Our 16 union members who work for the Richardson County Highway Department continue to work under the terms of a contract that expired more than two years ago because the elected Richardson County Commissioners will not agree to terms on a new contract.
Our members have not seen a pay raise since July 1, 2022. Since that time, the elected Commissioners voted to raise their own salaries by 40% and have spent more than $180,000 in legal fees instead of giving their employees a fair, market-based salary increase. The Nebraska Commission of Industrial Relations (CIR) has set a January 8, 2026 trial date to settle the dispute.
The CIR will compare total compensation (salary & benefits) between Richardson County and seven other Nebraska counties to set new wages in accordance with state law. Our union members, and members of the community who attended an August County Commissioners meeting, hoped for a settlement to avoid trial.
Unfortunately, the settlement proposed by the county included a 0% pay increase on July 1, 2023, a 0% pay increase on July 1, 2024, and a 0% pay increase on July 1, 2025. Under the county’s settlement offer, union members would see salary increases upon signing between $2.59/hour and $4.74/hour if they agreed to give up many protections including parts of the grievance procedure and safety protections. The offer was not significantly different from what the county proposed during negotiations prior to impasse, and it was rejected unanimously by our members.
In an effort to settle the dispute and avoid a trial, union members offered to maintain the current contract language and a $2/hour raise on July 1, 2023, July 1, 2024, and July 1, 2025 to get the salary up to a market based rate. County Commissioners John Caverzagie and Rick Karas voted against accepting our offer. Commissioner Bob Campbell voted in favor.
It is still our hope to avoid trial, however, the County has not indicated a willingness to settle. If a settlement is not reached, the trial will begin on Thursday, January 8 at 9:30am in the CIR Hearing Room on the 1st Floor of the Nebraska State Office Building (301 Centennial Mall South). The trial is open to the public.
You can reach the county commissioners by phone to encourage them to reach an agreement, and thank Commissioner Campbell for his willingness to reach an agreement.
John Caverzagie – 402-419-9071
Rick Karas – 402-239-8228
Bob Campbell – 402-801-2919