The Associated Press
Nebraska’s push to increase pay for front-line prison staffers appears to have eased some of the chronic shortages that have caused problems in the corrections department.
Officials including Gov. Pete Ricketts say raises approved in a November union agreement have nearly tripled the number of weekly job applications to the corrections department, from 34 to 96. The number of vacancies in the agency has fallen by more than half, from 427 to 206.
Nebraska’s prison system has struggled with worker shortages for years, a problem that worsened during the pandemic and even raised security concerns. The deal between state officials and the state correctional workers’ union provided an $8-an-hour raise for staffers and double-time pay for overtime.
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