Nevada governor to sign a pro-union bill for state workers

Democratic Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak will sign legislation today to extend collective bargaining rights to 20,000 state employees, part of a broader strategy by unions to organize more public workplaces in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s 2018 Janus v. AFSCME ruling.

The bill, “empowers state workers to collectively bargain for the first time in Nevada history,” Sisolak’s office said in a statement. AFSCME hailed it as “the largest expansion of collective bargaining rights for state workers in 16 years.”

AFSCME and other unions have been urging blue-state governors to pass pro-union laws since Janus, which barred public-sector unions from collecting mandatory fees from union nonmembers to cover their share of collective bargaining costs. In April, Democratic Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed a bill preempting conservative groups’ efforts to force the return of fair-share fees, and Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a bill banning local governments from adopting right-to-work laws.

Before the Supreme Court even ruled in Janus, New York Gov. Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation saying unions need not provide full benefits to workers who aren’t members.

Sisolak will also sign legislation today to raise the minimum wage to $12 an hour by 2024, require employers to offer paid family leave, and boost equal pay protections.