I only get an extra week compared to my friends in the private sector, which isn't much when compared to what they are making compared to us in the state. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | I came back to work for the State almost 3 years ago. I took a financial hit to come back to the State for security, guaranteed retirement and lower wages with additional benefits, like annual leave and sick leave. Since I started I was able to receive one merit increase, which was taken back the next month by the instituted furlough days. The health insurance has been increased every year with less benefits, now we will have to pay more into retirement and they want to take away the furloughs and institue a 5% pay cut and take away how many hours we receive for annual days and sick days. At this point I'm not sure if there are any clear benefits working for the State. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | HOW MUCH MORE ARE YOU GOING TO TAKE AWAY FROM STATE EMPLOYEES AND BALANCE THIS BUDGET ON OUR BACKS. THIS WILL FORCE MORE EMPLOYEES TO SEEK A CAREER WITH THE PRIVATE SECTOR OR MOVE AWAY FROM NEVADA ALL TOGETHER. I DON'T WANT TO BE FORCED TO DO THIS MY FAMILY IS ALL HERE.IF YOU SET A REASONABLE TAX ON FOOD EVERYONE LIVING IN THE STATE OF NEVADA AS WELL AS ALL OF THE VISITORS WILL PAY SOMETHING. WE ALL HAVE TO EAT. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | State workers have suffered enough. I'm not one but I still don't think its fair what your're doing to them. It's time for a state income tax! Make everyone pay. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | I fail to see how reducing the sick/annual leave will "fix" the budget. Haven't the State employees already taken a big enough financial hit on the reduced health care benefits/increased health care costs and raise "freeze" (no pay increase for 2 years due to budget crisis) and furloughs. So, I have essentially taken a pay cut each year of my employment. This has been financially hard and leaves no financial incentive to stay; especially as I commute between Reno and Carson and fuel prices/cost of living continue to increase while my salary does not. Why do I stay? The sick leave and annual leave that allow me to function as both a full time employee and a single, sole custodial parent of three. Passage of AB 560 would sadly force me to seek a higher paying job in the private sector. I am not convinced, nor is anyone convinced, that AB 560 would save the budget shortfall. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | I don't have a problem with the merit and longevity freezes. I don't like the idea of loosing any paid time off. It took me 15 years of service to get a little extra time. After 15+ years of service am I not worth 3 days? Please don't make me come to work and not pay me. I can live with the furloughs. If I was in contruction it's like telling me you have to work on Friday but I can't pay you for it. I've been here for 17 yrs and now I'm not worth what you said I was. I've only recieved 2 raises in all that time by two different legislatures. Not to mention the Fed's and Highway Trust fund pay my wages. Not the General fund. You call that fair. Fair to who? My Fed money could help the State when I spend it???? And for no extra Holiday pay. Are you kidding me? You would come to work on Christmas just out of the goodness of your heart. Maybe you should be the ones plowing the roads on Holidays. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | I THINK THAT THE STATE EMPLOYEES HAVE HAD ENOUGH TAKEN FROM THEM. TRY TAKING IT FROM THE UPPER MANAGEMENT. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | It seems to me we're going backwards. The freedoms and rights fought for, and won, are being systematically taken away from us. Why is it State employees are always the first ones under attack and expected to lie down quietly & carry the burden of poor management on our backs? We have all the same costs everyone else has; food, gas, taxes, mortgages, medical bills, etc. Solve the problems. Contrary to popular belief, it's only a very small % of State employees that may be slackers abusers of the system. Their supervisors/management are the ones who've dropped the ball. All around me I see diligent hard workers. We went along with the 8hrs./mo pay cut via furloughs. Now it feels like we're being punished (same as many demotions): 5% less pay, no furlough, & we're expected to work the same. How about morale & no appreciation for a job well done? Don't keep pouring good money after bad. How about a 0.10% grocery tax for EVERYBODY that no one pays up front but @ the point of sale? | May-03-2011 |
| Against | I guess I am not sure why state employees are repeatedly punished for working for the state. When I was hired to work for the state I felt it was a privilege, but when I tell other people where I work now, I get a chuckle out of them? | May-03-2011 |
| Against | Sandoval has no interest in making a better, more effecient necessary government, but in destroying it from the inside. He is harmful to Nevada. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | I personally don't understand how these rediculous bills keep coming up. I mean how much more cuts are state employees expected to take. I understand there is a budget problem but that shoundn't mean that state employees should be the only ones taking cuts. Raise taxes and let all of nevada be responsible for the budget problem. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | This is not fair to State employees, we are to do more with less people and get our pay cut 5% and our insurance is going in the hole!!! What does this tell us...why should I have to sacrafice my leave and holiday as well!?! Why should we pay for the whole State of Nevada? Makes the morale very very low... | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | I make less now than when I started 3 years ago.Without Union representation, state employees continue being targeted for various cuts and freezes and it's not right.We've shared the pain plenty already.This bill, if passed will demoralize state employees leading to a poor quality of service, early retirmenets and resignations and actions to become unionized to protect ourselves from future unreasonable reductions.Without buying power and struggling day to day to pay bills, how can we help revive our economy?It's definately a good reason to unionize because those without are taken advantage of. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | This Bill is another blow to State employees. This will only make it more difficult to recruit and retain qualified State employees. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | Enough with penalizing government employees! | May-03-2011 |
| Against | I don't agree with adjusting state employees sick and annual leave accruals. Consider limiting the payout of sick and annual leave when an employee leaves the State. I don't agree with eliminating the required payment of time and a half for an employee working on a holiday. I agree with the suspension of longevity and merit pay increases however, please consider that the cost of medical benefits have risen in addition to an increase in costs of all things. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | State employees are loosing enough with the furlough days for 2 years already, the increase in medical benefits, the no rages for 2 years already. When will it stop!!! We need to make a living too. It is not our fault the government can not balance the budget!!! | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | Who ever introduced this Bill is beyond STUPID!! State employe's are poeple too, we pay taxes we buy goods but if this bill passes that will stop. I hope no other State reads this because I'm ashamed that a legislator would even think of this. No wonder the other States think we are backward. Why don't you just draft people into state service and you could pay them below minimum wage it could be like a debtor prison or a slave camp. We should vote everyone of our legislator's out of office and get a bunch of monkey's to do thier jobs it would raise the level of intelligence. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | I didn't want to die a martyr but this bill could force me to. As with any state employee reduction in wages or benifits, I will eaither take what I am given or stand up and move my family elsware, either way I loose. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | terrible bill, there will be no state workers left if this goes through, we are already being cut in a variety of ways. and i should add that when the fuloughs were implemented we took it in stride and pulled harder than ever to get everything done with less time to do it all with a smile for the customers. our helth plan has been reduced so that we are now paying health plan premiums for a plan that is basically no more than a major medical plan. my self employed son pays less for his families full plan. no cola increases for a long time we even work OT off the books when needed and no complaints.cut back upper management. highest salaries should be cut first.100000 and above, most savings for least disruption, soldiers in the field make the state work, not high paid management. or consider a 4 - 10 workweek, works well and saves money in other states. if changes must be made they should not be on current workers but in new hires only, not fair to change the rules in the middle of the game. also sell the marble exterior in Carson City legislative building for cash. we vote and are taking names. