Two Reids on opposite sides of collective bargaining bill

The world is askew when the Washington Post and Las Vegas Review-Journal editorial boards are on the same side of an issue and Rory Reid and Harry Reid are on opposite sides. But it's true.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is pushing a bill that would mandate that all 50 states allow collective bargaining with public safety employees. The bill also would give the federal government a stronger voice in Nevada, where collective bargaining already exists at the local level, but not the state level.

His eldest son, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rory Reid, said he wasn't familiar with the legislation, but philosophically he's a state's rights advocate who values local control. "It's better for states and local governments to make those decisions. People who are closer to home know more about these issues."

At the local level, police and firefighters already have collective bargaining rights. However, Nevada law does not permit collective bargaining for any state workers .

If Rory Reid is elected governor, the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act would force him to give collective bargaining rights to public safety employees, including the Nevada Highway Patrol, prison employees and any first responders the state employs.

The Review-Journal came out against the act in May and suggested, instead of mandating collective bargaining for public safety workers, "Congress should be working to ban collective bargaining for all government employees."

The Washington Post just opposed the act as a state's rights issue. "What this bill would do is impose a permanent one-size-fits-all federal solution in an area -- public-sector labor relations -- that has traditionally been left to the states, and where state flexibility is probably more necessary than ever."

Despite opposition from all philosophical angles, the act has bipartisan support and is likely to pass, said attorney Jeffrey Corradino of Jackson Lewis, an East Coast-based law firm that represents management in labor-management relations. "As November looms, organized labor is saying: What have you done for us lately?"

The act just started to get some attention because the Democratic majority leader has appended it to legislation and it's clear the senator is actively working to get this bill passed.

Even with a groundswell of opposition, Corradino said it may be too late.

The biggest impact would be for those 20 states that don't have collective bargaining for public safety employees. However, the Federal Labor Relations Authority would have more control over how state and local governments bargain with public safety employees, Corradino said.

Rory Reid insists Clark County's budget cannot sustain the personnel costs driven by union contracts with county firefighters, particularly the overtime requirements. He has suffered politically for that stance, earning the hostility of firefighters.

After firefighters bought an ad declaring public safety was at risk by relying on Las Vegas firefighters for hazardous waste and heavy rescue efforts, the commission chairman said, "The only thing at risk is the firefighters' paychecks."

This bill is not the first division between father and son philosophically and politically.

Last year, the senator publicly supported the DesertXpress, a private high-speed train effort backed by political consultant Sig Rogich, co-chairman of Republicans for Reid.

Later on a radio show, the county commission chairman said no elected official should be prioritizing one proposal over another because competing proposals should fight it out and whoever gets the financing and the fastest approval should be chosen. Sounded like the son was knocking his dad.

The Nevada State Democratic Convention is today at the Flamingo Las Vegas.

The commissioner will speak, and possibly be snubbed by firefighters. The senator is scheduled to be there, too. Might there be photos of father and son together for political ads? Not their ads, their opponents'.

Jane Ann Morrison's column appears Monday, Thursday and Saturday. E-mail her at Jane@reviewjournal.com or call (702) 383-0275. She also blogs at lvrj.com/blogs/morrison.