01-05-2025
Nevada State Police, other agencies should receive raises, arbitrator rules
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — An arbitrator sided with the Nevada Police Union on Wednesday, recommending 3% salary increases for the next two years.
The union represents sworn and non-sworn employees of Nevada State Police, University Police and several other state-focused police agencies.
The budget Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo submitted earlier this legislative session did not include any wage or cost-of-living increases, according to the arbitrator. In an interview with the 8 News Now Investigators in March, Lombardo speculated the Legislature would not have the finances for any raises for state employees.
Last Legislative session, lawmakers approved wage increases totaling 23% in the first year and 11% in the second. Attorneys for the state and the union, however, could not agree on potential wage increases for the next two years.
The order comes amid a state police staffing shortage fueled, according to department leadership, by non-competitive pay. As of February, 218 troopers patrolled statewide. The state budget calls for 392 trooper positions, meaning just about half of the workforce is staffed.
For decades, Nevada State Police have struggled to keep up with pay from local police departments and retirement benefits, leading to a decrease in staff. Starting in July, the amount of money state police employees have to put into their state retirement accounts will increase, erasing gains from two years ago.
In addition to the 3% increase, the arbitrator ordered employees with more than five years of service to receive longevity pay.
'Your NPU team worked extremely hard on this and put in a ton of hours,' a post on the union's Facebook page said Wednesday. 'This just proves that hard work does pay off. We are hoping to hear about Unit L (supervisors) arbitration in the coming weeks. Fingers crossed and we are confident that the arbitrator will rule in our favor again.'
It was not immediately clear if the state intended to appeal the arbitrator's order.
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