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | State employees have already had too much taken away. Increase taxes so the burden can be even throughout the State. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | Really Folks? Are you serious? When will enough be enough? | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | There seems to be a tremendous effort by our legislaltors to balance the state budget on the back of the state employees. State employees already have sacrificed step pay increases and inflation adjustments. The accrual of annual leave and sick leave are earned and should be left alone. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | You may take our pay, you may take our steps, but MAY NOT take our FREEDOM!!! :) | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | We have had 2 years of furloughs, merit and longevity freezes. With the increase of our health care Please do not decrease our leave and sick times! We work hard and have endured plenty of cuts, so please back us up on this! Thank you! | May-03-2011 |
| Against | I will quit working for the state if this bill gets through! NDOT is already losing good people, soon the only people that will be looking to work for NDOT are the ones no one else wants. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | State employees have been at the forefront of this issue doing without for nearly 2 years now. And our work load has not been diminished any. Now we are getting medical and dental benefit cuts. When are we going to be compensated for our losses? What are the "other matters properly relating thereto" at the bottom of the paragraph? If you had to work on a holiday, you'd want to be compensated; if you were called in on an emergency, are you just going to write it off instead of paying 1.5/hr for the work? If we have worked and have these hours on the books, how can you decide to not pay for clearing the books? I believe employees should have a say in what level of Medical and Dental coverage they want to participate at! It might be a good idea to limit the number of hours that can be accrued on Annual Leave; only allowing up to 240 hours on the books. All others will be used or lost except on special conditions. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | The temporary suspension of merit increases is no longer "temporary". I feel that there is no longer equal pay for equal work. Especially as those who are at the maximum of the pay grades do not recieve the "hit" that those of us who are not at a pay grade 10. Not recieveing longevity pay is no where near the cuts the rest of us have had to sacrifice by the suspension of merit increases. Although an unpopular decision, I would rather see layoffs than punish everyone. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | This bill as it relates to the reduction of the accrual of leave is strickly an attack on the State Employee. It has no impact on the budget until that employee retires. When are you going to stop making the State Employee the primary bail out for the state budget. The budget is a Statewide issue and the resolution should be shared by the entire State. The impact on the State Employee has been severe enough. I am personally struggling to support my household on my current income. Please, enough is enough. Do not pass anything further that would penalize the state employee. Thank you. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | Are the state employees not taking a big enough hit with the insurance increase the pay cuts and now you want to mess with our annual/sick too! How is one group of people going to make the budget magically fixed? | May-03-2011 |
| Against | What else are you guys going to try and take away from state employees? We have already sacrificed enough!! If you think that passing this bill is going to boost moral and productivity then you are wrong!! You are already making it harder and harder for us to survive. It needs to stop. Weren't you taught not to bite the hand that feeds you? Obviously not or else you wouldn't be trying to balance the state budget on the back of the state workers. Stop making dumb decisions and start making the right ones. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | If this goes through, there will be little incentive to stay working with the State. You have no idea how demoralizing these cuts are. In addition to cutting my salary, benefits, and eliminating my furlough (a day that I can schedule dr. and dentist appointments) you are also increasing my deductions for retirement and health insurance. With the changes that have ALREADY taken place, my monthy take home pay will be GOING DOWN from $2,100 per month to $1850 per month. And then there is the extra gas expense I will incur for commuting into town the extra day when my furlough disappears. You have put the burden of balancing the budget on the backs of State employees long enough. Why isn't the LCB cut back to the same extent? How about getting rid of the State plane? How about a 4/10 week? If you want to improve moral, could you at least let us wear jeans to work, so I could save money on my drycleaning bill? You have some great talent that works for the State. The people I work with put in overtime (every single week) and we do not expent compensation for it. We know the State is in a bind. However, if you kick a dog long enough, it will eventually turn and bite you back. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | This bill once again punishes State employees by reducing their benefits. This is unacceptable. Stop the bleeding and raise taxes. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | Many State employees came to the State from Private Sector Jobs. I personally had stock options and other benefits that the State does not provide including I took a 25% pay cut. Many things as a manager we are expected to provide and are not compensated. The tax structure needs to be reviewed so it is applied fairly across the State's population. Balancing it on the backs of employees you will just lose those resources to other industries or going back into the private sector where the benefits are better. You will see a lower class of employee if you continue to diminish what made working at the State attractive. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | The burden of the state budjet deficit should not be substantially or soley placed upon the employees. We, as a group have done more than our share and have given up more than is fair. All Nevadans need to share the burden. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | State employees have taken a large hit over the last several years. Between Furloughs, masssive health benefits increases,etc, no pay increases, longevity pay loss. Not to mention we now have to do more, more, more, more, with less, less, less, less at our jobs. I am almost ready to file for bankruptcy for medical reasons, my wife has cancer. And to top it off the public thinks we are all lazy and don't do anything. Oh yeah, and I forgot to mention that my daughter goes to UNR, with the increases that are being proposed how are my wife and I supposed to continue to send my daughter to school to get an education? | May-03-2011 |
