Nebraska prison and security workers vote to create new union, a step to seek better pay
Source: Omaha World Herald
By Paul Hammel
LINCOLN — State prison and security workers voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to create a new union, expressing hope that it will lead to better pay and working conditions, particularly for prison guards.
“The goals are simple: make our workplaces safe, make our jobs places that people want to make their careers,” said Mike Chipman, and Omaha-based corrections caseworker who is president of the new union, the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 88.
Ballots counted on Thursday showed that state security workers employed in state prisons, regional centers, youth rehabilitation centers and the State Capitol voted 510 to 47 to switch from the Nebraska Association of Public Employees of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (NAPE/AFSCME) to the FOP. About 35 percent of the 1,600 workers in those jobs voted in the mail election.
Troubles within the state prison system, including two deadly riots in the past three years, have been linked to staffing issues, such as high turnover, mandatory overtime and lower pay among state corrections officers.
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