LAS VEGAS – Members of AFSCME Local 4041 have reached an agreement with the state of Nevada over longevity pay and other provisions of a recent law. This agreement comes after AFSCME members took legal action last year over the state's refusal to award longevity pay to all eligible state workers.
“This is a victory for workers and our ability to organize. By having a strong union, we held the state accountable to what we won in the legislature,” said Michael Ahlmeyer, an AFSCME member and a maintenance repair specialist at Truckee Meadows Community College.
Passed in the 2023 legislative session, the AB522 law funded a longevity pay program for state employees with eight or more years of continuous service. The state announced in November that eligible workers covered under a collective bargaining unit would not receive the longevity pay award in AB522.
AFSCME members organized to put pressure on the state to follow the law in AB522 by going to court and signing a petition to hold the state accountable. The March 14 agreement to provide longevity payments to collective bargaining unit members would not have been possible without these member actions.
In addition to providing the longevity payments, the state also agreed that all state workers will receive the wage increases funded in AB522, which will be a total of 11% on July 1, 2024.
"We are stronger as state workers when we come together. The stronger we are, the more we can fight for and win, and protect those wins,” said Ahlmeyer.