OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska state employees union is considering an appeal after a commission sided with the state's Republican governor in ordering state employees to return to their offices . Gov.
Jim Pillen issued a statement late Thursday announcing the ruling by the state Commission on Industrial Relations, or CIR, on his order ending remote work, which had been implemented during the pandemic. The commission serves as an arbitrator to resolve public sector wage and working condition disputes “Today’s ruling is a vindication of the state’s right to determine that its public servants will come into work where they can be most productive," Pillen said in the release. Pillen, a hog farmer by trade who has often said he envisions running state government like a business, followed in the footsteps of a number of corporations that have stepped up return-to-office policies , despite a backlash from some employees.
That included Google, Salesforce, Amazon and Zoom. The decision came in a challenge to Pillen's return-to-office order issued in November by the union representing state employees, the Nebraska Association of Public Employees. The ruling went beyond simply dismissing the state employee union's challenge.
It accused the union of acting in bad faith and characterized the challenge as a “disingenuous maneuver" intended to delay Pillen's executive order and boost membership numbers. The commission then took the rare step of ordering the union to pay the state'.