Working Families, Public Services and Safety Protected
by Toni Davis SEANC Communications Director
After hard work during this legislative session, the association scored numerous victories on behalf of public services and the people who provide them.
Six of these victories are noted as achieved 2011 Policy Platform Objectives.
Pay Raise Secured
After an initial House budget proposal contained no pay raise, SEANC secured a 1.2-percent pay raise in the final budget.
Bonus Leave Victory
SEANC won five days bonus vacation leave for state employees in FY 2012-2013.
Retiree COLA Achieved
After an initial House budget contained no cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for retirees, SEANC secured a 1-percent increase in the final budget.
State Health Plan (SHP)
Whistleblowers
Protected
Legislation was enacted prohibiting retaliation by any employer against an employee who reports SHP waste, fraud or misappropriation of funds.
Worker Privacy Preserved
SEANC protected state workers’ personnel files, including performance evaluations, from being made public.
Jobs Saved
Career Growth Maintained
SEANC worked with House and Senate leaders to stop a proposal to privatize over 2,000 inmate health care jobs in the Department of Public Safety (DPS) just weeks before the bid was to be awarded and state employee jobs lost. There was no time to wait for a budget bill to fix this, so SEANC met with legislative leaders and DPS was ordered not to privatize these jobs in the first significant appropriations bill to go through the chamber (SB 797) in the 2012 legislative session.
Privatization Blocked
The N.C. Zoological Park was slated for privatization this year. SEANC lobbyists worked to make sure employees at the zoo would not be forgotten in this debate, particularly those with significant state service. At the end of the day, legislative leaders backed off plans to privatize the zoo.
The legislative practice of granting the career growth component as a bonus for employees who are at the top of their salary range continued.
Worker Rights Maintained
Despite a multi-year lobbying effort from the university system to remove 22,000 university employees from the State Personnel Act and their rights under it, SEANC succeeded in holding back that effort once again and protected the workers.
Retirement Fully Funded
For the second year in a row, SEANC fought to make sure the retirement system was fully funded. This year the state contributed 8.33 percent.
Vacation Accrual Rate Increased
SEANC successfully lobbied the Office of State Personnel for an increase in the vacation accrual rate for state employees.
tdavis@seanc.org
DENR Secretary Lauds SEANC Initiative
Surveys cited training, communication as top employee concerns
by JonaThan owens SEANC Communications Specialist
An important meeting occurred on July 12, as employees at the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) took part in the first-ever Facilitated Management and Employee Process (FMAEP) meeting at the department’s headquarters in Raleigh.
FMAEP, previously known as “Meet and Confer,” is a direct result of Gov. Beverly Perdue’s Executive Order 45 and provides an opportunity for employee associations who represent at least 20 percent of the workforce in an executive branch the opportunity to meet with agency heads on “… areas of mutual concern, including ways of improving employeemanagement cooperation, ways of more efficiently and cost effectively delivering high quality services to the public, and the terms and conditions of employment.”
The meeting followed tremendous response from DENR employees to a survey conducted by SEANC on working conditions within the department. Of the approximately 2,600 DENR employees, more than 900 voluntarily filled out the survey, which asked employees to rate their top concerns involving their workplace.
The need for more training and better communication topped the employees’ concerns according to the survey. Ellis and Horton also told officials the surveys showed the department needs to better incorporate technology — smartphones, wiki pages and others — into workers’ daily activities.
Cobb told the group of a virtual training program now in the works for all state employees from her office. The “Learning Management System” will hopefully be implemented by December, she said, and will link all parts of state government to a single system for trainings, which will streamline the process.
Edwards said training is important not only to enhance the employee’s career, but the state’s workforce in general. Specifically, she mentioned using retired DENR employees as resources and employees training each other on their specific tasks, so more than one person can do a job.
38 member Eric Ellis (third from left) and District 47 member Jeff Horton (right) presented data gathered from surveys to DENR Secretary Dee Freeman and Office of State Personnel Interim Director Ann Cobb. District 60 member Kim Edwards also participated. SEANC Member Strength Director Kevin LeCount (second from left) and Intergovernmental Liaison Linda Rouse Sutton (left) joined the meeting as well.