| Against | I believe with all the existing changes that have been done and the current status of the economy that the State Employees have been hit just as private sector. We are losing our houses, losing our jobs, losing our pay, paying higher prices for health benefits (although the benefits are less), paying for higher gas, groceries, taxes and much more (JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE), losing our longevity and merit, taking 12 days a year without pay (2 1/2 weeks). My family is struggling to make ends meet and keep our home. Please don't put anymore burden on the State Employee. You need to start by getting rid of benefits that are given to illegals in this state then you can add a 1% sales tax increase so that others coming to this state too can help with the burden as well as spreading the burden to everyone who buys stuff. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | This Bill is absurd! | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | Too much of hit on top of the longevity and merit pay freeze. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | When will the insanity end? Please, stop taking all of the benefits we worked so hard to earn. This is so stressful, it is hard to keep a smile anymore. You will be forcing so many families to leave the state, which can not be good for our state's economy. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | I can understand we all have to make concessions until the economy turns around; but do you have to kick us while we are down? Do they really need to gut our benefits? At least Let us retain our current level of annual and sick leave accruals. I have proudly served the Great state of Nevada for over 22 years. The State is going to have a hard time attracting replacements for those that are growing dissatisfied with what the state has to offer. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | I was saddened recently when I heard an employee at my agency tearfully express that she was among the "working poor". State employees always "give at the office", so to say, when it comes to taking days off without pay, increasing the cost of their health insurance premiums, watching benefits such as life insurance get whittled down to barely enough to pay for one's own cremation(burial, for those of us who believe in it, is no longer an option), accepting the reality of no overtime, even when the pressure to perform never changes, the suspension of longevity pay, "steps",and cost of living increases, loss of the ability to travel to visit the citizens of Nevada, or other fellow employees when we have a message to deliver, among many losses to our way of life. To reduce the ability to accrue sick and annual leave is a significant loss. Please think more realistically about the work we do for the public and the overall pleasure we take in doing so before taking any further action to reduce the body of State workers to a carcus that has been picked clean of incentives and the ability to provide for our very families. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | Why doesn't the legislature just physically come take the food out of state worker's mouths & toss us out on the streets? Then we would at least have the chance to look them in the eyes while they do it. Cowards. This really is getting ridiculous & I see how important we are to the higher powers. While they make 6 figure salaries & drive BMW's, we are struggling to pay our mortgages & pay medical bills. I have already taken a $200/mo pay cut for the last TWO years, & I will endure my health insurance going up AGAIN come July while my health benefits are almost stripped bare. Have we not given you enough??? What have other Nevadans given to help our "state's" cause? NOTHING. This is a STATE problem, not a state employee problem. Meaning everyone in Nevada should help & our legislature should man up & raise taxes just a FRACTION to bring in some extra revenue. Cutting cannot solve this problem we're in & they all know it. But nobody wants to be the one to raise taxes. Again...cowards. Even though I am a state employee, I am still a TAXPAYER, I say raise our taxes just a fraction & we could solve a lot of problems here. Also, please stop cutting our educational institutions. Education leads to a better quality of life & a better society as a whole. & we obviously need to be more educated if the majority of Nevadans voted these cowards into legislature...they are literally driving this state into the ground! Our top researchers at UNR are leaving, the medical school wants to cut ties with us, & most Nevadans drop out of high school & try to find work as blue collar laborers. Is this what we want for our people? Go ahead legislature, keep digging that hole. Anyone who is worth anything in this state will find a better life somewhere else. It's already happening. & you will be left with the mess you created. But your pockets will still be lined with gold, so all's good in your world I guess. Cowards, it's sickening. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | State employees have sacrificed enough to help balance the budget and I truly believe if you continue to cut benefits and compensation you're going to lose valuable employees and have a difficult time hiring qualified employees. I myself have been with the state at the same department for ten years, I am now in the process of starting over and changing my career because where I plan on working the pay and benefits are much better and the employees are actually appreciated and rewarded for their progression and value. Please consider what is happening to our medical insurance and the fact that we have already experienced financial reductions to our pay. I understood during the last session that we had to sacrifice to help with the budget, but this session I don't understand why all other Nevadans cannot help as well. The state should share the burden of balancing the budget as a whole, not just it's employees. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | The State's budget should not continue to be balanced on the backs of State workers. ALL citizens or users of the State's infrastructure and services should share in paying for those services. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | We cannot balance the state on the backs of our state employees. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | The merit pay freeze is unfair because workers are doing the same work at a lower pay without the opportunity to reach the higher pay levels. The holiday rate is unfair if the workers are being paid only half of an hourly wage and off workers get regular pay for the holiday day off. Or did you mean the 1 1/2 time is in addition to the holiday pay? | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | Please do not consider this bill. The state employee cannot continue to carry the economic burden in whatever form it takes. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | Really?? How much more do we have to take. You think state employees are losing their homes now, keep going. You lower our pay, want us to work more, raise our Ins. premium, lower the benefits, take our steps and longevity, REALLY????? Thank you for the support!!! Why don't we get people in our offices that can actually budget and not rob Peter to pay Paul.. Enough is enough. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | The reduction to our leave for those who have worked for the state for 15 years plus have put in their solid years of service and have been dedicated employees. And then for those who have worked a good number of years of service to be disapointed by not being paid out for what they are worth and what they have worked towards. It seems that all state employes are taking hits from the front, back, left and right. I'd rather be hit with a furlo than taking away my benefits. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | State Employees are underpaid and overworked and now you want to do away with these benefits. Dont be surprised when a flood of state workers quit. What happened to the contract state workers signed when hired. How can you just change the details of a signed contract?? | May-03-2011 |
| Against | As state employees we have made enough sacrafices for the public. I cannot afford as a single parent to even feed my kids anymore and after July 1 2011 our benefits go up so high I will not be able to maintain good health for their teeth eyes and well being, we cannot sacrafice what little leave we get for our illnesses and our families illnesses. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | Why are you taking more things from the State employees. Reducing our annual leave or sick leave will save you nothing in the long run. We have already given enough! I've lost longevity,lower salary,have filed bankruptcy and am waiting for a Forclosure notice on my home after 27 years of service! Also if you force me to retire it is only fair you pay me for my time! If you must pass this bill it should be for new hires only! Also keep our furloughs with the additional pay cut. The excuses you are using that employees can not catch up with their work is stupid. Do these people never take sick or vacations? What happens to their work then. DMV has lowered their wait times WITH FURLOUGHS so maybe the supervisors making the schedules need to re-evaluate how they are doing it. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | This is absolutely unfair to the many state workers who will be affected if this bill passes. State employees should not have to bear the brunt of Nevada's deficit; we did not create the economic mess in this state. All Nevadans should contribute in some way, even if that means an increase in some tax. The cost of living continues to increase while our pay decreases & the hardship on state employees as well as their families is becoming more serious. Please do not pass this bill...please, please find another way to fix the economy than on the backs of state employees. Thank you. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | This bill is absolutly wrong and discouraging. Why would anyone want to work for the state, and how would basically cutting those people pay (who already struggle to live within their means) help the state at all? Why dont the legislatures and governor work for free for a year to compensate. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | Vested State Employee's should not have the shoulder the burden the debts of the State. We've worked for the State unselfishly for decades only to have benifits (many of which made the state jobs appealing in the first place) continually being removed. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | State employees come into work everyday, do their jobs, sometimes doing 2-3 jobs of past employees. We work hard to help keep the State in good standing. We've gone 2 years without step increses or COLAs, we've gone 2 years with Furlough days, we've had our great State benefits reduced, paying more for way less. I feel that more away is unfair to us as employees. It's time to balance the budget on someone elses backs, not ours! | May-03-2011 |
