Unions are one step closer to legalizing coercion and public intimidation to become the bargaining representative for your employees.

On March 29, the Senate introduced the Employee Free Choice Act (S. 1041), a bill sponsored by Senator Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.). This bill, also known as the Check Card bill, was approved by the House of Representatives as H.R. 800 on March 1 by a margin of 241-185.

If passed, this bill will completely change the rules that govern unionization and create a new system that will give unions the upper-hand at the expense of employee privacy and free choice.

Think organizing won’t happen in your small business? Of the 2,649 union representation elections conducted in 2005, more than 20 percent involved bargaining units of fewer than 10 employees and a full 70 percent involved bargaining units of fewer than 50 employees.

This bill will make union organizing easier and cheaper than ever before, allowing unions to continue targeting even the smallest of businesses.

Under the act, unions feeling the decline in their memberships will replace secret ballot elections overseen by the National Labor Relations Board with a public majority sign-up system the unions oversee themselves, eliminating all sense of privacy and fairness in the voting process. The new system would also be open-ended in terms of time. This all but eliminates a union’s chances of losing!

The Employee Free Choice Act will:

•	Replace secret ballot elections for union representation with a public card-signing system, making your employees vulnerable to intimidation, public pressure and harassment tactics.
•	Allow for an open-ended system in terms of time, giving unions as long as they need to collect signatures instead of resolving the issue on a specific date with an election.
•	Impose fines up to $20,000 against employers who make “unilateral changes” such as wage increases during a union’s campaign no matter how lengthy the process.
•	Require a secret ballot election should a workplace choose to decertify the union.

Contact Nevada Senators immediately to urge them to vote no on The Employee Free Choice Act. Encourage your employees to do the same!

Don’t allow Congress to take away your employees’ right to a fair and private vote.
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Sen. John Ensign - Download Letter
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119 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: (202) 224-6244
Fax: (202) 228-2193

Sen. Harry Reid - Download Letter
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528 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: (202) 224-3542
Fax: (202) 224-7327

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On March 27, Governor Jim Gibbons announced the increase to Nevada's minimum wages that will take effect this summer. The recent amendment to the Nevada Constitution to raise the state minimum wage for employers who do not offer qualified health care plans also contained a provision to account for the Consumer Price Index (CPI), allowing for additional annual increases. This CPI adjustment applies to both minimum wage levels in Nevada.

•	Minimum wage for employees who receive qualified health benefits from their employers will increase from $5.15 per hour to $5.30 per hour
•	Minimum wage for employees who do not receive health benefits will increase from $6.15 per hour to $6.33 per hour

The wage increase takes effect July 1 and does not take into account a likely increase to the federal minimum wage. Should federal minimum wage increase as expected, another increase to Nevada’s minimum wage would be required.

Nevada’s minimum wage law requires the state minimum wage to stay one dollar higher than the federal minimum wage at all times.

For more information, please visit www.laborcommissioner.com.

In addition to monitoring state minimum wage issues, the Chamber continues to monitor movement by Congress on raising the minimum wage at the federal level.

On March 29, the Senate passed an Iraq war spending bill that included language that will increase the federal minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 an hour over a two-year period.

President Bush, however, has threatened to veto the bill as it calls for U.S. troops to be pulled out by March 2008, a scenario that could jeopardize funding for the war. A potential showdown between Congress, who believes the deadline is necessary, and the President, who believes it is the duty of Congress to pass a funding bill without such stipulations, could erupt should neither side back down.

The House earlier introduced its own version of the spending bill that also attached legislation that would raise the minimum wage.

A federal increase will result in an automatic increase in our state’s minimum wage in addition to the raise that went into effect in Nevada last November. The newly passed state constitutional amendment requires Nevada to stay a dollar above the federal minimum wage at all times, as well as account for a cost of living increase. Nevada’s minimum wage could be over $9 or even $10 an hour in just two years should a federal bill pass.

