LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The Clark County School District filed a complaint to prevent the Clark County Education Association from striking in violation of state law.
The complaint was electronically filed Monday in District Court as an injunction, meaning a judicial order that restrains the beginning or continuing actions that threaten or invade the legal right of another.
The district mentioned Nevada law, saying that it is "crystal clear" that a strike or a threat of a strike is unlawful. The district said when a strike is undertaken, it is grounds for withdrawal of recognition as the bargaining agent of a local government employee group.
"This action is based on the CCEA’s threats, which were publicly reiterated this weekend, to engage in 'work actions', clearly amounting to a strike, if a contract between the CCEA and the district is not reached by August 26," officials said in a press release.
Because of this, CCSD officials said they also filed with the Employee-Management Relations Board a petition to withdraw CCEA’s bargaining agent status as the representative for CCSD’s licensed professional employees.
The district said the CCEA "repeatedly misrepresented" the district's contract proposals.
The district provided the following bullet points:
- The District has proposed to pay teachers for the additional instructional time at the teachers’ contract rate, the same as under the contract waivers.
- The District has proposed additional compensation for SPED and Hard to Fill position teachers in an amount greater than the CCEA’s proposal.
- The District has proposed pay increases for all CCEA bargaining unit employees in both years of the contract. This is in addition to continuing the following: salary advancement under the Differentiated Salary program, column advancement under the salary table related to the PGS, and a one-step advancement under the salary table.
- The District has proposed to use the CCEA’s portion of the SB 231 monies received from the state for bargaining unit employee pay increases with a sunset provision included.
- The District continues to propose the correction of inequities in the current salary schedule.
- The District has proposed significant increases to the Teacher Health Trust in both years of the contract.
- The District has proposed the continuation of the recruiting bonus for new, out-of-state teachers to help fill vacancies. Despite the CCEA claiming that the District wasn’t doing enough to fill vacancies, the CCEA rejected this recruitment tool.
"The District is extremely disappointed in the CCEA’s threats of illegal strikes and its misrepresentations of the District’s contract proposals," CCSD said. "These actions by the CCEA don’t move the parties any closer to reaching a new agreement and are a disservice to the District’s students, parents, and staff."
The next bargaining sessions are on Aug. 17 and 18.
KTNV has contacted CCEA for comment but has yet to hear back.
