House budget disrespects state employees, retirees
The House budget proposal passed on May 3 in a 61-55 floor vote with little debate.
The budget proposes a raise of only 1% or $500, whichever is greater, for most state workers. Adding insult to injury, this raise would not take effect until Jan. 1, 2020, which is six months into the state’s fiscal year. Overall, the proposed budget allocates a measly $44 million for pay raises less than 0.2% of the entire $24 billion budget.
The budget bill does not contain a cost-of-living adjustment or supplement for retiree pensions for the coming fiscal year, even as lawmakers touted revenue surpluses and tax cuts for corporations.
The proposal also severely underfunds the State Health Plan, containing just $39 million in the first year of the biennium. This will force the plan to spend the bulk of its reserves.
The House budget also ignores wage compression issues throughout state government and fails to provide high
“ This budget is a slap in the face.”
SEANC President Jimmy Davis
enough salary increases for key hard-tofill positions.
Following the budget unveiling on April 30, SEANC issued a news release calling on all House members to vote against the proposal.
“This budget is a slap in the face,” said SEANC President Jimmy Davis. “House leaders have failed to prioritize public services and disrespected the people who provide them. House members of both parties should reject this plan.”
The proposal came out just hours before teachers closed schools statewide and took to the streets for their annual rally. Unlike teachers, who can rely on
their local school boards to give them the day off to protest, there is a law that prohibits state employees from walking off the job.
“Closing prisons, shuttering hospitals, or abandoning road projects to take to the streets is not an option for most state workers,” said Robert Broome, SEANC Executive Director, reacting to the announcement. “Our members deserve equitable pay and benefits. We’ll be at work tomorrow, but make no mistake, our voices will be heard loud and clear on our own time.”
Fortunately, this is not the final budget. The Senate will make its own proposal in late May.
WE CAN’T LET UP NOW!
Visit SEANC.org/engage to contact your Senators and tell them:
• This budget is unacceptable.
• Oppose Bill HB 184.
HB 184 passes House vote, stalls in Senate
The N.C. House of Representatives passed House Bill 184 on April 3. This anti-worker bill blocks Treasurer Folwell’s efforts to lower healthcare costs for state employees, retirees and their families.
HB 184 prohibits the State Treasurer from enacting a provider reimbursement strategy that could save State Health Plan members $57 million per year in out-of-pocket expenses and save taxpayers more than $258 million annually.
The bill strips power from the
Treasurer and the State Health Plan Board of Trustees, which voted unanimously in October 2018 to adopt a strategy to reimburse providers for treatment at 182% of Medicare rates.
House leaders refused to send the bill to the Pensions and Retirement Committee for review, even though HB 184 is projected to add more than $1.1 billion to the State Health Plan’s unfunded liability. Lawmakers voted 75-36 to pass HB 184.
Dozens of SEANC members were on hand at the vote.
After moving through the House, the bill was stalled in the Senate as of press time.
Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger’s office told media outlets soon after the House vote that Berger “would be hesitant to involve the legislature in micromanaging a plan that we authorized the Treasurer to manage just a few years ago.”
The bill has been sent to the Senate Rules Committee. Hospital lobbyists vow to continue fighting for movement in the Senate.
Health Care Town Hall a success, more events to come
The town hall event on the Clear Pricing Project hosted by SEANC on May 2 in Greenville was a success, even though representatives from the hospitals declined our invitation to attend.
Ongoing sessions in the General Assembly also prohibited invited legislators from the area from attending.
State Treasurer Dale Folwell explained to an audience of more than 50 members why reform is needed for the State Health Plan and health care costs in general. He said that the State Health Plan has more buying power than Amazon, JP Morgan Chase and Berkshire Hathaway combined, and he planned to use that power to lower plan member costs, especially for dependent care premiums.
“We’re trying to make sure state employees can afford the dependent plan without having to work one week out of the month to pay for the premium,” Folwell said, to applause. “Young state employees are being forced to choose between a mortgage and health care.”
