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 The North Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce has grown to meet the needs of businesses in the northern part of the Las Vegas Valley.
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 NLV CHAMBER MEMBERS WILL TAKE MESSAGE TO CARSON CITY |
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NLV CHAMBER MEMBERS WILL TAKE MESSAGE TO CARSON CITY
On February 9th, a number of members from the North Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors and Government Affairs Committee will travel to Carson City to meet with various legislators to discuss issues that are important to the business community. These individuals represent a wide spectrum of industries throughout Southern Nevada and have taken a day out of their busy schedules to represent our Chamber constituents. While this legislative session is only a week old, the Chamber will carry the messages of our members and to participate in discussions with our lawmakers.
Challenges abound both on a local, state and national level. The state’s budget crisis continues to consume our conversations and our meetings, and while there are varying opinions as to the remedies, the Chamber believes overall that we cannot cut our way or tax our way out of this situation. We believe that government can and should run more efficient and should not be in competition with the private sector. For too long, the public sectors wage and benefit packages have far exceeded those of the private sector. The argument that health and retirement benefits for current employees cannot and should not be altered is weak. How many companies have had to decrease employee benefits, including asking employees to contribute more to their health insurance premiums and decrease 401k contributions, just to stay in business?
Cutting higher education by 30% is irresponsible and a detriment to the future of our state’s economy. As we continue to strive for economic diversification, industries looking to set up operations in Nevada look for a qualified work force. Many of these corporations need employees skilled in disciplines that only a strong and respected higher education system can provide. Further eroding the quality of these institutions will not only result in our brightest high school graduates looking elsewhere, but also result in these same companies that we are trying to attract looking elsewhere too.
On a federal level, several issues are and should remain a concern to the business community. During the last federal (and state) campaigns, organized labor contributed millions of dollars to the campaigns of union friendly candidates. Now they are going to be looking for the pay back.
The Card Check Bill, otherwise know as the Employee Free Choice Act is a danger to not only business but to workers as well. This bill ironically takes away an employee’s free choice by taking away their right to a private ballot. Its main purpose is to make it easier for union organization resulting in higher membership at time when its numbers are low. The passage of Card Check is one of the main priorities of organized labor and one supported by many Democrats in Washington. It has also been supported by President Obama during his campaign. Also on the labor agenda is further expansion of the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). While the original intent was good, rampant abuses by employees adept at working the system and employer confusion have been reported. Add to this, the movement to mandate paid sick days and medical leave for all employees and sizes of companies, and you can see that the assault on businesses has begun.
In what has been called the worst recession the country has experienced in over 25 years, this is not the time to add undue and unnecessary burdens on the very businesses that will be responsible for pulling us out of this economic downturn. It is business that will create jobs and expand plants and operations. As a result of putting people to work, money will once again flow into our economy as people again feel confident that they will have jobs for the future.
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3365 W. Craig Rd., Suite 25. | North Las Vegas, NV 89032
Phone (702) 642-9595 | Fax (702) 642-0439