District 38 member Eric Ellis and District 47 member Jeff Horton, both of DENR, presented the data gathered from the surveys to senior leadership including DENR Secretary Dee Freeman and Office of State Personnel Interim Director Ann Cobb. District 60 member Kim Edwards also participated.
“This is something that is unique to FMAEP,” Ellis told the group. “It’s important this is not just complaining. I really feel like this process brought the best in DENR to the table. We’re here to try to improve on it.”
“Cross training benefits all of us,” she said. “The state gets another set of hands.”
Freeman said his department would take the FMAEP survey findings seriously.
“This has shown that our employees are some of the best and most committed in state government,” Freeman said. “That is evident by the amount of work that has gone on just with this survey. In terms of training, I think you’re right on. And we have to embrace technology as well.”
SEANC members will meet with DENR leadership in mid-September to follow up on the July meeting. FMAEP efforts are under way in several other state agencies, including the N.C. Department of Commerce, the Division of Motor Vehicles and the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.
jowens@seanc.org
PHOTO BY JONATHAN OWENS
District
New Law Protects State Health Plan Whistleblowers
by Cary eDgar
SEANC Asst. Communications Director
After a whistleblower lawsuit brought against a former administrative director of Winston-Salem’s N.C. Baptist Hospital was dropped last fall, a bill started moving through the N.C. House in an effort to protect future state employees who reveal potential problems within the State Health Plan (SHP).
House Bill 244 was signed into law on July 17 by Gov. Beverly Perdue, and serves to protect the overall financial well-being of the SHP. This law continues SEANC’s work toward long-term reform for the plan.
The story began when former Baptist Hospital employee Joseph Vincoli discovered and notified SHP officials and legislators in January 2009 that the state had overpaid the hospital for health care services. He was later terminated. The hospital has not admitted wrongdoing. Despite that argument, a state audit revealed that the SHP overpaid Baptist Hospital $1.34 million over a five-year period.
Vincoli now works for the state and is a proud member of District 42.
Specifically, the bill prohibits a SHP contract from limiting an employee’s or contractor’s ability to report wrongdoing. It provides specific whistleblower protection to any person, not just state employees, who reports potential fraud or misconduct to the plan. The bill also prevents employees from being sued, discharged, threatened or discriminated against by an employer or its employees.
“This victory is social justice. We’re pleased that the General Assembly has realized that state whistleblowers deserve protection from retaliation,” said SEANC Executive Director Dana Cope. “When given a choice to turn a blind eye, Joe Vincoli did the right thing. That demonstrates the value of workers who also act as good stewards of the taxpaying public.”
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.
Quotes to Note
“After promising these raises in last year’s budget, the Senate has chosen to keep their word. A one-time bonus [was] no substitute for a base pay raise, which would be a greater benefit for employees in the long-term for compensation and retirement benefits.”
SEANC Executive Director Dana Cope, referring to the political wrangling that took place in final budget negotiations to secure a pay raise for hardworking state employees, in a June 11 WRAL story “State Budget Doesn’t Buffer Schools”
“The budget was turning into a huge game of chicken between the House and Senate, and teachers and state employees were political pawns.”
N.C. House Rep. Darren G. Jackson (D-Wake), talking about his reason for voting to join Republican lawmakers and override Gov. Beverly Perdue’s veto of the state budget, which ultimately paved the way for state employees and retirees to receive their first pay increase in four years, in a July 3 News & Observer article “Deals Marked End of Session”
“Smart organizations, like SEANC, sensed an opportunity to better the lot of their members, seeking Democrat support for an additional five days of leave in the upcoming year as a chip in the override discussions.”
State Sen. Peter Brunstetter (R-Forsyth) praising SEANC’s efforts to work with both political parties on this year’s state budget, in a July 5 newsletter to constituents
“Folks, every time I hear the words ‘public-private partnership,’ I reach for my wallet. As a taxpayer, I have to say no! We’ve already bought a zoo, thank you very much, and if you can’t man up to the job, sir, then it’s time to put out to pasture with the other animals.”
