My name is Victor Avena, and I am a Carpenter for the state of Nevada.  I support SB135 because state employees deserve fairness and respect.  

My co-workers and I enjoy working for the state, making sure our roads, parks and public facilities are safe and well maintained. When things are broken, we fix them. There are processes for everything, and we make sure to follow through all the steps to ensure all our products are safe.  

But when we have an issue in the workplace, the current grievance process does not fix all our issues. The current process gives much discretion to our supervisors and management, leaving some workplace issues unresolved. This creates low morale in the workplace when staff feel like their voice is not heard or when workplace issues are arbitrarily dismissed.  

Collective bargaining will allow us to work with management to create a fair due process system that is agreed upon by both sides. This will give workers confidence in knowing that raising workplace issues will lead to solutions. That when things are broken, they will get fixed with input by both staff and management.  

We deserve to be treated with fairness and respect when raising workplace issues. Collective bargaining will ensure we have a fair system to create a stronger working environment.