He said the effort is another way he is fulfilling the promises he made to state employees and retirees when he ran for the office in 2016. “That’s what’s wrong with the country now. People apply for the job to be this or that, and when they
get to Washington or Raleigh they do something completely different. I think what you put on your job application, you should adhere to every single day as an elected official.”
SEANC Executive Director Robert Broome stressed that the Clear Pricing Project fits in with SEANC’s mission of protecting and enhancing the rights and benefits of current, retired and future state employees.
Broome also chastised hospitals for the lack of transparency of their billing systems, where patients seldom know what they are paying for.
Government Relations Director Ardis Watkins moderated the event and read a statement from Vidant Health CEO Mike Waldrum, who stated that
REPORTER THE
ADVERTISING POLICY
SEANC accepts advertising material from companies and persons seeking to communicate with SEANC members. Acceptance of this advertising does not indicate SEANC approval or endorsement of any representation that the message, product or service is as represented by the advertiser. SEANC accepts no responsibility and shall not be liable for any use of or reliance on any such information, product or service. SEANC is a private entity and is under no obligation to carry advertisements of any nature, political or otherwise, that may be viewed as contrary to the interests of the association and its membership.
he could not attend because he didn’t think a town hall forum was a sufficient venue to discuss the plan, even though he has taken part in similar events with business leaders on the same topic.
Waldrum echoed those sentiments in a press release, prompting a response from Broome.
“Hospital executives are curiously unwilling to discuss the State Health Plan unless they control the agenda or the audience,” Broome told The Greenville Daily Reflector. “They’re comfortable testifying at a stacked legislative hearing in Raleigh or speaking at luncheons with business leaders, but refuse to take part in a town hall addressing the concerns of the working people who are overpaying for their health care.”
SEANC also held a town hall forum on May 16 in Raleigh on this important matter, and hope to bring one to the western part of the state as well. Details on those events will be forthcoming.
For now, state employees and retirees should continue to reach out to their senators to tell them to oppose House Bill 184, which would stop the Treasurer from doing his job to save you money. Visit seanc.org/engage to easily find and contact your senator on this issue.
Jonathan Owens, Editor-In-Chief
JONATHAN
State Treasurer Dale R. Folwell greets attendants during the May 2 town hall event in Greenville.
The online retirement application is here!
If you are within 120 days from your chosen retirement date, you have a new way to apply for retirement! The NC Retirement Systems now has an online retirement feature in ORBIT. No more filling in multiple forms by hand or waiting for the Retirement Systems Division to receive your paperwork by mail.
The online application offers a step-by-step guide to move you through the process, integrated
videos, examples and links available on screen at critical decision-making points and built-in pension rules that prevent delays in the processing of your retirement application.
Make sure you have an up-to-date ORBIT account so you'll be ready when retirement time comes. The first step to take if you’re thinking about retirement is to log in to
ORBIT to get a free, customized benefit estimate of your retirement benefits to make sure you're ready to retire.
Talk to your Human Resources staff to let them know your intentions and follow any internal processes your employer has. Once you have your customized benefit estimate and have spoken with your employer, log in to ORBIT and click on the “Apply for Retirement Online” link.
Information sessions on Medicare options continue through June
The State Health Plan is offering in-person information sessions on “Understanding Your Medical Plan Options When You Become Medicare-Eligible.” These popular, free sessions are designed for active employees who will soon be 65, are already 65 or older, and retirees
getting ready to turn 65.
Each session lasts approximately two hours and will explain important information regarding Medicare, your retirement health benefit options and offer the opportunity to ask questions.
The in-person sessions are held
2019 RETIREE PAY DATES
Dates pension checks are direct deposited to your bank account or checks are mailed:
May 24
June 25
July 25
August 23
September 25
October 25
November 25
December 20
Contact NC Retirement Systems at 877-627-3287 with address updates, questions about your retirement check or deductions.
