Neb. Rev. Stat. § 48-801 (2026)

As used in the Industrial Relations Act, unless the context otherwise requires:

(1) Certificated employee has the same meaning as in section 79-824;

(2) Commission means the Commission of Industrial Relations;

(3) Commissioner means a member of the commission;

(4) Governmental service means all services performed under employment by the State of Nebraska or any political or governmental subdivision thereof, including public corporations, municipalities, and public utilities;

(5) Industrial dispute includes any controversy between public employers and public employees concerning terms, tenure, or conditions of employment; the association or representation of persons in negotiating, fixing, maintaining, changing, or seeking to arrange terms or conditions of employment; or refusal to discuss terms or conditions of employment;

(6) Instructional employee means an employee of a community college who provides direct instruction to students;

(7) Labor organization means any organization of any kind or any agency or employee representation committee or plan, in which public employees participate and which exists for the purpose, in whole or in part, of dealing with public employers concerning grievances, labor disputes, wages, rates of pay, hours of employment, or conditions of work;

(8) Metropolitan statistical area means a metropolitan statistical area as defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget;

(9) Municipality means any city or village in Nebraska;

(10) Noncertificated and noninstructional school employee means a school district, educational service unit, or community college employee who is not a certificated or instructional employee;

(11) Public employee includes any person employed by a public employer;

(12) Public employer means the State of Nebraska or any political or governmental subdivision of the State of Nebraska except the Nebraska National Guard or state militia;

(13) Public utility includes any person or governmental entity, including any public corporation, public power district, or public power and irrigation district, which carries on an intrastate business in this state and over which the government of the United States has not assumed exclusive regulation and control, that furnishes transportation for hire, telephone service, telegraph service, electric light, heat, or power service, gas for heating or illuminating, whether natural or artificial, or water service, or any one or more thereof; and

(14) Supervisor means any public employee having authority, in the interest of the public employer, to hire, transfer, suspend, lay off, recall, promote, discharge, assign, reward, or discipline other public employees, or responsibility to direct them, to adjust their grievances, or effectively to recommend such action, if in connection with such action the exercise of such authority is not of a merely routine or clerical nature but requires the use of independent judgment.