June 2018 Scoop

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Friday, June 1, 2018

Legislature passes pay raises, retiree bonuses in budget The legislature gave final approval to the state budget on Friday.

With this budget, North Carolina will be the first state to pay a $15 an hour ($31,200 annually) minimum wage to state employees. This applies to all permanent employees in state agencies, communities colleges and universities, estimated to be at least 12 percent of the state’s workforce.

All state employees will receive a pay raise of at least 2 percent and five days of bonus leave.

SEANC also led the fight to improve pay, safety and respect for correctional personnel, who will receive a 4 percent raise and a doubling of their line-of-duty death benefit $100,000. The budget also provides differential pay for working in custody levels higher than their current classification.

Click graphic to enlarge

Retirees will receive a 1 percent non-recurring supplemental bonus, and the budget fully funds the retirement system.

The budget now heads to Gov. Roy Cooper’s desk, where he can either sign it, veto it, or let it become law without his signature. If he does veto it, Republicans in the legislature have the votes to override that veto, meaning this is likely the final version of the budget.

Your hard work paid off! Thank you to the SEANC members who made their voices heard through emails, phone calls, yard signs, social media videos and messages!

SEANC Scholarship Foundation Bowl-a-Thon on July 21 Love to bowl or just want to support the SEANC Scholarship Foundation? Join us for the annual SEANC Scholarship Bowl-aThon on July 21 at Buffaloe Lanes North in Raleigh from 1-3 p.m. There will also be a silent auction with tickets to the Carolina Mudcats, Ripley’s Aquarium, theme parks, local pottery, photography and much more!

Register to bowl at https://www.seanc.org/seanc-bowl-a-thon or just come out to enjoy the event and support the Scholarship Foundation! Every member of the family can bowl, and the registration fee is $20 for an individual or $100 for a team (up to 6 bowlers) to play or sponsor a lane for $300. Proceeds will go towards educational scholarships for SEANC members and their dependents.

Questions? Email Carri Derrick.

Now offering new plans with Boston Mutual!

Make plans now to visit two parks in one!

Two parks in one equals so much fun! Contact SEANC at 919.833.6436 and ask us about how to purchase Busch Gardens and Water Country USA tickets.

We are waiting, don’t miss out on this exciting adventure.

www.seanc.org | The State Employees Association of North Carolina | © 2018

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Friday, June 8, 2018

Senate overrides Cooper's veto on budget; House to vote next week Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed the legislature’s budget this week, objecting to the process through which lawmakers approved it. But with a supermajority in both houses of the General Assembly -- the Senate voted to override the veto Thursday and the House will likely follow suit early next week -- the legislature’s budget will become law.

The final budget will include a new minimum salary for many state employees as well as pay raises and a bonus for retirees. The budget is somewhat complicated. SEANC has put together a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to help members navigate it. The pay changes take effect on July 1.

In his press conference, Cooper said that he was glad that the legislature did set aside money for state employee raises in its budget, which he deemed a direct result of his own proposal. "This budget would've been a lot worse (for state employees), but for the budget we put forth," he said.

Also this week, House Bill 969, which would crack down on inmates exposing themselves to correctional personnel and throwing bodily fluids at them, was debated in a hearing Thursday. SEANC member Patricia Moore, a retired correctional officer, spoke out at the hearing on her experiences, telling lawmakers, “Every day that I went to work, I was sexually assaulted by an offender."

As part of its budget, the legislature set aside $20 million for raises for university employees, but gave the UNC System Board of Governors the authority to decide how it is distributed. We are asking university employees to stand up for their pay raise by reaching out to the UNC Board.

Watch this week’s Legislative Update above for more on these topics.

Audit Committee seeking members The SEANC Audit Committee is seeking members to fill open positions immediately, as well as candidates for election to a 3-year term. Candidates shall have financial experience that includes accounting principles, serving as the treasurer for SEANC or other organizations, business operations, reimbursement and compliance officer responsibilities, or similar related experience.

Candidates must submit a resume of relevant experience to be screened by the Audit Committee with a report made to the Board of Governors. Please email resumes to Audit Committee Chairman Keith Renner at vrkeithr@yahoo.com or send to the SEANC Central Office.

SEANC Scholarship Bowl-a-Thon on July 21 Love to bowl or just want to support the SEANC Scholarship Foundation? Join us for the annual SEANC Scholarship Bowla-Thon on July 21 at Buffaloe Lanes North in Raleigh from 1-3 p.m. There will also be a silent auction with tickets to the Carolina Mudcats, Ripley’s Aquarium, theme parks, local pottery, photography and much more!