Earlier this year, the House passed a stand-alone bill that would raise the minimum that included $1.3 billion in tax breaks for businesses. The Senate passed its own version of the bill in February that included $8.3 billion in tax breaks. Compromises between the two bills, which would have to be worked out in House-Senate conferences, have since stalled.

The Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce has named Veronica Meter as its vice president of government affairs. Most recently, Meter has served as the director of public relations for the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) in Washington, D.C. Meter will begin her duties with the Chamber on Monday, April 9.

In her new position, Meter will oversee all aspects of public policy and advocacy on behalf of the Chamber’s member businesses. Meter brings extensive experience in media relations, as well as a strong record of working with government and elected officials. In 2005, she was recognized with the Public Printer Distinguished Service Award from the GPO and received an honorable mention in the PR Professional of the Year-Government category by PR News PR People.

Prior to joining the GPO, Meter had an award-winning career in the television news industry in Nevada. She was the executive producer of Las Vegas ONE TV from June 1999 to May 2003. She also served as news producer for KLAS-TV, producer and host for KLVX-TV Vegas PBS, and was news and public affairs director for Channel 39 Telemundo. She earned several journalism awards including two Electronic Media Awards, two Telly Awards, a Clarion Award and an Emmy nomination.

“Veronica Meter brings a well-rounded approach to public affairs and government advocacy. She will effectively represent the needs and concerns of the Chamber’s business members to policy makers in order to protect Nevada’s pro-business environment,” says Kara J. Kelley, president & CEO of the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce.

Assembly Bill 433 proposes to further limit the authority of public bodies to hold closed-door meetings.

Currently, at the request of a taxpayer, the Tax Commission may hold closed sessions on taxpayer appeals. Deliberations and voting on such appeals, along with all testimony, may also take place privately. A closed meeting offers no immediate details or further information to the public on the decision of the Commission of whether or not to grant or deny an appeal. A general abstract of the decision, however, is required to be released at a later date.

•	The bill seeks to conduct in public any deliberation and vote on such tax appeals
•	A hearing may close in order for the commission to receive or hear confidential or proprietary information
¦	Proprietary or confidential information will not be disclosed during those open discussions

The Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce testified in general appreciation of this bill. While the Chamber believes that confidential information should be protected, it should not come at the expense of public knowledge.

The Chamber went on record to testify that the language of the bill must properly outline exactly when and what parts of a hearing can be closed and opened. Confidential information must not be compromised by public deliberation, however conditions of closed-door meetings should be made public.

Action:
AB 433 was heard in the Assembly Taxation Committee on March 27. To date, no action has yet been taken.

Assembly Bill 269 proposes to authorize deductions from the state taxes on financial institutions and other businesses for certain qualified employee housing assistance provided by employers.

•	The bill authorizes deductions from Nevada’s modified business tax for businesses that make donations for the provision of housing assistance to employees with low household incomes
•	Donations must be made to certain nonprofit organizations or Taft-Hartley trusts that administer the provision of housing assistance

The Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce testified in support of this bill. Offering employees housing assistance will attract and retain the best and brightest to Nevada’s business community.

Action:
AB 269 was heard in the Assembly Taxation Committee on March 27. To date, no action has yet been taken.

Assembly Bill 357 proposes to revise provisions governing tips and gratuities received by employees.

The bill seeks to stop employers from controlling how tips are distributed among employees.
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The Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce testified in opposition to this bill. The bill limits the amount of flexibility employers have to manage their own business. Currently, employers have the ability to determine and manage gratuity policy within their business. The Chamber also went on record to voice concern with employee retention issues passage of the bill could pose. Should employers be prohibited from distributing tips at their discretion, little incentive may remain for quality employees to work undesirable shifts.

Action:
The bill was heard in the Assembly Judiciary Committee on March 27.
To date, no action has yet been taken.

On Monday, April 2, Assemblyman Bob Beers, sponsor of the bill, announced that the bill had been rewritten specifically to address tip-pooling with supervisors only rather than all employees, citing the unintended consequences of prohibiting tip-pooling among all employees.