District 17 member Dan Efird, criticizing recent efforts of N.C. Zoological Park Director Dr. David Jones to privatize its operations, in a July 29 letter to the editor of the Asheboro Courier-Tribune
“SEANC worked with both sides of the political aisle; House Reps. Darren Jackson, Marcus Brandon and Marian McLawhorn were crucial in this effort to give active state employees five additional days of paid leave.”
District 5 Chairman Johnny Burnette, District 6 Chairman Wayne Freeman and District 7 Chairman Henry Belada, lauding SEANC’s nonpartisan battle to gain both pay raises and additional leave time for state employees, in a July 9 letter to the editor of the Morganton News Herald
“SEANC has fought for this day for many years. Finally the State Health Plan has conducted an open and competitive bid process. This will save taxpayer and state employees’ money.”
SEANC Executive Director Dana Cope, responding to the announcement that the State Health Plan Board of Trustees voted to award the plan’s new contract to three different vendors resulting in a $22 million savings to taxpayers, in an Aug. 13 WRAL story “State Health Plan diversifies contracts”
Scholarship Foundation Golf Tourney a Success
by JonaThan owens SEANC Communications Specialist
The return of the Don Jones Memorial Golf Tournament was a big hit this year, with the SEANC Scholarship Foundation raising a record amount to support our state’s best and brightest students pay for college.
With 50 golfers taking part in the Captain’s Choice tournament at Keith Hills Country Club in Buies Creek, this year’s tournament was one of the most successful in the foundation’s history.
Major sponsors Doug Sutton Insurance, Boston Mutual and Colonial Insurance helped make the event a hit, and the foundation also sold 15 hole sponsorships.
In total, the event raised more than $7,600, which will go towards college scholarships for SEANC members and loved ones.
This year, the foundation was able to hand out 42 awards totaling more than $35,000.
The tournament featured a four-player team Captain’s Choice format and was open to both members and nonmembers. District 41 member Spince Gilmore’s team, which included Jeff Blackman and Wayne Wilborn, finished in first place.
The team of District 44 members Tripp Steinbock and John Webb, District 69 member Henry Stokes and Jim Barber placed second.
The team of District 46 member Baron Brown, District 21 member Amos McLemore, Doug White and Jeff Gupton finished third, and the team of Chris Hollis, Dean Plunkett and Bo Heath were fourth.
Spince Gilmore and Everette Matthews won the “Closest to the pin” challenges and Bo Heath won both long drive competitions.
For more information on the tournament or SEANC’s Scholarship Foundation, contact Renee Vaughan at 800-2222758 or rvaughan@seanc.org.
jowens@seanc.org
FOLLOW SEANC ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Be sure to “Like” SEANC on Facebook at facebook.com/seanc.Local2008 , follow the association’s Twitter feed @seanc2008 and watch SEANC videos at youtube.com/seancmedia
The Reporter, USPS 009-852 (ISSN 1069 2142), is published nine times a year in the months of February, March, April, May, June, July, September, November and December for $2.50 per year, per member, by the State Employees Association of North Carolina, Inc., P.O. Drawer 27727, Raleigh, NC 27611-7727. Periodicals postage paid at Raleigh, NC, and additional offices.
POSTMASTER
Send address changes to: THE REPORTER
P.O. Drawer 27727 Raleigh, NC 27611-7727
SEANC Legal Plan Now in Open Enrollment
Join the SEANC Legal Plan today and gain access to a national network of more than 12,000 attorneys. Plan attorneys have met stringent criteria and are well equipped in the areas of will and estate planning, consumer law, defense of civil lawsuits, family law, debt, real estate, traffic, criminal matters and consultations. Think about your future and the best way to protect it. You can join the SEANC Legal Plan by completing the enrollment form and sending it to the Member Strength Department during the open enrollment period Aug. 1-Sept. 30. The enrollment form is online at http://tinyurl.com/8cuh8hl. Contact Carri Derrick at cderrick@ seanc.org for more information.
• Elect statewide SEANC officers
• Determine SEANC’s Top 10 Policy Platform Objectives
• Attend the SEANC “Blue Fit” Affair on Thursday evening and enjoy food, music, fun and games*
• Enjoy Saturday evening’s “A Night with the SEANC Stars” banquet, where officers will be inducted and SEANC awards will be presented*
• Participate in the community service project to benefit the Marine’s Toys for Tots program, a holiday gift drive to benefit North Carolina’s children up to age 12*
*Participation in all banquets and the community service project is optional for attendees.
