Our NAPE contract is only as strong as our members who ensure that it is followed. When a supervisor or agency ignores the negotiated contract, it is up to us to enforce our rights. The way that we enforce the contract is through the grievance process. A grievance is an allegation that management has violated a portion of the contract.
The grievance process is the strongest tool that NAPE has for ensuring enforcement of our contracts. A grievance can be filed whenever a violation of the contract occurs, but must be filed within 15 work days of the harm occurring. NAPE files grievances on behalf of state employees and represents our members in the proceedings that follow. We are proud to advocate for our members and for fair enforcement of the contract.
In 2020, NAPE filed 75 grievances at agencies all across the state and ended up prevailing in over 80% of those cases. That means four out of every five grievances were settled in favor of our members at some step in the grievance process, whether through a settlement or all the way up to a full fledged arbitration hearing. Our victories resulted in over a quarter of a million dollars in back wages and benefits paid to our members.
Only NAPE members have access to our professional staff and legal team for complimentary representation in grievance proceedings. Non-members can still access the grievance process, but must pay their own legal fees and costs. Grievance hearings are costly, and this is a great benefit for our members. If you think you might have a potential grievance, contact us right away as there are strict deadlines to filing grievances. Please contact our office at 402-486-3911 or help@napeafscme.org with any grievance-related contract concerns.