| Against | It saddens me to think that after nearly 8 years of living debt free (except for our home mortgage) and pinching pennies in order for my wife to stay home to properly raise our three children, this may just be the bill that forces her back into the workplace. As food, utilities and gas prices continue to rise, my State wages continue to decline. Each year without a COLA allowance makes it difficult enough to continue to provide for our basic needs; considering furlough days, longevity/merit freezes, increases in health insurance costs and increases in pension contributions only compounds the problem. I respectfully request that you vote against this bill. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | Enough is enough, the more you cut from the state workers, the less they pump into the economy, we are all already struggling to make ends meet, this will only make it worse. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | State employees are citiziens of this state too! Please don't cut us anymore. We can barely make it as it is. Our health insurance is being cut to basically a major medical policy but with huge premiums that we pay plus what the state contributes. It ought to be illegal. Don't cut everything that makes being a state employee worthwhile. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | I do not think it is fair that many of us state employees are suffering financial cuts, even though we are not paid from the general fund. What good does it do to be forced to take pay cuts when it does not help the general fund in the least? | May-03-2011 |
| Against | Oh come on, how do you expect to retain\attract quality people when the economy turns around?!? You are slowly removing any incentive to work for the State! Dont forget how hard it was to atract quality people when times were good. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | Please find ways to create revenue. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | Can any of you honestly believe the budget can be balanced on the backs of state workers or the education of our children? Maybe it's time you started thinking about raising taxes whether or not the governor believes you should. At some point you have to look at the overall picture of our state and the most responsible manner in which to deal with our deficit. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | It is tough enough being a state employee with all the current cuts that have been made (ie. pay cut, insurance premium increase, etc.) The only slight perk of being a state employee is holiday, sick and annual leave which is no more than anyone who is in the private sector of any industry. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | State employees already taking the brunt of the cuts. How are you going to keep staff if you keep cutting from those doing the work (with less). | May-03-2011 |
| Against | Reducing our sick time accrual and suffering the astronomical increase of our insurance premiums and deductibles is going to cause some people to 1) not get treated when they're sick 2) come to work when they're sick because they don't have ample time off. Especially out in the rural areas where we have to travel in excess of 50 miles for hospital services and sometimes requires an overnight stay. Basically, there will not be any incentive to take a state job. People work so they can have time off with their families. The state is competing with a job market that is picking up for people with special skills that don't have to take a state job with no benefits. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | As a State worker for approximately 7 years now, I feel that not only do we have the responsibility for keeping State government operations running smoothly, but that we have also taken a large burden off of the other citizens of the state by taking a pay cut, and now paying more for medical insurance. At some point, this burden should be shared...I know "no new taxes" is the mantra - however, the State employees have been "taxed" enough! Thank you for your consideration. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | Instead of affecting every state worker why not do a time management report on each agency to see where there is OVERSTAFFING, the state loses money payingsome employees for 8 hours of work each day and getting 5 or less!!! | May-03-2011 |
| Against | I feel that State employees are being penalized for being state workers. This legislation is a slap in the face to all the hard working dedicated state employees. We come to work every day knowing that all the hard work we do is not recognized by our legislators or governor; one week of State Employee appreciation does not make up for our benefits being stripped from us. I realize our State is in dire straights however the recovery should not be burdened by State employees alone. We are not the highest paid government agency in the state. It is frustrating to continually hear about how much state workers make yet no one mentions that Clark County makes at least $20,000 more for the same jobs. This State has the most dedicated workers yet we are the first ones to take the hit for the budget problems. Please remember that we will continue to be dedicated workers however these workers deserve the respect and support of their governor and legislators and not to be sent to the slaughter. Thank you for taking the time to consider these comments as you make decisions that will effect the lives of thousands of dedicated State employees. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | Very unfair to continue to do this to state employees. We need new ideas. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | I am the sole breadwinner in my family; HOW CAN YOU TAKE MORE FROM ME, WHEN GAS & GOODS HAVE BECOME OUTRAGEOUS? | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | Please do not support this bill. Not all state workers collect huge paychecks. The proposed salary and benefit cuts (insurance premium increase for no coverage, retirement contributions increased)that will take place in July are bad enough before adding these to the mix. I would still request the furlough day be kept especially if there are going to be annual and sick leave cuts. I realize that everyone must sacrifice but I think the state workers have been unfairly targeted for more cuts than their share. We already are living with pay and benefit cuts. By the time you add together what was lost in the previous session and the proposals for the upcoming one, we will have lost 20%. When you don't make a large salary to begin with, it really makes life difficult. I hope you will not support this bill. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | State employees have already given a lot of themselves. Please don't take anymore from us. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | I am absolutely opposed to this bill. I have been a hard-working state worker for more than 20 years. I no longer receive any pay raises or longevity pay. I am a single mother and the changes to date have had harsh negative financial impacts on me and my family. Stop making state workers pay the price for the state's financial problems. We've paid enough! | May-03-2011 |
| Against | Raise taxes to let everyone pay!!! The state workers have been paying enough, now you want to take more???? Enough already!!!!!!! | May-03-2011 |
