The NAPE/AFSCME Board of Directors held its regular summer meeting in August. The Board appointed members to our State of Nebraska, Nebraska State College System, and Nebraska Department of Education contract negotiations teams and gave the teams the authority to negotiate based on the priorities set at our Contract Negotiations Summit.
Dozens of members interested in serving on the negotiations team interviewed with a committee chaired by NAPE/AFSCME Treasurer Amy Peters (DHHS, Lincoln). “The committee and I were so impressed with everyone’s willingness to step up and serve,” said Amy. “We had so many qualified candidates, and that’s a great problem to have.” The Board ended up appointed teams that had both returning negotiators, and new members who will join the team for the first time.
In other business, the Board heard a lengthy legal report from the Membership Rights Committee. Our union continues to protect our rights, with pending legal cases at the CIR, District Court, Court of Appeals, and Nebraska Supreme Court. Members are invited to attend a virtual meeting on September 23 at 7pm central time to learn about all of our pending cases. Click here to register.
The Membership, Organizational, and Leadership Committee reported on our successful 4,000 Forward Week in which 172 new members joined our union. The Committee reported that our membership has hit a new record high, and we’re close to our goal of reaching 4,000 members during contract negotiations this year.
The Board also discussed our plans to protect public services as our state faces a $1 billion structural budget deficit and the Governor has announced another round of 5% budget reductions and a hiring freeze. “We’re committed to protecting public services at the bargaining table,” said NAPE/AFSCME President Melissa Schmid (DHHS, Fremont). “We’ve got a plan, and I appreciate the Board’s commitment to doing the hard work ahead.”
The next regular meeting of the NAPE/AFSCME Board of Directors will be held on Saturday, October 24 beginning at 9am at NAPE/AFSCME Headquarters in Lincoln. Board meetings are open to all NAPE/AFSCME members to observe.