CIR trial concludes in state v. union dispute over return-to-office bargaining

The trial to solve the labor dispute between the state of Nebraska and its employee union over return-to-work requirements concluded Tuesday.

The trial was conducted by the Nebraska Commission of Industrial Relations, or CIR – a state agency designed to resolve public labor sector disputes.

In December, the Nebraska Association of Public Employees, or NAPE, sought a trial to determine whether the State of Nebraska violated the Nebraska Collective Bargaining by refusing to bargain over Gov. Jim Pillen’s executive order requiring state employees to end remote work.

According to CIR clerk Ashlea Whitney, both parties will submit briefs in the coming weeks and a final decision will likely be made sometime in April.

By way of full disclosure, some Nebraska Public Media staff are members of NAPE AFSCME.