What We Do


What We Do

The Government Employee-Management Relations Board primarily serves to resolve disputes between local governments, employee organizations (i.e., unions), and local government employees, and with the passage of SB 135, between certain state employees and the Executive Department of the State of Nevada.

Many of the disputes revolve around allegations that an entity has committed an unfair labor practice, which in Nevada is called a prohibited practice. These can range from bad faith bargaining to non-provision of required information to claims of retaliation. Nevada is unique in that the EMRB’s enabling statute also prohibits various forms of discrimination, including discrimination based on personal reasons or political affiliation. It is not only unions that file prohibited practice claims against local governments. Some of our claims are filed by local governments against unions that represent their employees. Other claims are filed directly by employees against a local government or against their own union for breaching the duty of fair representation.  

The EMRB also resolves other disputes, including issues over which union is to represent a particular bargaining unit, the scope of a bargaining unit (i.e., which jobs are to be within a bargaining unit), and whether any union at all is to be recognized as representing a group of employees.

Though it is an administrative agency the EMRB operates much like a court. A formal complaint is first filed with the agency just like a complaint might be filed with a court. The respondent then has a certain number of days in which to either file an answer or else file a motion to dismiss. Once an answer is filed or else the motion is decided by the Board, the parties then file pre-hearing statements. Once the pre-hearing statements are filed the case then goes into a queue of cases waiting for the Board to decide whether to grant a hearing. If and when a hearing is granted the three-member Board then oversees the hearing in which witnesses are called and documents are entered into the record as exhibits. Upon conclusion of the hearing the Board deliberates in closed session and then announces its decision first verbally and then commits that decision in writing in the form of an order.

Although most complainants and respondents are represented by an attorney throughout the process an individual employee can represent himself or herself. Please note that unlike other agencies who take claims concerning adverse employment actions, the EMRB does not do any investigation of a complaint filed with the agency. Instead, it uses the process as described above.

    Other agencies that might be able to help with your particular issue if you are a private company employee, have been hurt on the job or been discriminated against.