| Against | Oh yea. I have worked for this great? state for 33 years and now you are screwing me up and down and back and forth. And I really hope in the future the very same thing happens to you. Now I'll never be able to retire. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | State employees have significantly felt the impact of the legislature trying to balance the state’s budget. This has been through pay cuts, furloughs, and reduction in benefits. State employees must accept the reality that they will see some impact to help balance the budget. However, the state employees should not be the scapegoat and have all facets of their pay and benefits reduced. Pay cuts (not furloughs) are currently up for discussion. In addition, state employees are already preparing to see large increases in health insurance premiums and out of pocket retirement contributions. Now, AB362 requests reduction to leave accruals, holiday pay rates, merit increases, longevity pay, and purchase of retirement credits. Where does it stop? It is neither reasonable nor fair for state employees to be taking the overwhelming brunt of the financial impact to balance the state's budget. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | I would ask that you please consider the full time working parents currently serving the state. Reducing sick and annual time makes it more difficult to manage time off required for school half days, sick kids and other breaks during the school year and summer. We all understand that the state is facing difficult budget decisions, but the families working for the state are as well. Any consideration would be appreciated. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | Enough is enough when it comes to balancing this state's budget woes on the backs of the state employees. First it was furloughs (which are now slated to potentially be taken away). Then it was the drastic cut in our health benefits. And now this? All benefits of being a state employee and serving the people of this state are being taken away. I hope the new governor enjoys working with monkeys because those are the only mammals that will sign up for state service once he's done gutting it. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | We're already getting a 5% pay cut and a huge cut to our health insurance. I think you've all gouged state workers enough. Balance the budget on someone else's back...not ours. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | State employees have been feeling the affects of the budget crisis for 2 years. We have had no merit or longevity increases. We have had one day a month of unpaid furlough. Many positions are unfilled and we are handling extra work. The budget burden must be shared, don't penalize state employees even more. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | State workers already have low wages, taking away annual accrual rate and sick leave is wrong. Workers need step increases to keep up with the cost of living. As agencies reduce their work force, it is hard to keep a good attitude and focus when there are more job duties assigned and no compensation. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | This is a travesty, and will assure further disinterest in serving in state employment in future. It's tiresome for everyone to assume the state worker is the budget balancer. Try properly assessing enormous mine profits!! | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | I understand and agree with the allignment of benefits between the private and public sector, and agree that purchasing credit for service for retirement on laid off employees is probably a fiscally irresponsible idea. However, accrual of annual leave or sick leave should be balanced on newly hired employees, not those who have made public service their life-long careers. A temporary suspension of longevity and merit pay increases also makes fiscal sense, but the phrase "providing other matters properly relating thereto" is too broad and the outcome of that phrase cannot be determined, therefore it should be removed or made specific. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | Even when the private sector was raking in the money when times were good, state employees faithfully served the state and gladly took whatever was offered to them. Now that times are bad, state employees are the lowest form of life. This is a draconian way of making us pay to balance the budget. Please do not pass this bill. There is no budgetary advantage to reducing annual and sick leave. State workers are just people trying to make ends meet and should not be punished in such a severe way. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | And we wonder why Nevada is at the bottom of all the good lists. Sheesh. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | The Governor says "No New Taxes" but who does he put all the tax on. The state used to be a fantastic place to work which it should be but now it's no better than anywhere else. Working for the State used to be a privilege because you had to test, pass, interview & get hired. You still must go through all of that but you for what! If you're going to take everything away from us, including a 5% pay cut, then at least let us keep that one furlough day a month. At least we get something for giving up a lot. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | As a state employee, I have already lost 15 percent of my pay over the last two years. I came to this state to build a life for my family and now it has become almost impossible to stay employed by the state. Please do not balance the budget of an entire state on our backs | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | WITH THE ECONOMY LIKE IT IS AND THE ELIMINATION OF MERIT INCREASES, LONGEVITY, SICK AND ANNUAL LEAVE ACCURALS BEING REDUCED, THE PRICE OF GAS AND FOOD GOING UP, IT'S NOT WORTH WORKING FOR THE STATE ANYMORE. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | State employees are going to be leaving in the masses with all of the reductions in benefits and pay. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | State employees have taken enough hits this session. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | Currently, many State agencies are unable to recruit skilled workers because the pay is not comparable to the private sector. Why would a DBA, programmer, systems analyst, engineer, etc work for the State when it only pays a third of what they can get private sector? The lack of competitive salaries was somewhat offset by the benefits package. A lot of skilled workers were lost when you cut benefits last time. There have been numerous technical positions listed in NEATS for months because no one with the required skillset is applying. Decimating the benefits will only make it that much harder to recruit and retain skilled workers. Additionally, every time you cut State workers pay you cut revenue to businesses. In Carson City alone many small businesses shut their doors because State workers stopped making purchases to offset the loss of revenue to their own pocket books. How many more businesses will close their doors if you cut our pay and benefits again? Carson City will become a ghost town along with the rest of the State. Please don't let this happen. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | While I am a self-interested state employee, I can't avoid the conclusion that these additional financial burdens imposed on state employees are really a tax increase in disguise falling unfairly on a single segment of the population. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | I understand that there is a huge outcry for the cutting back on state spending. However with so much being taken away from state employees what becomes the motivation for civil service to provide any kind of customer service, have pride in their work, or brings any kind of incentive to hire quality candidates for future positions if the elimination of all step increases, the reduction of annual leave, sick leave, etc.? I expect to have quality employees with the money I pay in taxes. The budget crisis needs to be evaluated on an agency by agency basis and the social programs need to be cut, is my suggestion to trying to curb the rapidly growing defict. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | State employees have been offered up for sacrifice by the last two governors. We have done our share and most are willing to continue furloughs but not keep cutting us more. We didn't cause the recession yet it is expected that we can just do without. I have dedicated by working life to public service for nothing. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | Left a better paying job for better benefits. No reason to stay - better money with my degree away from the state. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | We have already given up so much. Why would we be required to give up even more? Since I started working for the State almost three years ago, I have not had any raises (merit or otherwise). If this goes into effect, I will be definitely looking for another job and it won't be with the State of Nevada. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | So many of the State wokers' bennefits and compensation have been, or will be, cut for the sake of balancing the budget. I don't feel that the accrual of their sick leave or annual leave should be adjusted. It does not have a direct impact on the budget. Let them keep one good thing about working for the State. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | This bill appears to me to be the same thing as a tax solely on state employees. The burden of any tax should be equally distributed, especially among profitable businesses that can afford to assist the state they do business in. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | I have looked up the definition of a municipal/state employee. I have also looked up the definitions for sacpegoat and sacrificial lamb. I have not been able to find any logical explanation as to how these latter definitions have replaced the former. When and how have state employees come to represent the reasons the state's budget is in such a state of affairs. I didn't create the wall street debacle. I didn't falsify mortagage applications. I certainly did not and do not support a state taxation system based upon a 1950's model of how the world ran then. As much as some wish to cling to the days of Ozzie and Harriet (by the way, they were a FICTIONAL TV family). The world has changed. More people live in Nevada than ever before. They want services, such as police, fire water, sewer, navigable roadways. Apparently many or just a SELECT few believe these can be acheived if nowhere else, in THEIR neiborhoods and the majority of Nevadans must deal as best they can. Nevada has the fewest state employees per capita of any state in the country. The present state leadership somehow believes that all of the state budget woes can be placed upon their backs and that we as state employees are somehow responsible and therefore must fix the problem. I have worked for the state of Nevada for almost 32 years. Any benefits I have received have steadlity gone away over the years. I have worked the private sector. I chose my college degree program to work in Law Enforcement/Corrections based upon circumstances that involved me directly and that those circumstances impressed me as to the dedication and professionalism of the people that perform these duties. Nevada has now joined a movement that punishes people who work hard and are dedicated to their jobs. I am against any legislation that punishes people for their hard work and dedication. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | Isn't it enough that our step increases and longevity pay have been taken away. Our furloughs are being stopped and replaced with a 5% pay cut. Why mess with our sick and annual leave. This is just a slap in the face, kick em when they are down mentality. Our governor is certainly letting the state employees down big time. Please do not pass this Bill as presented. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | Please do not take more away from us. We work hard and love our state. We have given up so much already... Please stop this... | May-03-2011 |
| Against | Insurance for state employees is now major medical coverage with $2,000 deductibles. Dental and Vision has been drastically reduced. State employees has been subject to pay decreases for 2 years running. Instead of rewarding state employees who have provided valuable service to the people of the State of Nevada. State employees are now being taxed with furloughs, pay cuts, and now proposed leave time as well. It must stop. Keep your state service workers and reward them by letting them know that you appreciate their service. Nevada must be able to draw employees to state employment and attach qualified applicants. Why would a qualified employee want to work for the State of Nevada, if the pay is terrible and the benefits are worse? | May-03-2011 |
| For | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | please , I have been a loyal hard working state employee for 8 years, with stood the Gibbons regim of casting us as the enemy now after fuloug and cuts in all our benefits. Please reconsider this bill. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | It's time to stop putting such a heavy burden on state workers. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | Merit pay suspension unfairly affects only a certain group of state employees and encourages experienced employees to leave state employment. It has been three years since I received a merit increase, yet new employees with the same number of years experience are starting at a higher rate of pay than me because their salary is based on their total years' experience, while mine, because of the merit pay freeze, excludes any experience I've earned while continuously employed by the state. I've heard rumors that some state employee(s) quit and was/were then rehired at a higher rate of pay because their years of state service were considered on rehire. Please consider whether this policy is fair. My understanding is that the federal government continues to pay merit increases but eliminated colas - this is a fair way to cut spending without hurting a certain group of employees, who, unlike their colleagues, are not paid based on experience. There are other aspects of the bill that I oppose, as well, but I will keep my comment specific to the one above, except that, generally, I think state employees have shouldered their share of the budget burden already. Other cuts/costs should be shared by all Nevadans. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | State workers have already carried the burden of this budget problem. Some employees are barely making it now with cut in pay and raising of ins. premiums. It is time that you come up with a plan that spreads the burden around. This is a whole state problem, not just a state employee problem! | May-03-2011 |
| Against | This is another way of trying to balance the budget on the backs of State employees. If this continues no one worth anything will workd for the State, you will only have employees who do nothing (because you have shown that is what you think of State employees) and the entire government of Nevada will fail. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | I have worked for NDOT for 9 years and still plan on making this my career. I enjoy my job. I enjoy the people that I work with and my tasks. This has been a great and stable job for myself and my family. I know that the economy is in bad shape but there has got to be a better way to save money. We have already taken quite a cut as it is. Please do not make thses cuts. The step increases and the time off are vital for me to support my family. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | If you take away the leave that is the last of the benefits that make the job worth the time. If that happens you are going to lose alot of good people. My opinon is that you need to find away to make the whole state pays and not just the State Employers and also not the school districts. I hired on because of the benefits and the leave. How much more do you want us to give up, you make us take a furlough day, then give us a pay cut, and also mess with our insurance. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | I wont work a holiday in this prison with out holiday premium pay--you come and work in my place on Christmas day!! All staff feel the same way..You people think you can compensate for a 2 billion dollar short fall on the backs of state employees?, I dont have to work here, I can work at the mine!! I leave here you are losing an employee with 12 years experience that comes to work everyday and does a days work to the best of my ability. Gold is over 1500.00 dollars an ounce, with the profits going to Canada, the hand writing is on the wall, wake up and smell the roses.. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | This is one way to reduce the State budget - run off any and ALL State employees! Hope the private sector enjoys standing in line at DMV, drinking polluted water, not getting their Welfare checks, not getting their Unemployment checks, watching forests burn, and wondering why criminals are roaming the streets! | May-03-2011 |
| Against | State employes are already makeing next to nothing and now they want to take away our leave too... Why doesn't the state look at some of its leaders and make them feel some of the pain the every day tax payers do | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | May-03-2011 | |
| Against | you people already taken enough from the state workers | May-03-2011 |
| Against | State employees longevity pay and merit pay increases have been suspended for the past two years, it is time to reinstate longevity pay and merit pay increases. It makes know sense why anyone would want to reduce annual leave and sick leave for state employees, how will this save money. Several jobs have been eliminated during the past two years and employees are facing a five percent pay cut, why punish state employees anymore. | May-03-2011 |
| Against | May-02-2011 | |
| Against | You have taken enough from State Employees-give them a break! You cannot solve the budget crisis with only 4% of the state's population. When will you figure this out!! | May-02-2011 |
| Against | May-02-2011 | |
| Against | By making these drastic cuts the state would be doing nothing but unmotivating the working class people. I am a two year officer and after these cuts take place, medical cost increase, and retirement contributions go up, I would be bringing home less money than I would on unemployment. How do you expect people to survive? I would be better off collecting unemployment, visiting the emergency room every time I have a fever, not paying my mortgage for the next couple years until the bank finally decided to foreclose and have the government pay for my family's groceries. Not to mention, I wouldn't have to fill up my gas tank, put wear and tear on my vehicle or even better, run the risk of getting hepatitis infested feces hurled at my face. Where is the motivation? Way to treat the guy who puts his life in harms way every single day. | May-02-2011 |