The Reporter, USPS 009-852 (ISSN 1069 2142), is published six times a year in the months of February, April, May, July, September and November for $2.50 per year, per member, by the State Employees Association of North Carolina, Inc., 1621 Midtown Place, Raleigh, NC 27609. Periodicals postage paid at Raleigh and additional offices. POSTMASTER, Send address changes to: THE REPORTER, 1621 Midtown Place, Raleigh, NC 27609
The Retiree Council met on May 2 at the SEANC Office to discuss issues that affect current and future retirees, including new insurance products, town hall meetings and pension reform.
Executive Director Robert Broome (standing) gives the council a legislative update.
across the state and will run through June. If you’re unable to attend an in-person meeting, the Plan is offering convenient online webinars on the same topic from now through July. Visit www.shpnc.org and click “Upcoming Events” to register for and onsite event or webinar.
ANNUAL MEETINGS
Annual meetings offer the inside scoop
Want the inside scoop on what is going on in state government?
The best place to find out is at your district’s annual meeting!
Each of SEANC’s 51 districts is required to hold an annual meeting prior to the Annual SEANC Convention, which is held in September. The districts hold these meetings in early summer each year (see this year’s schedule on the next page).
District meetings are a wonderful place to get the answers you need about your membership, your job, your district and more. SEANC’s statewide officers and senior staff representatives provide an update on
MEMBERS IN ACTION
the legislative session, State Health Plan, retirement system and more at each meeting.
Also, the district annual meeting gives you the opportunity to gain new ideas on ways to protect, enhance and advocate for your rights and benefits, and recruit new members! You can also get an overview of the many insurance products and discounts SEANC offers.
District meetings usually include a meal and social time, but you must also come ready to work! Delegates to the convention and district officers are chosen at annual meetings. In addition, candidates for SEANC’s statewide officers will lay out their
Representative
own visions for the coming year and ask for your support.
Policy platform objectives and bylaws amendments also originate at district annual meetings. Policy platform objectives outline the procedures and goals that guide the association’s lobbying activities. Bylaws amendments define the purpose and internal structure of our organization.
Now is your chance to be an active member of SEANC! We need as many active members as possible in order to be successful in lobbying efforts and beyond.
Find your district in the list on the next page, and mark your calendars to attend!
At left, District 65 members participated for their 25th year in the Pitt County Relay for Life on April 12-13 in Winterville. The team was made up of members, their families and friends. Together they raised approximately $3,106.00 doing various fund raisers throughout the year that will go to the American Cancer Society. Picture includes (left to right): Debbie Austin, Kathryn Kittrell, Ava Hunt, Lynn Tuthill, DeAnne Smith, Haley Clayborne, Seth Tuthill, Inga Jones, Neichelle Bell, Tiffany Cannon, Destiny Hooker, Dorothy Andrews, Alicia Simpson, Tanya Cannon, Tabatha Phillips, Mary Johnson, District 65 Chair Cynthia Hart, Bailey Cannon, Kiana Price; (children in front row): Tyree Price-Holloman, Khaleed Price-Holloman and Te'Amonie Bell; (not pictured): Linda Sawyer, Linda Nelson, Tiasia Andrews, Adorian Bell, Linda Schadler, Laquanda Walters, Gloria Gorham, Jessica Cringan, Kieanna Baker, Stasia Austin.
JOHNNY DAVISON
Member Relations Specialist Carri Derrick (right) explains SEANC member discounts at the DPS Yonkers Road building on April 25.
Department of Environmental Quality personnel receive membership benefits information and a legislative update at the Archdale Building in Raleigh on April 24.
Member Relations
Johnny Davison and District 2
Membership Chair Cliff Johnson visited the Haywood County Courthouse on April 4 to share the benefits of SEANC membership.
