Paid Sick Leave for Nebraskans Coalition React to Legislative Efforts to Overturn Vote Coalition Partners Review Polling for Possible Referendum

LINCOLN, NE – Today, the Paid Sick Leave for Nebraskans coalition is sharing new polling results that reveal Nebraska voters think the legislature is going too far with their efforts to roll back portions of the voter-approved initiative that nearly 75% of Nebraskans supported last November. 

The poll, conducted by GBAO Strategies this month, shows that 64% of respondents would support a referendum “to undo changes made by the legislature and restore the law to what voters passed last year.”

The coalition issued the following statement:

“The Legislature is on the verge of rolling back key provisions of both earned paid sick leave and minimum wage laws, reducing the number of Nebraska workers who will benefit and greatly limiting the scope of the benefits provided.

LB415 removes protections for paid sick leave from 140,000 Nebraskans, while LB258 caps increases to the minimum wage at a level that would decrease the buying power of our lowest wage workers over time, and leave too many hardworking Nebraskans struggling to make ends meet.

The Nebraska organizations that led these initiatives remain united in our efforts to protect the will of Nebraska voters and ensure implementation of these common sense policies that help working families thrive.

All options are on the table to protect these voter-approved measures, including referendums or constitutional amendments. It shouldn’t have to come to that though, as Nebraskans already made it clear that they overwhelmingly support straightforward policies that strengthen our workforce, communities, and economy. But we will not idly watch the legislature override the will of hundreds of thousands of Nebraska voters. We call on those senators who voted to support LB415 and LB258 to reconsider and oppose them on Select File.”
GBAO surveyed 600 likely Nebraska 2026 voters from April 16-22, representative of registered voters statewide with regard to age, demographics, and political affiliation.

The coalition includes the following members:

ACLU of Nebraska
Mothers & Others: Mercy and Justice for Immigrants
Nebraska Appleseed
Nebraska Appleseed Action Fund
Nebraska Civic Engagement Table
Nebraska State AFL-CIO
Omaha Together One Community
OutNebraska
Planned Parenthood Advocates of Nebraska
Second House Collaborative
The Women’s Fund of Omaha
Voices for Children in Nebraska