NAPE members approve deal with State of Nebraska granting raises

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — After months of heated negotiations, the State of Nebraska has struck a deal with its workers.

Gov. Jim Pillen announced an agreement Wednesday between the state and the Nebraska Association of Public Employees.

All of the union’s more than 8,000 members will be getting a raise between 5% and 20%, depending on job classification.

Union members with a satisfactory performance evaluation in 2022 will move two steps up on the salary schedule, allowing for a larger raise.

The raise will go into effect on July 1, and another 2% to 4.25% raise will come on July 1, 2024.

Members with good evaluations in 2023 will advance three steps on the salary schedule in 2024.

“Through the negotiations process, NAPE/AFSCME union members called on the State of Nebraska to invest in its public servants in order to attract and retain employees to deliver essential public services to fellow Nebraskans,” NAPE Executive Director Justin Hubly said in a press release. “This agreement goes a long way to that end, and we look forward to continued collaboration with the Pillen administration to ensure that state government is run successfully and efficiently at all levels.”

Each of the eight bargaining units in the union voted overwhelmingly to approve the deal.

In a press release, Gov. Jim Pillen said the raises will help the state find workers for hard-to-fill positions.

“Nebraskans continue to feel the negative impact of high inflation due to policies in Washington,” Pillen said. “This agreement helps lessen that impact on our state teammates by bringing wages to a point that matches the market rate.”

Previously, many of the salaries for these positions were “well below market value,” according to Pillen.

NAPE members can visit the union’s website to calculate the size of their raise.