County reports legal expenses vs. road union

FALLS CITY - The Richardson County clerk’s office provided a legal cost briefing following an August board meeting where citizens called for teamwork to improve county roads rather than legal actions at the Court of Industrial Relations.

The Nebraska Association of Public Employees says the county has spent $140,000, but county records indicate $188,246 in legal expenses since 2022.

The clerk's office listed circumstances that required legal expenses below

 

 

The expenses begin in February of 2022 with a grievance over accumulated leave time and continued with a Commission of Industrial Relations filing in September. The clerk’s document says the county asked for a letter from the union to consider wage changes in the contract, but no letter came. The commission upheld the county board procedures.

Negotiations for a new contract began in October of 2023, four months after the previous contract expired.

A federal mediation meeting ended in June of 2024 without resolution and the union filed a case with the labor commission.

A second grievance filed in 2024 alleged that road workers should receive civil leave pay for testifying at a commission hearing. The commission again upheld the county.

The clerk's office provided expenses pertaining to the circumstances below

 

 

These reports and additional information are available at the county's website along with the county board's contract proposal and the road union's contract proposal.

https://richardsoncountyne.gov/