Nebraska Revised Statutes

Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-1373 (2026)

Bargaining units; created; other employee units

✓ current as of July 2026
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(1) For the purpose of implementing the state employees' right to organize for the purpose of collective bargaining, there are hereby created twelve bargaining units for all state agencies except the University of Nebraska, the Nebraska state colleges, and other constitutional offices. The units shall consist of state employees whose job classifications are occupationally and functionally related and who share a community of interest. The bargaining units shall be:

(a) Maintenance, Trades, and Technical, which unit is composed of generally recognized blue collar and technical classes, including highway maintenance workers, carpenters, plumbers, electricians, print shop workers, auto mechanics, engineering aides and associates, and similar classes;

(b) Administrative Support, which unit is composed of clerical and administrative nonprofessional classes, including typists, secretaries, accounting clerks, computer operators, office service personnel, and similar classes;

(c) Health and Human Care Nonprofessional, which unit is composed of institutional care classes, including nursing aides, psychiatric aides, therapy aides, and similar classes;

(d) Social Services and Counseling, which unit is composed of generally professional-level workers providing services and benefits to eligible persons. Classes shall include job service personnel, income maintenance personnel, social workers, counselors, and similar classes;

(e) Administrative Professional, which unit is composed of professional employees with general business responsibilities, including accountants, buyers, personnel specialists, data processing personnel, and similar classes;

(f) Protective Service, which unit is composed of institutional security personnel, including correctional officers, building security guards, and similar classes;

(g) Law Enforcement, which unit is composed of employees holding powers of arrest, including Nebraska State Patrol officers and sergeants, conservation officers, fire marshal personnel, and similar classes. Sergeants, investigators, and patrol officers employed by the Nebraska State Patrol as authorized in section 81-2004 shall be presumed to have a community of interest with each other and shall be included in this bargaining unit notwithstanding any other provision of law which may allow for the contrary;

(h) Health and Human Care Professional, which unit is composed of community health, nutrition, and health service professional employees, including nurses, doctors, psychologists, pharmacists, dietitians, licensed therapists, and similar classes;

(i) Examining, Inspection, and Licensing, which unit is composed of employees empowered to review certain public and business activities, including driver-licensing personnel, revenue agents, bank and insurance examiners who remain in the State Personnel System under sections 8-105 and 44-119, various public health and protection inspectors, and similar classes;

(j) Engineering, Science, and Resources, which unit is composed of specialized professional scientific occupations, including civil and other engineers, architects, chemists, geologists and surveyors, and similar classes;

(k) Teachers, which unit is composed of employees required to be licensed or certified as a teacher; and

(l) Supervisory, which unit is composed of employees who are supervisors as defined in section 48-801.

All employees who are excluded from bargaining units pursuant to the Industrial Relations Act, all employees of the personnel division of the Department of Administrative Services, and all employees of the Division of Employee Relations of the Department of Administrative Services shall be excluded from any bargaining unit of state employees.

(2) Any employee organization, including one which represents other state employees, may be certified or recognized as provided in the Industrial Relations Act as the exclusive collective-bargaining agent for a supervisory unit, except that such unit shall not have full collective-bargaining rights but shall be afforded only meet-and-confer rights.

(3)(a) It is the intent of the Legislature that the professional staff employee classifications, including the managerial-professional employee classification, and the office and service staff employee classification, be grouped in broad occupational units for the University of Nebraska and the Nebraska state colleges established on a university-wide or college-system-wide basis, including all campuses within the system.

(b) Any unit entirely composed of supervisory employees of the University of Nebraska or the Nebraska state colleges shall be afforded only meet-and-confer rights.

(c) Any bargaining unit seeking to represent an academic-administrative staff employee classification consisting of faculty, including adjunct faculty, of the University of Nebraska or of any administrative unit of the university may organize and seek recognition or certification by the commission on an administrative unit-wide basis as otherwise determined pursuant to the Industrial Relations Act.

(d) The bargaining units for academic, faculty, and teaching employees of the Nebraska state colleges shall continue as they existed on April 9, 1987, and any adjustments thereto or new units therefor shall continue to be determined pursuant to the Industrial Relations Act.

