Nevada State Employees File for AFSCME Union Election

Today, thousands of Nevada state employees filed for a union election as AFSCME with the Employee Management Relations Board. Workers in this bargaining unit, Unit C – Technical, are asking to hold an election to recognize AFSCME as their exclusive representative, allowing them to join contract negotiations this fall. State employees in Unit C include DMV services techs, family support specialists at the Department of Welfare and Support Services, engineering techs at the Department of Transportation, library techs at all Nevada System of Higher Education institutions, among other jobs that serve our communities.  

“We’re looking to certify our bargaining unit as AFSCME, so we can join contract negotiations this fall. An election is the quickest way to certify our bargaining unit. We’ve gone 4 years without a union contract, and it’s time we take our seat at the table with our fellow state employees,” said Jackie Bertot, DMV Services Tech and AFSCME member.  

With a union election, state employees in bargaining unit C will choose between AFSCME and no union, as no other union reached the 30% threshold for appearing on the ballot. Voting yes for AFSCME does not commit an employee to becoming a union member.  

“Since winning collective bargaining rights in 2019, having a union contract has improved working conditions for all state employees. But without having that seat at the bargaining table, employees in our bargaining unit lack the resources to make specific changes to our working conditions that would improve the services we provide,” said Cedric Williams, Family Support Specialist and AFSCME member.  

Many state employees in the technical unit provide direct services to Nevadans through the DMV, state Welfare offices, and NSHE libraries.  

“Workers in this unit are spread across Nevada but being AFSCME gives us unity because we all face similar issues at work regarding safety and resources. Together, we can better advocate for ourselves and for the services we provide,” said Jackie.  

Once the EMRB sets an election date, ballots will be mailed to state employees in bargaining unit C.  

Nevada state employees have been organizing as AFSCME Local 4041 for decades. In 2019, Local 4041 members won the right for 20,000 state employees to bargain collectively over wages, working conditions and resources to improve state services. State workers must now file with the state for exclusive representation, based on bargaining units determined by job classifications.  

 AFSCME represents 1.4 million public services workers across the country and thousands of state employees in Nevada.