The union representing over 8,000 State of Nebraska employees will begin contract negotiations with the State of Nebraska for a new two-year labor contract this month.
On Tuesday at 5:30 pm Nebraska Association of Public Employees union members will rally on Centennial Mall outside of the Nebraska State Office Building in Lincoln and call on the state to invest in public workers to ensure they can continue to provide vital services to their fellow Nebraskans.
“The state remains critically short staffed at many agencies, and investments are needed to make sure that critical services continue uninterrupted,” says union president Meissa Haynes. “Our members worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic, and now is the time to invest in them.”
State agencies remain critically short staffed right now. “The state is unable to provide vital services right now at the level Nebraskans expect. The DMV has temporarily closed numerous locations due to staffing shortages, the NDOT does not have the staff to plow state highways this winter and there is a large backlog of economic assistance applications waiting to be processed at DHHS,” says NAPE Executive Director Justin Hubly.
Members of the union will gather from 5-6pm Tuesday evening.