Industrial court rejects GIPS request to dismiss teacher’s union lawsuit

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (KSNB) - The Nebraska Court of Industrial Relations has rejected a petition to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Grand Island teachers against the Grand Island Public School District.

In January, the Grand Island Education Association sued the district in the CIR claiming that it should be paying certain substitute teachers as fulltime employees. The teachers union claimed that subs were being used to replace teachers who had retired or otherwise left the district permanently. GIEA maintains that those teachers should be treated as full-time employees.

In February, an attorney for Grand Island Public Schools asked the CIR to dismiss the complaint filed by the union. claiming that it failed to specify which teachers were misclassified and therefore could not establish that those teachers were union members. GIPS also argued that the union’s petition did not specify when the alleged prohibited practices happened and so could not establish that the alleged wrongdoing fell within the six-month timeframe during which a complaint could be filed.

On Tuesday, a CIR spokesperson confirmed to Local4 that the court had rejected the school district’s motion to dismiss. The spokesperson said the matter was set for trial July 21, with a possible extension to July 22 if necessary.