$1.88 billion. That’s how much Nevada spent on government personnel in the 2024 fiscal year. It was the third-largest expense in Nevada’s operating budget category, ranking only behind education services ($4.34 billion) and healthcare expenses ($2.23 billion).
That $1.88 billion covered salaries, wages, retirement contributions, insurance, worker compensations, and administrative payroll costs.
Despite the sizeable expense, determining Nevada’s personnel costs is a process mostly hidden from public view. It’s the dish cooked behind closed doors then served to the taxpayer. Public employee bargaining demands full transparency, given its impact on public finances.
How Nevada’s Bargaining Law Keeps Citizens in the Dark
The law governing collective bargaining for Nevada government employees, the Government Employee-Management Relations Act, or NRS 288, forbids public access to bargaining discussions. NRS 288 explicitly states that any negotiation or informal discussion between the Executive Department and a labor organization or employees won’t require an open meeting. In other words, Nevada citizens are kept in the dark about agreements that shape teacher salaries, emergency services funding, or government pension payments.
Taxpayers Need to See Where Their Money Goes
Nevada must adopt a Public Employee Bargaining Transparency Act, which would finally turn the lights on in the kitchen. This allows taxpayers, media, and other policymakers to observe discussions on salaries, benefits, and working conditions like watching a chief cook.
Citizens could address their representatives and voice their opinions about how the public sectors spend their tax money. However, allowing insight into collective bargaining would not mean the public would participate or interfere in negotiations. Such an act would simply ensure that the taxpayers who fund government agreements have visibility into the negotiation process.
Other States Have Led the Way
Several states have already opened the collective bargaining process. In Idaho, state law requires negotiations between school districts and teachers’ unions to be open to the public so its taxpayers can understand how negotiations impact local government spending.
Minnesota enacted an “Open Meeting Law” in 1957. This law mandates that meetings of governmental bodies, including labor negotiations, are accessible to its citizens.
Although Texas restricts government employee bargaining to police officers and firefighters, its laws stipulate that “any deliberation relating to collective bargaining [of these two groups] … shall be open to the public”.
All three states recognize that transparency in government decision-making builds trust in local institutions. Open contract negotiations are already practiced in almost half of US states.If transparency in collective bargaining works for a large part of the country, it will work for Nevada, too.
Building Trust Through Transparency
Nevada has more to gain from a Public Employee Bargaining Transparency Act than to lose. Taxpayers will gain oversight into how our state governments spends their money. Public scrutiny will reduce backroom deals, increase accountability, and lead to negotiations that serve our communities’ interests. When bargaining is conducted openly, both sides are incentivized to engage in good-faith efforts, discouraging unrealistic demands or behind-closed-doors lobbying by interest groups. As a result, employee compensation will better reflect public priorities and strengthen essential services. It’s a win-win.
Stop the Secret Backroom Deals
Nevada taxpayers deserve to know how public funds are spent. This starts with understanding how expenditures are negotiated in the first place. Join us in advocating for a Public Employee Bargaining Transparency Act. Start by sending a digital letter to your representatives through Nevada Policy’s action center. Demand open government and fair bargaining. Let’s flip the switch and shed light on public spending.
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