May 2017 • Vol. 35, Issue 4
THE
REPORTER
State Employees Association of North Carolina
The hard work of SEANC members and lobbyists has resulted in bipartisan support for true, meaningful pay raises for state employees and cost-of-living adjustments for retirees as the state budget debate continues to heat up. SEANC worked with Rep. Chris Malone (R-Wake) to file House Bill 540, which would give a pay increase of $2,400 to all state employees and teachers with a base salary of less than $100,000 a year. Three other Republicans, Reps. Jonathan Jordan (R-Ashe), John Bell (R-Craven) and John Hardister (R-Guilford), signed on as primary sponsors of the bill as well. We appreciate Rep. Malone’s willingness to take a stand for state employees. It’s also encouraging that a third of Republican House members support it. Clearly, they recognize that state employees are hurting and have been left behind. One-in-three state employees make less than $31,000 annually, and both active and retired employees have lost 10 percent of their buying power since 2010. Equal pay raises the only way Gov. Roy Cooper’s budget proposal
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Why Join SEANC? Members in Action Public Policy Annual Meetings Bowl-a-Thon Executive Order 5
gave state employees an $800 pay raise and $500 bonus while granting some teachers as much as a 10-percent increase. An equal raise for all state employees — whether they work at our prisons, our schools, our hospitals or at any other state agency — is the only fair way to lift all boats. All state employees and teachers are going to be hit with higher premiums by the State Health Plan and face the same increases in the cost of goods and services daily. It’s only right that we should all receive the same raises. Retiree COLA bills gain traction as well SEANC also worked with Rep. Jordan to file a bill for state retirees that has gained bipartisan support. House Bill 497 would grant a 2-percent cost-of-living adjustment for all state retirees this year. Reps. Malone, Pat Hurley (R-Randolph) and Larry Strickland (R-Johnston) signed on as primary sponsors for this bill, and 22 representatives from both sides of the aisle have signed on as secondary sponsors. This bill is similar to Senate Bill 314 sponsored by Sen. Joyce Waddell (D-Mecklenburg) and co-sponsored by Sens. Don Davis (D-Pitt) and Erica Smith-Ingram (D-Northampton). Jordan’s bill received a favorable report from the House Pensions
SARA COWELL COBURN
Bipartisan support for raises, COLAs ahead of state budget talks
and Retirement Committee. SEANC Retiree Council Chairman Benny Brigman spoke out in support of the bill at that committee’s meeting, saying, “The promise of retirement benefits is one of the main reasons that brought us to state government service. So often we were working below the market value of our jobs because of the promise of a good retirement. Since I retired in 2003, I have seen the cost of everything go up and up and my pension check has only increased about 2 percent.” State budget to decide fate of bills Both the pay raise and the retiree COLA issues will be decided when the state budget is approved. The unofficial deadline for approval is July 1, when the new fiscal year starts. Neither the House nor the Senate has released their budget proposals as of press time. SEANC continues to work with leaders in both to ensure that your voice is heard in the process.