Register to bowl at https://www.seanc.org/seanc-bowl-a-thon or just come out to enjoy the event and support the Scholarship Foundation! Every member of the family can bowl, and the registration fee is $20 for an individual or $100 for a team (up to 6 bowlers) to play or sponsor a lane for $300. Proceeds will go towards educational scholarships for SEANC members and their dependents.

Questions? Email Carri Derrick.

Now offering new plans with Boston Mutual!

Make plans now to visit Dollywood!

You can purchase your tickets from now until Sept. 28 at any State Employees’ Credit Union branch. Visit www.ncsecu.org to find pricing and a branch near you.

www.seanc.org | The State Employees Association of North Carolina | © 2018

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Friday, June 15, 2018

Flurry of activity as GA session end approaches SEANC lobbyists were busy this week with several bills as the General Assembly moves toward adjournment by the end of the month. We continue to work with legislators to clear up budget language and ensure that all correctional personnel receive the 4 percent raise. The change passed committee on Thursday, and we anticipate a floor vote soon.

SEANC also spent a considerable amount of time this week on House Bill 969, which would create penalties for inmates who expose themselves in the presence of correctional personnel. The bill makes such actions a Class I felony.

Also this week: The News & Observer wrote Tuesday on non-certified school personnel who will not be included in the new minimum salary increase to $31,200. These employees have been underrepresented at the legislature. Their interests align more with rank-and-file state employees than teachers, yet out of around 45,000, we only have 1,500 as members. This needs to change. SEANC needs more teaching assistants, bus mechanics, cafeteria workers and custodians to join, so we can have the political power to raise the minimum salary for them as well.

University system members are stepping to the plate in a big way in the fight for their raises! The state budget appropriated $20 million for raises, but gave the UNC Board of Governors the authority to dole out that money as they please. So far, members have sent more than 7,500 emails urging board members to give rank-and-file university employees the same raises as other state employees. We need to keep it up! Click here to send the board your thoughts.

Members at Central Regional Hospital expressed their excitement over the pay raises and minimum salary increase in the state budget Wednesday at a SEANC Employee Appreciation Event. SEANC fed more than 500 workers at the facility, and 105 new members joined! If you would like to have a similar event at your agency, click here.

Beware of fake charity email scam It has come to our attention that some members may receive a fraudulent email purporting to be from SEANC asking you to contribute to a fundraising effort. The subject of the email may be "Support Madelyn" or something to that effect, and it will reference a "daughter of a SEANC member" who is battling cancer. It also has the SEANC logo at the top.

SEANC DID NOT SEND THIS EMAIL. If you receive it, please do not contribute to it, and do not click the link on it. Your safest option is to simply delete it. If you have any questions, please contact the office at 1-800-222-2758.

SEANC Scholarship Bowl-a-Thon on July 21 Love to bowl or just want to support the SEANC Scholarship Foundation? Join us for the annual SEANC Scholarship Bowla-Thon on July 21 at Buffaloe Lanes North in Raleigh from 1-3 p.m. There will also be a silent auction with tickets to the Carolina Mudcats, Ripley’s Aquarium, theme parks, local pottery, photography and much more!

Register to bowl at https://www.seanc.org/seanc-bowl-a-thon or just come out to enjoy the event and support the Scholarship Foundation! Every member of the family can bowl, and the registration fee is $20 for an individual or $100 for a team (up to 6 bowlers) to play or sponsor a lane for $300. Proceeds will go towards educational scholarships for SEANC members and their dependents.

Questions? Email Carri Derrick.

Now offering new plans with Boston Mutual!

Make plans now to visit Dollywood!

You can purchase your tickets from now until Sept. 28 at any State Employees’ Credit Union branch. Visit www.ncsecu.org to find pricing and a branch near you.

www.seanc.org | The State Employees Association of North Carolina | © 2018

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Manage your preferences | Opt out using TrueRemove™ Got this as a forward? Sign up to receive our future emails.

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Friday, June 22, 2018

Income tax cap sounds good, but hurts SEANC members and taxpayers As the legislative session comes to a close, lawmakers are shifting their focus to placing constitutional amendments on the November ballot. One of those amendments would lower the permanent cap on income tax rates to 5.5 percent. This would have a direct effect on state employees and the services we provide.

To be clear, SEANC is not suggesting that we should increase state income taxes. The truth behind this amendment is that a permanent income tax cap could actually result in higher taxes that will hurt SEANC members. North Carolinians will pay more through higher sales taxes, property taxes and fees. It would also result in massive cuts to healthcare, education and public services.

