Governor Pillen, State Employee Union Celebrate Momentous Agreement

CONTACT:  

Laura Strimple, (402) 580-9495 

John Gage, (531) 510-8529 

Eric Maher, DAS, (531) 289-0060 

Justin Hubly, NAPE, (402) 326-3030 

Governor Pillen, State Employee Union Celebrate Momentous Agreement 

LINCOLN, NE – Today, Governor Jim Pillen and state leaders announced an agreement between the State and the Nebraska Association of Public Employees (NAPE). NAPE represents over 8,000 state teammates in various positions throughout state government.

“Nebraskans continue to feel the negative impact of high inflation due to policies in Washington,” said Governor Pillen. “This agreement helps lessen that impact on our state teammates by bringing wages to a point that matches the market rate. We have a great team here at the State, and this agreement shows that we appreciate the incredible work they do for the people of Nebraska.”  

Jason Jackson, Director of the Department of Administrative Services, and NAPE also issued statements after reaching agreement on terms for a new labor contract.   

“With low unemployment in Nebraska, we are continuously looking for ways in which we can recruit and retain top talent at the State,” said DAS Director Jackson. “This agreement is a huge step forward in our efforts towards achieving that goal.”  

"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 our fellow Nebraskans,” said NAPE Executive Director Justin Hubly. “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." 

This agreement includes a market adjustment of 5% in 2023 and 2% in 2024 for the majority of covered teammates, with performance-based step opportunities. Enhanced market adjustments of between 10 and 20% were implemented for targeted classifications in critical, hard-to-fill positions, which in prior years, had salaries which were well below market value.