(4) Other constitutional offices shall continue to subscribe to the procedures for unit determination in the Industrial Relations Act, except that the commission is further directed to determine the bargaining units in such manner as to (a) reduce the effect of overfragmentation of bargaining units on the efficiency of administration and operations of the constitutional office and (b) be consistent with the administrative structure of the constitutional office. Any unit entirely composed of supervisory employees of a constitutional office shall be afforded only meet-and-confer rights.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 9 cases (1 in the last 5 years), 1989–2024 · leading case: Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 88 v. State, 316 Neb. 28 (Neb. 2024).
Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 88 v. State, 316 Neb. 28 (Neb. 2024). · cites it 5× “” 40 FOP 88’s petition to amend or clarify the PSBU focused on § 48-801 of the Industrial Relations Act and § 81-1373 of the Bargaining Act. The State’s answer had a similar focus.”
White v. State, 540 N.W.2d 354 (Neb. 1995). “While the definitions of law enforcement used in § 81-1401(3)(b) and § 81-1373(l)(f) and (g) are not binding when we construe § 81-1932, they certainly are persuasive.”
Neb. Prot. Servs. Unit, Inc. v. State, 910 N.W.2d 767 (Neb. 2018). “Therefore, the CIR did not err in denying NPSU's request for an election and dismissing the complaint. CONCLUSION For the reasons set forth herein, we affirm the judgment of the CIR.”
Nebraska Prot. Servs. Unit v. State, 299 Neb. 797 (Neb. 2018). “3 § 81-1373(1)(f). - 800 - Nebraska Supreme Court A dvance Sheets 299 Nebraska R eports NEBRASKA PROTECTIVE SERVS.”
Livengood v. Nebraska State Patrol Ret. Sys., 729 N.W.2d 55 (Neb. 2007). “4 § 81-1373(1)(g). 5 § 81-1371(9). 6 § 81-1377(2).”
State Code Agencies Educ. Ass'n v. State, 434 N.W.2d 684 (Neb. 1989). · cites it 4× “Section 5 [§ 81-1373] . . . .” Torrence further testified that he and Kriha first discussed collective bargaining between the Association and the State on September 10, 1987, but that Kriha and Torrence had discussions in “early to mid-August when he [Kriha] wanted to talk about…”
Bower-Hansen v. Nebraska Dept. of Health & Human Servs., 302 Neb. 847 (Neb. 2019). · cites it 5× “Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-1373 (Reissue 2014) refers to a number of units created by statute for col- lective bargaining purposes.”
Bower-Hansen v. Nebraska Dept. of Health & Human Servs., 302 Neb. 847 (Neb. 2019). · cites it 5× “Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-1373 (Reissue 2014) refers to a number of units created by statute for col- lective bargaining purposes.”
Bower-Hansen v. Nebraska Dept. of Health & Human Servs., 302 Neb. 847 (Neb. 2019). · cites it 5× “Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-1373 (Reissue 2014) refers to a number of units created by statute for collective bargaining purposes.”
— Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-1373(1) — 1 case
Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 88 v. State, 316 Neb. 28 (Neb. 2024). “” 40 FOP 88’s petition to amend or clarify the PSBU focused on § 48-801 of the Industrial Relations Act and § 81-1373 of the Bargaining Act. The State’s answer had a similar focus.”
— Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-1373(1)(f) — 3 cases
Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 88 v. State, 316 Neb. 28 (Neb. 2024). “” 40 FOP 88’s petition to amend or clarify the PSBU focused on § 48-801 of the Industrial Relations Act and § 81-1373 of the Bargaining Act. The State’s answer had a similar focus.”
Neb. Prot. Servs. Unit, Inc. v. State, 910 N.W.2d 767 (Neb. 2018). “Therefore, the CIR did not err in denying NPSU's request for an election and dismissing the complaint. CONCLUSION For the reasons set forth herein, we affirm the judgment of the CIR.”
Nebraska Prot. Servs. Unit v. State, 299 Neb. 797 (Neb. 2018). “3 § 81-1373(1)(f). - 800 - Nebraska Supreme Court A dvance Sheets 299 Nebraska R eports NEBRASKA PROTECTIVE SERVS.”
— Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-1373(1)(g) — 1 case
Livengood v. Nebraska State Patrol Ret. Sys., 729 N.W.2d 55 (Neb. 2007). “4 § 81-1373(1)(g). 5 § 81-1371(9). 6 § 81-1377(2).”
— Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-1373(1)(k) — 3 cases
Bower-Hansen v. Nebraska Dept. of Health & Human Servs., 302 Neb. 847 (Neb. 2019). “Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-1373 (Reissue 2014) refers to a number of units created by statute for col- lective bargaining purposes.”
Bower-Hansen v. Nebraska Dept. of Health & Human Servs., 302 Neb. 847 (Neb. 2019). “Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-1373 (Reissue 2014) refers to a number of units created by statute for col- lective bargaining purposes.”
Bower-Hansen v. Nebraska Dept. of Health & Human Servs., 302 Neb. 847 (Neb. 2019). “Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-1373 (Reissue 2014) refers to a number of units created by statute for collective bargaining purposes.”
— Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-1373(1)(l) — 1 case
Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 88 v. State, 316 Neb. 28 (Neb. 2024). “” 40 FOP 88’s petition to amend or clarify the PSBU focused on § 48-801 of the Industrial Relations Act and § 81-1373 of the Bargaining Act. The State’s answer had a similar focus.”
— Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-1373(l)(f) — 1 case
White v. State, 540 N.W.2d 354 (Neb. 1995). “While the definitions of law enforcement used in § 81-1401(3)(b) and § 81-1373(l)(f) and (g) are not binding when we construe § 81-1932, they certainly are persuasive.”
— Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-1373(l)(k) — 1 case
State Code Agencies Educ. Ass'n v. State, 434 N.W.2d 684 (Neb. 1989). “Section 5 [§ 81-1373] . . . .” Torrence further testified that he and Kriha first discussed collective bargaining between the Association and the State on September 10, 1987, but that Kriha and Torrence had discussions in “early to mid-August when he [Kriha] wanted to talk about…”
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