Nebraska faces contempt for defying remote work order
NEBRASKA, UNITED STATES — An escalating legal fight between the U.S. state of Nebraska and a public employees union centers on remote work policies for state workers.
The Nebraska Association of Public Employees (NAPE), representing over 8,000 state employees, filed a motion asking the Lancaster County District Court to hold the state in contempt.
This comes after agency heads disregarded a previous court ruling temporarily halting Governor Jim Pillen’s order requiring employees to return full-time to offices in 2024.
NAPE argues the state is violating collective bargaining rights and defying a December 29th decision by the Nebraska Commission of Industrial Relations, which has equal legal standing to a district court order per state statute.
“The CIR’s order is clear and unambiguous. It’s shocking that the State would simply ignore the Commission’s order,” said Justin Hubly, the union’s executive director.
“The state has left us with no option but to go to court to enforce the CIR’s order.”
Governor Pillen previously asserted the need for in-person work to maximize productivity now that the pandemic has ended.
However, a NAPE internal survey found that 16% of respondents are considering leaving state employment due to the remote work ban. Some indicated they would stay if the policy was reversed.