Also this week, The issue of violence in our prisons is not going away any time soon, as evident by several events this week. An inmate attacked three correctional officers at Polk Correctional on Saturday, and then there were separate attacks at Central Prison during the week.

The state’s Human Resources Director Barbara Gibson called out “gross mischaracterizations” in a column in the New & Observer that accused state employees of being overpaid. Gibson pointed out that the author used selective data and unfair comparisons to further his argument.

More than 50 new members joined SEANC at two successful employee appreciation events this week. SEANC visited the gazebo in Butner, and Longleaf Neuro Medical Treatment Center in Wilson.

SEANC Scholarship Bowl-a-Thon on July 21 Love to bowl or just want to support the SEANC Scholarship Foundation? Join us for the annual SEANC Scholarship Bowla-Thon on July 21 at Buffaloe Lanes North in Raleigh from 1-3 p.m. There will also be a silent auction with tickets to the Carolina Mudcats, Ripley’s Aquarium, theme parks, local pottery, photography and much more!

Register to bowl at https://www.seanc.org/seanc-bowl-a-thon or just come out to enjoy the event and support the Scholarship Foundation! Every member of the family can bowl, and the registration fee is $20 for an individual or $100 for a team (up to 6 bowlers) to play or sponsor a lane for $300. Proceeds will go towards educational scholarships for SEANC members and their dependents.

Questions? Email Carri Derrick.

Now offering new plans with Boston Mutual!

Two parks, one big adventure at Busch Gardens and Water Country USA Purchase your tickets to Busch Gardens at any State Employees’ Credit Union branch. Visit www.ncsecu.org to find pricing and a branch near you.

www.seanc.org | The State Employees Association of North Carolina | © 2018

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Friday, June 29, 2018

Legislature adjourns short session, pay raises take effect Sunday The General Assembly short session drew to a close on Friday. Rather than adjourn for good, though, the legislature plans to return Nov. 27 for a special session, presumably to clear up unfinished business after the November election.

Legislators packed the last week of the session with veto overrides and the passage of bills calling for constitutional amendments to be placed on the ballot in November.

SEANC opposed one of these, Senate Bill 75, which would have lowered the cap on income tax rates from 10 percent to 5.5 percent.

SEANC’s lobbying efforts helped convince House members to reject the 5.5 percent cap, which could have been disastrous. In the end, the bill passed with the 7 percent cap.

While a cap on the amount of income tax we pay may sound good, the reality is that a permanent cap could actually result in higher taxes. North Carolinians could end up paying more for the services they rely on every day through higher sales taxes, property taxes, and fees. It could also include MASSIVE cuts to health care, education, and public services.

Since the last recession, N.C. ranks 33rd in bridge safety, and 22 prisons have closed.

There's already massive understaffing at our prisons, which directly resulted in five deaths of state employees last year. Now is not the time to tie our hands by capping income tax so low that we are unprepared to weather economic downturns, natural disasters or even maintain the costs of public services.

Voters will decide whether or not the cap should be lowered in November.

Pay raises take effect Sunday The new state budget will take effect on July 1, with employees seeing their first pay increases in the July check later in the month. Retirees will see their 1 percent bonus in the October pension check, according to the state retirement system.

Pay raises for university employees are still undecided. We need members of the universities to reach out to the UNC Board of Governors as well as the boards of trustees at your university to tell them to give the same 2 percent raise to their rankand-file employees that most other state employees receive.

Budget details can be found in the graphic below:

SEANC Scholarship Bowl-a-Thon on July 21 Love to bowl or just want to support the SEANC Scholarship Foundation? Join us for the annual SEANC Scholarship Bowl-aThon on July 21 at Buffaloe Lanes North in Raleigh from 1-3 p.m. There will also be a silent auction with tickets to the Carolina Mudcats, Ripley’s Aquarium, theme parks, local pottery, photography and much more!

Register to bowl at https://www.seanc.org/seanc-bowl-a-thon or just come out to enjoy the event and support the Scholarship Foundation! Every member of the family can bowl, and the registration fee is $20 for an individual or $100 for a team (up to 6 bowlers) to play or sponsor a lane for $300. Proceeds will go towards educational scholarships for SEANC members and their dependents.

Questions? Email Carri Derrick.

Now offering new plans with Boston Mutual!

www.seanc.org | The State Employees Association of North Carolina | © 2018

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Manage your preferences | Opt out using TrueRemove™ Got this as a forward? Sign up to receive our future emails.

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