NAPE/AFSCME union members gathered in the Nebraska State Capitol Rotunda on December 2 to call on the legislature to protect public services. When the legislature reconvenes for its short session on January 7, 2026, state senators will consider an unprecedented $500 million in budget cuts proposed by the Governor.
Cuts to the state budget will directly impact the frontline services that NAPE/AFSCME members provide to our fellow Nebraskans. Our members have already been affected by layoffs at the Department of Administrative Services, Military Department, and the Department of Revenue. All of these positions were fully funded for this fiscal year, however, these agencies preemptively laid off employees in anticipation of budget cuts in 2026.
Agencies have submitted their mid-biennium budget requests and it is clear that agencies are planning to eliminate more positions. The State Patrol, Department of Water, Environment and Energy, and the Department of Economic Development plan to permanently eliminate positions including forensic scientists, administrative support staff, economic development positions in community and rural development, and environmental specialists. Other agencies plan to follow suit.
Speaking to the media in the rotunda, NAPE/AFSCME Executive Director Justin Hubly said, “You’ll notice in just about every agency budget request a statement to the effect of ‘we can make all of these cuts without affecting services.’ Let me be clear – it is not possible to continually cut positions and increase workloads on state employees and NOT affect the quality of services provided.”
NAPE/AFSCME members offered solutions that would prevent cuts to public services including, fully funding frontline positions, investing in state employees while continuing to eliminate costly third-party contractors, and offering early retirement incentives to reduce the workforce by attrition while investing in a new generation of public employees.
NAPE/AFSCME member Alyssa Macke (DHHS, Lincoln) came to the State Capitol on her lunch hour to make sure her voice was heard and share her passion for providing services to Nebraskans with developmental disabilities. “The work we do is vitally important to those who rely on services,” Alyssa said. “With our caseloads increasing by more than 10%, it will be hard to provide the same quality services as we did before.”
NAPE/AFSCME members will continue to demand that our state senators protect public services throughout the legislative session. If you are not yet a member of our union, click here to join your union today!