The NFA is urging members of the Board of Regents to support Assembly Bill 191 (AB191), the Collective Bargaining for NSHE Professionals bill, at their special meeting on April 24th. The bill seeks to give more than 7,200 education professionals in the Nevada System of Higher Education - the single largest group of public employees in Nevada without collective bargaining rights in state law - the same protections as their state coworkers.
On April 18th, NFA's Government Relations Committee sent the following letter to members of the Board of Regents, NSHE administrators, and student and faculty leaders:
Dear Chair Carvalho, Vice Chair Downs, and Regents:
AB191, the bill to establish collective bargaining procedures for NSHE professional employees in state law, will be discussed at the Board of Regents meeting on April 24, 2025.We urge you to take a position in Support of the billor else instruct the Chancellor to remain Neutral.
AB191 establishes the same processes for collective bargaining for NSHE professional employees as for other Nevada public employees and their management, including Classified staff at NSHE. AB191 does not add any new bargaining units or any immediate costs. It gives faculty legal protections that only the legislature can provide; for example, access to the state Government Employee–Management Relations Board for resolution of contract issues, which is faster and less expensive than litigation. The provisions in AB191 for arbitration of grievances as a final appeal would also provide savings over litigation.
For your review, the Nevada Faculty Alliance has provided the following information on AB191:
- Fact Sheet on AB191, including studies showing that faculty unionization is associated with higher institutional efficiency and better student outcomes.
- Frequently Asked Questions on AB191, addressing issues raised at the March Board meeting and in the board packet for April 24.
- Fiscal Impact Analysis, addressing NSHE’s fiscal note on AB 191 that requests 7 new attorneys and 13 other staff. These are highly exaggerated needs—the state has 12 bargaining units for 19,000 Classified employees but only has 2 attorneys and 4 other staff in its Labor Relations Unit to handle negotiations and contract administration.
- Section-by-Section Description of AB191, with references to sections of NRS 288 that are mirrored in the bill.
NSHE already has collective bargaining units for faculty at CSN, NSU, TMCC, and WNC under the internal regulations in the Handbook, Title 4 Chapter 4 (T4C4). However, T4C4 last had a major update in 1990 and does not reflect actual current practice.
It is time that NSHE professionals have the same rights for collective bargaining as our Classified colleagues. Thank you for your consideration of AB191.
Best regards,
Dr. Kent M. Ervin
Director of Government Relations and Past President
Nevada Faculty Alliance
kent.ervin@nevadafacultyalliance.org
775-453-6837
