Police union boss defends NLV contract

The president of the North Las Vegas Police union said his organization was not trying to shortchange jail supervisors but rather provide them and police supervisors with pay comparable to counterparts in Henderson.

"Our supervisors wanted pay that was comparable to supervisors at other entities in the valley, and that's what we (union officials) got them," North Las Vegas Police Officers Association Inc. President Dave Galyen said Monday.

Galyen said he has not seen -- and thus cannot comment directly about -- a lawsuit filed Friday in District Court by 16 NLV Detention/Corrections Department sergeants and lieutenants seeking to have the collective bargaining agreement reached in June ruled invalid.

However, Galyen said today his organization's attorneys have received "a courtesy copy" of the suit.

The supervisors contend in their lawsuit filed by attorney Victor Perri that the new contract is unfair because it will provide unequal pay for the same work.

The contract gives North Las Vegas police lieutenants an 18 percent raise over the next three years but gives jail guard lieutenants just a 9.25 percent raise during the same period. NLVPD sergeants are getting 12.25 percent more, while their jail counterparts get a 5 percent raise over the next three years.

Gaylen said corrections and police officers of the same rank are not always paid the same in all jurisdictions.

"We had to give the police lieutenants a big bump because they were so far behind their counterparts in Henderson," Gaylen said.

"Even after three years, they will still be getting about $400 less (a year) than (police lieutenants) in Henderson. However, our police sergeants and corrections lieutenants and sergeants will be earning more than those in Henderson."

The union, as well as the city of North Las Vegas, and the NLV Detention/ Corrections Department are named as defendants in the suit that has been assigned to District Judge Gene Porter.

The original offer to the rank and file was a 3.75 percent raise across the board for police and corrections officers, sergeants and lieutenants. The officers ratified their agreement, while the supervisors rejected theirs, Galyen said.

Galyen said he did not hammer out the agreement but said he was "satisfied" with the negotiated package.

The supervisors, Galyen said, ratified the comparable pay contract with a 59 percent vote.

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