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2 May 28 6:00 p.m. Asiana Grand Buffet, 1968 Hendersonville Rd.
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5 May 21 5:30 p.m. Western Piedmont CC, Higher Learning Ctr, 1001 Burkemont Ave.
6 June 11 6:00 p.m. Broughton Hospital, 1000 S. Sterling St.
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8 June 15 2:00 p.m.
9 June 6 6:00 p.m. Boxcar Grille, 3103 Taylorsville Hwy.
10 June 10 6:30 p.m. Golden Corral, 1540 US 29
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12 June 25 6:30 p.m.
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16 June 11 6:00 p.m. UNC School of Arts, ACE Exhibition Complex, 1533 South Main St.
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turkey10133@yahoo.com
Y Tonia Warnic royalteeisme@gmail.com
seancdistrict13@gmail.com
slawson50@triad.rr.com
(336) 697-8724
20 June 8 10:00 a.m. Southern Coastal Training Center, 180 Sandhills Dr. Raeford Y Jacque Chatman (910) 624-6134
21 June 20 6:00 p.m. Carolina BBQ, 1597 NC Hwy 56 W. Creedmoor Y Virginia Lindsey vdlstar10@hotmail.com
22 June 28 6:30 p.m. Sammios Italian Restaurant, 2623 Raeford Rd. Fayetteville Y Deborah Harney deborahharney@ymail.com
23 May 7 7:00 p.m. Dale's Seafood, 107 S. JK Powell Blvd. Whiteville Y Jeremy Register jgr74@ymail.com
24 June 20 6:00 p.m. Village Station, 2744 N. Roberts Ave. Lumberton Y Dr. Angela Mickey (910) 995-1055
25 July 10 5:30 p.m. OWASA Community Room, 400 Jones Ferry Rd. Carrboro Y James Holman jbholman1@outlook.com
26 June 11 6:00 p.m. Polk Correctional Institution, 1001 Veazey Rd. Butner Y Charles Sanders cdssanders@gmail.com
27 June 3 6:00 p.m. Carolina Ale House, 7981 Skyland Ridge Pkwy.
(919) 957-4200
28 June 12 5:00 p.m. South Granville Public Library, 1550 S. Campus Dr. Creedmoor N DuBoris Peterkin duboris.peterkin@yahoo.com
37 June 13 6:00 p.m. SEANC Central Office, 1621 Midtown Place Raleigh Y Furman Beckwith fbeck5304@hotmail.com
38 June 10 5:30 p.m. Carolina BBQ, 733 US 70
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40 June 13 5:30 p.m. SC Regional Conference Rm, Door 9, 2020 Yonkers Rd.
Y Roszena Lowe mzrozz2@aol.com
41 June 17 6:00 p.m. Golden Corral, 11016 Capital Blvd. Wake Forest Y Stacie Crabtree (919) 710-5411
42 June 20 5:30 p.m. SEANC Central Office, 1621 Midtown Place
43 June 4 5:30 p.m. Carolina BBQ, 733 US 70 East
44 June 12 6:00 p.m. SEANC Central Office, 1621 Midtown Place
45 June 28 6:00 mp.m. SEANC Central Office, 1621 Midtown Place
46 June 19 5:30 p.m. SEANC Central Office, 1621 Midtown Place
56 June 21 6:00 p.m. Ralph's BBQ, 1400 Julian R. Allsbrook Hwy.
57 June 4 6:15 p.m. Gardner BBQ, 1331 N. Wesleyan Blvd.
58 June 11 6:00 p.m.
Correctional Institution, 701 Stevens Mill Rd.
59 June 13 5:30 p.m. Maxwell Center, 3114 Wayne Memorial Dr.
60 June 3 5:30 p.m. Village Steakhouse & Pub, 5662 US-70
61 June 21 6:00 p.m. Country Squire, 748 NC-50
62 June 17 6:30 p.m.
Hanover County Coop Ext, 6206 Oleander Dr.