| Against | May-02-2011 | |
| Against | WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO US? WE ARE ALREADY THE LOWEST PAID PEACE OFFICER'S IN NEVADA. IT'S TOTALLY EMBRASSING TO BE EMPLOYED BY THE STATE. | May-02-2011 |
| Against | May-02-2011 | |
| Against | May-02-2011 | |
| Against | May-02-2011 | |
| Against | I work at a rural prison. Employees are already quitting faster than they can be hired. This type of bill will only increase the number of resignations and the number of applications to work for the Department of Corrections. | May-02-2011 |
| Against | May-02-2011 | |
| Against | State employees are taking enough hits as it is. Please don't try to save the budget at the expense of middle class working people. | May-02-2011 |
| Against | May-02-2011 | |
| Against | May-02-2011 | |
| Against | This demonizing of state workers is an end-run on unions. The right is not fooling anyone and should be called on the carpet for believing that all constituents are as stupid as theirs. This is unfair, unjust and must not stand. | May-02-2011 |
| Against | May-02-2011 | |
| Against | May-02-2011 | |
| Against | May-02-2011 | |
| Against | If you keep taking away the reasons people take the low paying state jobs such as days off with pay, retirement, insurance, ect. the quality of people you are going to get is the bottom of the barrel, people who can't get a job any where else. | May-02-2011 |
| Against | You have to pay holiday pay for people to work on a holiday's. What about people who don't work that day are they not going to get payed for that holiday? It's a fact of life that people won't work holiday's if they don't get payed they'll call off sick what ever it takes to get the day off to spend with there family. The only ones that will show up are some of the supervisors and some of them won't show up either, then who will be watching the inmate population the politicians? You have a hard task ahead of you but to just keep sticking it to the people that work for you isn't the way to go about this 40% of my pay goes toward my retirement the rest is going to pay for a home car and gas to get to work I won't be able to go to the doctor when this dandy new insurance comes into effect either. Hopefully the economy will get better but from what I'm hearing it's not going to get better for the state employee's because when it does a lot of the good people are going to leave state employment. Some of the officers that are new could make more money on unemployment than what there take home pay is after there insurance and retirement is taken out. Were all struggling to make ends meet and all that you can think of to do is take it from the employee's. I've been a employer and a employee so I know the tough decisions that you have to go through but what do you think a tax increase does reduces discretionary spending right. Well my digressionary spending is already shot and been reduced from furloughs and no pay increases for 3 years and no overtime. I'm doing all kinds of crazy shifts with no overtime to cover for people who are on sick leave because of stress and furloughs. I know that it's not easy to figure this thing out but to not give employee's any hope to improve their situation just makes things worse than it already is. It might be to late but maybe you could have some kind of employee employer meetings to try to solve some of these problems. | May-02-2011 |
| Against | Nevada Bill AB560 will undermine the working people of Nevada - it extends the moratoriums on longevity and merit pay for state employees, cuts sick/annual leave accrual, eliminates overtime for holidays and cuts the service credit purchase when they eliminate positions. | May-02-2011 |
| Against | May-02-2011 | |
| Against | This bill is yet another example of the war being waged on the middle class by some of our elected officials. They are cutting compensation and benefits to state employees, and yet transnational mining companies are making record profits and paying next to nothing for removing non-renewable resources from our state. Disgusting. | May-02-2011 |
| Against | State employees have earned these rights in the past and to eliminate them now would be discrimination and would hinder the hiring of new employees. | May-02-2011 |
| Against | Why is it up to the State workers to try and bail the State's short fall out. I have been a dedicated employee for 19 years now and have nothing to look forward to in the future. My benifits have been cut drasticly with no raises in the future the only thing that I have to look forward to is my anual leave that is now in jepordy of being cut even moore. If the Govenor thinks that I am a freeloader the he needs to come walk in my shoes for a day. I know it was my choice to become a Correctional Officer but if people like me hadn't of made the choice that they did then who would. Govenor we are not the solution so quit trying to bail the State of Nevada out on our backs. | May-02-2011 |
| Against | We sacrifice time with family to work on holidays in law enforcement, and the time and a half pay is fair compensation for this. | May-02-2011 |
| Against | May-02-2011 | |
| Against | May-02-2011 | |
| Against | It is egregious to try to balance the budget on the backs of working people - this has nothing to do with budgetary concerns and I view it only as an ideological/political attack against unions. The political leadership of the state of Nevada - on all sides - has done nothing to address the actual issues that are the root cause of the current crises. You have simply followed along in lock step with Washington, D.C. Now you come back and try to undermine the working class further by trying to cut into things like prevailing wage laws, minimum wage laws, health benefits - I'm not just talking state employees here, I'm talking about everybody. The citizens that read this need to wake up and start objectively analyzing what is actually going on here instead of just following along with their particular party's line and faux news. It's clear to me that legislators are not interested in the facts or the truth when I hear them quoting organizations like unionfictions.com and wally-world. People need to understand that many of their legislators are lying to them out of ideological and, possibly, monetary motivations. | May-02-2011 |
| Against | May-02-2011 | |
| Against | May-02-2011 | |
| Against | Why do we need so many legislators and or lawyers? | May-02-2011 |
| Against | May-02-2011 | |
| Against | May-02-2011 | |
| Against | We have been forced to give up any step raises already. We have been forced to take a fur lo every month. Our dental and vision has been stripped from us as well. Medical has been made practically unaffordable and morale is at an all time low. This bill would be a contributing factor to this departments demise. We spend more time with these inmates then we do our own family. We are forced to endure being assaulted or the possibility of being assaulted everyday. I urge you to dismiss this bill before there are only criminals willing to do our jobs. | May-02-2011 |
| Against | Out of all the people in Nevada, why is it the sole responsibility of its employees to take on all the finical burden while the rest of the residents live their life none effected? If you think about it there are many families whom both the wife and husband work for the state. ALL the cut are hurting our house hold twice. A 15% pay cut equals a 30% pay cut for our house… Let’s share the burden with the entire state not just it’s employees. | May-02-2011 |
| Against | I am sure that you have heard this before, but why are you trying to balance the budget on the backs of your employees? Don't you think they have taken the burden long enough? Are you aware that most employees now qualify for food stamps? Are you aware that starting wages for a DMV technician in CA is $17.00 per hour, and that a technician who has been working for NV DMV is just now making the same? I am sure that we can find other alternatives that would not hinder or lower the morale of your own work force even more than you already have. Let's be fair and let's be reasonable. The burden should be carried by ALL Nevadan's, not just a select few. | May-02-2011 |
| Against | I have had the opportunity to work for state government in both Nevada and neighboring California, and I have seen what I believe is a direct correlation between the level of compensation (including benefits such as medical and leave) and the quality of employees/work. Especially in non-professional positions, California epitomizes the idea of "those who can do, those who can't work for the state." I am happy to say that I have not seen that same force at play in Nevada. However, this bill is the next step in moving to the California model, and I urge you to reject it. | May-02-2011 |
