Our State of Nebraska member-elected contract negotiations team was hard at work at the bargaining table every week during October. While the team has not reached any tentative agreements on any of our priorities, we have had positive discussions about our paid parental leave, multilingual pay, sick leave bank, and shift differential proposals.
Union members’ top priority is wage increases that account for inflation, insurance increases, and satisfactory work performance. Additionally, we presented the state with a well researched and market based proposal for starting wages for each job classification. Our initial salary proposal was given to the State of Nebraska on September 1, and the state offered its first counter proposal in October.
The State of Nebraska’s initial wage proposal did not include enough funds to account for inflation and insurance cost increases. Additionally, the State has been slow to discuss the hundreds of job classifications where the starting wage is not competitive on the open market.
The negotiations team will be back at the bargaining table on November 13, and we look forward to negotiating a contract that meets the needs of our members and our fellow Nebraskans who they serve. Contract negotiations will continue until a tentative agreement is reached or the statutory deadline of December 31.
We are still early in the negotiations process, and we encourage members to stay informed and prepare to be involved to help us reach our goals. Attend a meeting near you, and keep an eye on our Facebook page for further updates. We must keep growing for strength at the bargaining table. If you’re not yet a union member, join us today and stand with your colleagues for a fair contract.
