Sixteen NAPE/AFSCME union members who work for the Richardson County Roads Department have not seen a pay raise since 2022. The elected Richardson County Commissioners have refused to agree to a new contract, and a trial is now set for January 8, 2026 before the Nebraska Commission of Industrial Relations (CIR) to settle the dispute.
NAPE/AFSCME union members have repeatedly offered to settle the dispute by agreeing to market based salary increases in each year of the contract while leaving the terms of the most recently expired contract in place. The Commissioners voted 2-1 to reject our settlement proposal. Commissioner Bob Campbell voted in favor.
The Commissioners, led by John Caverzagie and Rick Karas, offered to settle the dispute if union members agreed to 0% salary increases for 2023, 2024, and 2025 and give up contract language such as safety protections and an impartial grievance procedure. During this time period, Commissioners Caverzagie and Karas voted to raise their own salaries by 40%, and the Commissioners have now spent over $200,000 in legal fees instead of paying their road workers a fair wage.
Dozens of Richardson County residents attended a community forum hosted by our union members. This gave NAPE/AFSCME members an opportunity to share a timeline of the three-year contract dispute, answer questions about the negotiations process, and ask for support to reach a settlement instead of having a costly trial. “It was really great to have so many people come out,” said Bryan Dettmann, local union president. “There’s a lot of misinformation out there, so I’m glad we got to tell our side of the story.”
A trial is now set before the CIR beginning on January 8, 2026 at 9:30am in the Nebraska State Office Building CIR Hearing Room (301 Centennial Mall South, 1st Floor). The CIR will hear evidence on comparable wages and working conditions in comparable counties and set new wages in accordance with state law. The trial is open to the public.
A settlement can be reached at any time. Please contact the Richardson County Commissioners and encourage them to be reasonable and settle this dispute today.
John Caverzagie – 402-419-9071
Rick Karas – 402-239-8228
Bob Campbell – 402-801-2919