| Against | May-02-2011 | |
| Against | May-02-2011 | |
| Against | May-02-2011 | |
| Against | May-02-2011 | |
| Against | Absolutely riduculous! We risk our lives day in and day out watching over the deviants of society that the public is quick to throw in prison and you want to take AWAY/REDUCE our benefits?! How about reducing your pay and your benefits to what we have and then see if you think this bill should be passed. | May-02-2011 |
| Against | don't forget what they do... keep criminals where they should be, instead of where they really want to be (hint hint) | May-01-2011 |
| Against | May-01-2011 | |
| Against | May-01-2011 | |
| Against | May-01-2011 | |
| Against | May-01-2011 | |
| Against | May-01-2011 | |
| Against | State of Nevada employees have suffered enough. How much more will the state take away from us? What does the state want us to make miniume wage? It is becoming that we need to work 2 jobs just to provide for ower families. When most of us took this job we were promised pay increases and benefits. In the last 3 years pay and benifits are being taken from us. What's the deal we hire overtime to cover the furlougs and still hire people to go through the academy. It would seem to me there is a better way to balance the state budget. | May-01-2011 |
| Against | May-01-2011 | |
| Against | May-01-2011 | |
| Against | May-01-2011 | |
| Against | They are trying to balance the budget on the safety and security of the people that support this state, with disregard of the general publics safety and security as well. | May-01-2011 |
| Against | May-01-2011 | |
| Against | May-01-2011 | |
| Against | Regarding the state budget crisis and the reduction of pay and benefits for state employees, I am firmly against having further reductions for a couple of reasons. First, when I decided on a career in state service, I decided on said career for the benefit of my family. The pay was decent enough that we could live on a single income and my wife could be a stay-at-home mother and the medical benefits were better then when I was a dependant under my father's plan. When the previous administration instituted the supposed 'temporary' pay suspension, a significant portion of my pay/benefit package vaporized, thus putting a strain on my normal living budget. When the furlough policy was instituted, approximately 5% more of my pay and benefit package was taken from me, placing further strain on my family and their needs. There is another reason I would like to discuss with you as to why I am against this bill. When former Governor Jim Gibbons called the special session that created the furloughs for state employees, he asked those same employees statewide for options to help balance the budget. ALL OF THOSE OPINIONS AND POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS WERE IGNORED WITHOUT SO MUCH AS A SECOND THOUGHT. None of the proposed solutions included cuts to an already reduced state payroll, and as such were dismissed as not sound. To date, none of the proposals have been considered further or implemented in any form. I firmly believe that it is time for our ELECTED officials to follow through on their end of the electoral process and actually listen to their constituents and take some of the proposals that were made during the last adminstration and give them serious consideration. They may not be the 'silver bullet' that fixes the problem once and for all, but they will make a giant leap in the right direction. In the years that I have been a state employee our benefits have declined and declined to the point that state employees morale has hit an all time low. I feel that further | May-01-2011 |
| Against | May-01-2011 | |
| Against | May-01-2011 | |
| Against | May-01-2011 | |
| Against | Are you nuts?? For years we have heard that Nevada is not matching other states averages in salaries, now your complaints are exposed as fraudulent, and you want to keep these above average salaries. Either you are a state employee, wanting to keep your excess compensation, or worried about your public employee union funded election campaign contribution. This garbage is not in the interest of the people who elected you, and you certainly would not get my vote. | Apr-30-2011 |
| Against | As a State employee I am opposed to this bill. My wages have been frozen for over two years, my insurance costs however have increased. The benefits I pay an increased cost is now being cut. I am required to take furlough days. I think other avenues of revenue should be pursued. If you want to change the sick and annual leave then do it for new employees not your current dedicated staff. We should not be compared to the private sector. Government employees at the Federal level i.e military get 30 days a year leave. | Apr-30-2011 |
| Against | state workers have been taking deep cuts for two years while other agencies are just beginning to feel the burn. Additional cuts will cause the loss of homes, vehicles, etc. We cannot afford more than the 25% than has been taken the last 2 years. Some of us put our lives on the line in the prison system, UNDERSTAND!!! | Apr-30-2011 |
| Against | Apr-30-2011 | |
| Against | Stop taking our money, your killing us... | Apr-30-2011 |
| Against | Even though state workers have already lost 10% + cost of living and are currently doing an additional 5% with mandatory furloughs, lets go ahead and burn them for another 2 years. Tax gaming more, we have one of the lowest gaming taxes in the country, yet our state runs on it. | Apr-30-2011 |
| Against | Apr-28-2011 | |
| Against | You have taken much from the state employee in the last two years. This will force those employees that work in 24 hour facilities to forgo getting holiday pay when working Christmas and other days they would rather be with their family. Why not take annual time then and let the state pay for overtime for those area such as the prisons, Highway patrol, and mental health. Cutting back on sick time as well as vacation time is a kick to the face. If this passes state employees who can not make the more than 30 day rule will start to call in sick more often. This means over time for divisions of public safety. This is a poor idea | Apr-28-2011 |
| Against | This represents a 20% cut in annual & sick leave | Apr-27-2011 |
| Against | Suspending merit increases places a burden on the lower level employees who accepted employment at the state with the understanding the potential for merit increases. Most state employees make modest salaries and can barely make their mortgage, car payments and child care. No one recognizes the already 10% cut in pay realized over the last 2 years that state employees have taken in addition to the 4.5% furlough loss in pay. This will add another 10% loss in pay over the next 2 years totalling a 24.5% cut. Further, it is not fair across the board. Many workers are topped out so they don't care if merit increases are suspended. Some workers are topped out and do not have longevity so they are not affected at all. This does not treat workers fairly across the board. Additional furloughs would be acceptable; if state workers must take a hit and the public does not want taxes, it should also accept a reduction in the quality or quantity of services. | Apr-23-2011 |
| Against | Completely against this bill! I've been paying the state back out of every paycheck for two plus years, in addition, I hardly have enough sick leave should a catastrophic illness occur. | Apr-20-2011 |
| Against | How much will the proposed changes save versus what is lost in poor/lower moral. If the legislators really care, why was a reduction in leave accrual even considered or why couldn't this bill have included an increase for long-time employees like other states and federal agencies have. Seems like the actual savings would be minimal. | Apr-20-2011 |
| Against | Apr-13-2011 | |
| Against | Apr-12-2011 | |
| Against | Apr-08-2011 | |
| Against | Apr-07-2011 | |
| Against | No Comment | Apr-06-2011 |
| Against | Can you possibly think of any other ways to punish State employees Leave our Annual and Sick Leave alone! I am the only person working in my family, I have lost my longevity, take furloughs, filed bankruptcy and am 3 months behind on my house payment. Don't you think I need annual and sick days? This isn't going to save any money, it is just punishing those of us who have busted our butts for the State for 27 years ! Leave us alone for once. You literally are taking away everything I was promised when I | Apr-06-2011 |
| Against | No Comment | Mar-30-2011 |
| Against | It is not fair that you can change the rules for existing employees. If you need to do this for new employees then that is fine, but I have been here for 10 years and it is just plain wrong that you are doing this. | Mar-30-2011 |
 Session Info | NELIS | Interim Info | Law Library | General Info | Counsel Bureau | Research Library | Assembly | Senate | FAQs View Scheduled Meetings | Publications | Proposals | Career Opportunities | Gift Shop | Site Map | Contact Us © 2013 Nevada Legislative Counsel Bureau |
|