After more than a year of negotiations, an arbitrator issued a split decision giving Henderson police officers and supervisors a modest win. The award includes a 3.5% wage increase, restored retention bonuses for long-serving staff, and is retroactive to July 1, 2025.
City and union leaders say affected employees should expect back-pay checks in upcoming payroll cycles. The decision avoids resolving the larger financial disputes still pending at City Hall.
Arbitrator’s Orders And What They Mean
The ruling locks in a 3.5% salary bump and brings back retention bonuses that pay $2,300 a year to employees with 15 years of service and $3,000 a year for those with 20 years. All of that is retroactive to July 1, 2025. The arbitrator described the package as a one-year bridge contract meant to keep pay and benefits from backsliding while both sides try to hammer out a longer-term, more sustainable deal next year. Both the union and the city confirmed that employees will receive the retroactive pay and new rates, according to 8 News Now.
Union Response
Henderson Police Supervisors Association President Charles Hedrick called the decision a partial victory because it “reinstates some form of longevity benefits” for veteran officers and supervisors. Hedrick also said the arbitrator pushed back on the city’s stance, characterizing its negotiating tactics as “draconian,” and argued that the award nudges Henderson’s police compensation closer to being competitive with the broader region. His comments were relayed to KLAS / 8 News Now.
City Budget Squeeze And The Background
City officials have framed their position around a tight general fund, pointing out that roughly 60% of that pot already goes to public safety. That slice, they say, covers not just police, but also fire, code enforcement and animal control, as reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Union negotiators counter that the headline number blurs how much of the money is tied up in pensions and non-police services, a point they have pressed in public comments and TV interviews cited by FOX5.
During earlier talks, city negotiators floated proposals that included raises of up to 5% along with retention incentives in an effort to keep staffing levels from slipping, according to mediation coverage by FOX5…