63 May 28 6:30 p.m. Heritage House Restaurant, 1303 S. King St.
64 June 13 6:00 p.m. Parker's BBQ, 3109 S. Memorial Blvd.
Y Shirley Bell sbell1121@nc.rr.com
Y Duane Smith jumper20032@yahoo.com
Y Geneva Langston genevalangston@bellsouth.net
Y Darcell Carter darcellwcarter@gmail.com
Y Melvin Riley (252) 315-2960
(252) 642-3082
tsheen15@gmail.com
rosshailey@suddenlink.net
(919) 738-8729
joneshiawatha@gmail.com
gail.watson1021@gmail.com
lsasser@ec.rr.com
Y Marion Drake (252) 325-2387
Y Latina Shelley latinashelley@gmail.com
65 June 18 6:00 p.m. Greenville Country Club, 216 Country Club Dr. Greenville Y Cynthia Hart chartcast@gmail.com
66 May 15 6:00 p.m. Kings Restaurant, 405 E. New Bern Rd.
67 June 4 6:30 p.m. Texas Steakhouse, 3231 Doctor MLK Jr. Blvd.
ejgolden@hotmail.com
Bern Y Patricia Moore pmoore54@yahoo.com
68 June 19 7:00 p.m. Vernon James Research Center, 207 Research Station Rd. Plymouth Y Rita Woods (252) 394-6244
69 June 20 5:30 p.m. ECSU - Gilcrhist Complex Room 107, 1704 Weeksville Rd. Elizabeth City Y Tonya Jennings tonyalou@live.com
70 June 27 6:00 p.m. Golden Corral, 4468 US Hwy 70 West
ernestfleming@yahoo.com
STATE PERSONNEL CASES: PROTECTING STATE EMPLOYEE RIGHTS
Representing State Employees in Grievances, Court of Appeals, and NC Office of Administrative Hearings
■ Disciplinary Appeals
■ Grievances / Just Cause
■ Exempt Designation
■ Health Care Registry
■ Whistleblower Cases
■ Dismissal Appeals
■ Law Enforcement Certification
State employees are good people. But even good people make mistakesmistakes that violate your rights as a career employee, discriminate against you, or cost you a promotion or job.
My practice is restricted to state personnel disciplinary and licensing matters. I have litigated personnel cases in the Office of Administrative Hearings since the 1990s.
If you have a grievance, disciplinary appeal, or any state employment matter, call (919) 865-2572 or email me at michael@mbyrnelawnc.com.
Learn how I put 20 years of experience and consistent success in state personnel cases to work for you - when your rights are on the line.
LAW OFFICES OF MICHAEL C. BYRNE
W ACHOVIA C APITOL C ENTER, S UITE 1130
150 F AYETTEVILLE S TREET, R ALEIGH, NC 27601 (919) 865-2572
SEANC Scholarship Foundation Bowl-a-Thon & Silent Auction
Saturday, July 27
1-3 p.m.
Buffaloe Lanes North 5900 Oak Forest Drive ● Raleigh, NC
Proceeds from the event will be used to award thousands of dollars in educational scholarships to SEANC members, their spouses and their dependent children.
Tickets: $20 per person or $100 per team of six
To register, sponsor a lane or for more information visit seanc.org/seanc-bowl-a-thon
INSURANCE PLAN SPOTLIGHT
All SEANC members, both actively working and retired, can enroll in the Spectera Vision Plan. With multiple plans available, you can select the coverage option that best suits your needs. You can add your spouse and/or dependent children (up to age 26) to your vision plan!
Spectera offers a national eye care network that includes both private practice and retail store providers. This gives you the ability to choose the eye doctor that meets your lifestyle, eye care and eyewear needs!
When you enroll in one of the Enhanced Plans many lens options like standard and deluxe progressives, transitions and tints are included at no additional charge! Go to seanc.org/vision for plan details and enrollment information.
