Our NAPE negotiations team has made major progress towards a new contract with the State of Nebraska that includes some of our top priorities like a step pay plan and increases to the minimum wage, without making any changes to our leave benefits through a PTO plan.
The negotiations team has been focused on our top priority of a step pay plan, and have made significant progress in ensuring that a step pay plan is implemented so that NAPE members will see movement across the steps towards their classification’s maximum salary.
The team has also made progress on other priorities such as an increasing the minimum wage, increasing the rate of on call pay, increasing third shift differential, adding custodian/housekeepers to the direct care shift differential list, and returning the Columbus Day Holiday for the E Bargaining Unit. The team has done this without agreeing to any changes in leave benefits.
The team is optimistic that it will reach a tentative agreement with the state in the next week. Remaining issues to be addressed are evaluation procedures, overtime assignment at twenty-four hour facilities, and other agency specific appendix language.
In anticipation of reaching a tentative agreement, a ratification meeting schedule has been set. Our bylaws require members to attend a ratification meeting in order to vote to accept or reject the tentative agreement. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, members can attend a ratification meeting online or in person. Make your plans to attend a ratification meeting that is convenient for you. Non-members are welcome to attend, but only NAPE members have the right to vote. Non-members may join the union and gain voting rights at the meeting.