In March 2020, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). The FFCRA provided 80 hours of emergency paid sick leave for state employees who had COVID-19 or needed to quarantine. Additionally, the FFCRA allowed for access to Emergency Family Medical Leave (eFMLA) for state employees that […]
The tentative agreement with the State of Nebraska on a new contract has been ratified by all bargaining units. The new contract will be in effect from July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2023. NAPE members attended ratification meetings throughout December in person and virtually, with an overall voter turnout of 20.99%. Results of the […]
Throughout 2021, NAPE will offer a 45 minute monthly webinar for its members. The webinars are designed to teach members about our contract and rights in the workplace, with a new topic introduced each month. Members can click below to register for a webinar below. Webinars are only open to NAPE members. Not a NAPE […]
NAPE/AFSCME has reached a tentative agreement with the Nebraska Department of Education on a new contract for over 350 employees to run from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2023. Highlights of the tentative agreement include strengthening of member rights in the workplace and salary increases for all employees. In order for the tentative agreement […]
NAPE/AFSCME has reached a tentative agreement with the Nebraska State College System on a new contract for 200 support staff employees to run from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2023. Highlights of the tentative agreement include: Major wage increases for those in salary grades 3-6 Wage increases for all employees Additional salary step for […]
CFS Specialist Lacy Dye was terminated by the Department of Health and Human Services in March 2019 for allegedly violating confidentiality after sharing information with a colleague regarding an error that she discovered in the NFOCUS database. Lacy immediately contacted NAPE for assistance, and a grievance was filed on her behalf challenging the termination. The […]
Before taking disciplinary action against an employee, our NAPE contract requires management inform the employee of the detailed allegations against them, the date the alleged violations took place, and offer the employee an opportunity to respond to the allegations at a predisciplinary meeting before the imposing discipline. State Patrol Forensic Scientist Ryan Pavlish was being […]
In mid-December, NAPE filed our response in Lancaster County District Court to the DHHS Lawsuit attempting to overturn an Arbitrator’s binding decision regarding the employee dress code. In our response, NAPE’s attorney briefly set forth our argument that under Nebraska law, the Arbitrator’s decision is final and binding. Additionally, NAPE is asking the judge to […]
The NAPE Board of Directors held its quarterly meeting in Lincoln on November 14. The Board heard a number of committee reports and took action on a variety of items. A summary of the meeting is below: Reports The Membership Committee reported that our two year membership growth is approaching 50% growth. We have gone […]
NAPE/AFSCME has reached a tentative agreement with the State of Nebraska on a new contract for over 8,000 state employees to run from July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2023. Highlights of the tentative agreement include: A step pay plan that moves employees toward their classification maximum each year A $12/hour minimum salary for all […]
Late in the day on November 13, DHHS CEO Dannette Smith sent a message to employees that the arbitration decision that invalidated the dress code she unilaterally imposed, in violation of the NAPE contract, was not binding and was being appealed. Ms. Smith stated that she would allow employees to wear casual clothing until January […]
Tentative contract agreements with the Nebraska State College System and the Nebraska Department of Education have been reached! NDE ratification meetings will be held virtually, and State College ratification meetings will be held virtually and on each campus. Union members must vote to accept or reject the tentative contract agreement. Our bylaws require members to […]
Our NAPE negotiations team has made major progress towards a new contract with the State of Nebraska that includes some of our top priorities like a step pay plan and increases to the minimum wage, without making any changes to our leave benefits through a PTO plan. The negotiations team has been focused on our […]
Child/Family Services Specialist, and NAPE member, Donta Brown had his employment terminated by the Department of Health and Human Services after it was alleged that he failed to implement a safety plan for an at risk child. Donta denied the allegations from the very beginning, and made sure he had a union representative with him […]
If you missed our virtual negotiations update, you can watch it here. If you need the password, please e-mail help@napeafscme.org
In December 2019, the Department of Health and Human Services unilaterally decided to change its employee dress code, requiring all employees to wear business casual attire, regardless of their job duties. Led by NAPE stewards at the Fremont Customer Service Center, a grievance was filed arguing that the new policy violated our contract, because it […]
Contract negotiations between NAPE and the State of Nebraska are underway! The NAPE bargaining team, representing over 8,000 state employees is focused on negotiating a step salary plan, paid parental leave, early retirement incentives, and much more. Early bargaining sessions have been cordial and positive as both NAPE and the State have introduced their initial […]
Veteran DHHS Social Services Worker, and NAPE member, Angel Murtaugh was terminated after a DHHS client filed a complaint with the agency, alleging that Angel delayed the processing of SNAP benefits and treated the client disrespectfully. The client demanded that Angel be fired, and DHHS obliged. Angel filed a grievance challenging the termination on a […]
Certified Master Social Worker, and NAPE member, Melissa Kramer was not allowed to work her scheduled shift at the Nebraska State Penitentiary in Lincoln in March, just as the COVID-19 pandemic began. Melissa had just visited a family member in the hospital, which was unrelated to COVID-19 or the pandemic. Melissa’s supervisor contacted the Corrections […]
