Fifteen NAPE/AFSCME members who work for the Richardson County Roads Department have continued to serve their community despite working nearly two years without a contract and without seeing a salary increase since 2022.
Our members took their fight for fair wages to the Nebraska Commission of Industrial Relations (CIR) in March, and they are still waiting for an initial decision from the CIR in order to proceed to a final hearing to set wages in accordance with state law. Three of our members were subpoenaed to provide testimony at the trial in March.
When our members submitted a request to use civil leave in order to testify, their request was denied. Civil leave is negotiated in our union contract for members to be excused from work when they are required to testify in court on work related matters.
A grievance was filed, and was denied by management. The grievance was appealed to the county commissioners. These are the same county commissioners who have spent more than $140,000 on legal fees instead of raising wages for frontline workers all while raising their own salaries by 40%.
The commissioners denied the grievance, stating that the subpoenas issued by the CIR were not for a work related matter. The grievance has been appealed to the next step of the process. It’s time once again to remind the elected county commissioners that they should not waste any more taxpayer dollars and reach a contract settlement immediately. You can reach the county commissioners by calling:
John Caverzagie – 402-419-9071
Rick Karas – 402-239-8228
Bob Campbell – 402-801-2919