Convention Delegate Checklist
Looking to get a jump start on convention activities? Visit the convention website at seanc.org/ convention
o Study the policy platform objectives up for consideration
o Remember to purchase a new, unwrapped toy for a child under 12 for Toys for Tots (optional)
o Buy your special event tickets
Do you have questions about convention? Contact Alicia Miller at amiller@seanc.org 919-833-6436 or 800-222-2758
Renee Vaughan at 919-833-6436 or 800-222-2758
CANDIDATES FOR SEANC STATEWIDE OFFICE ANNOUNCED
SEANC leadership for 2012-2013 will be determined by approximately 850 delegates at the 29th Annual SEANC Convention on Sept. 7. SEANC Bylaws require members to announce their candidacy in writing or in person to the Board of Governors no later than 45 days prior to the annual convention or nominations can be submitted from the convention floor. Statewide officer terms are for one year and begin Oct. 1, 2012, and run through Sept. 30, 2013. Officers may hold the same office for two consecutive years.
First Vice President Sidney M. Sandy is a District 11 member and Indian Trail resident. He is a retired 33-year state employee who served as a maintenance engineer for the N.C. Department of Transportation. He has been a SEANC member nearly as long. Sandy served in the Army National Guard and graduated from Fayetteville Technical College.
Wayne Talbert serves as the Piedmont Regional Representative to the Executive Committee and is chairman of District 17. A Yanceyville resident, he is the assistant superintendent for custody/operations at Dan River Work Farm for the Department of Public Safety. He is scheduled to retire on Sept. 1. Talbert served in the U.S. Navy and earned his bachelor’s degree at North Carolina Central University. He is a 30-year SEANC member.
TREASURER
Jimmie Horton, a Williamston resident, is a District 63 member and retired from the Department of Correction as an assistant superintendent for custody and operations at Hyde Correctional Institute after 30 years of service. In addition to his state service, Horton served in the Army National Guard for four years, the Coast Guard for four years and has been a SEANC member for 39 years.
Betty “B.J.” Jones is the North Central Regional Representative to the Executive Committee and District 42 chairwoman. A graduate of St. Augustine’s University, Jones also earned her master of business administration at Strayer University. Jones works as a Medicaid financial analyst and clinical policy contract specialist for the Department of Health and Human Services. She is a 27-year state employee and SEANC member who resides in Zebulon.
Second Vice President Doranna Anderson is a 16-year state employee and District 47 member. She is an oral health education and promotion branch head with the Oral Health Section of the Department of Health and Human Services and a Raleigh resident. She is a graduate of Western Carolina University.
Art Anthony is the South Central Region Representative to the Executive Committee and a District 39 chairman. A 21-year state employee and SEANC member, Anthony received his bachelor’s degree from Shaw University and is now employed at North Carolina State University as a research specialist. Anthony is a Raleigh resident.
Stanley Gales is the District 26 chairman and a maintenance supervisor at Polk Correctional Institution. A Durham resident, he is a 25-year state employee and SEANC member. Gales is a U.S. Army veteran and completed the electrical program at Durham Technical Community College.
Incumbent Treasurer Marilyn Jean Martin is a District 12 member and Salisbury resident. A 31-year state employee and SEANC member, she is a correctional captain at Piedmont Correctional Institute in Salisbury. Martin is a graduate of Rowan Cabarrus Community College.
Incumbent EMPAC Chairman Wayne Fish of District 2 is a correctional food service manager II at Craggy Correctional Center. Fish is a 14-year state employee and 12-year SEANC member. He is a graduate of AshevilleBuncombe Community College makes his home in Weaverville.
ExECuTivE DirECTor’s MEssagE
by Dana Cope seanC exeCuTive DireCTor
STAND UP SEANC!
This year was definitely one when SEANC stood up and was heard in the General Assembly. We stood up for public services and the people who provide them and we are proud of what we have accomplished.
We stood up for active and retired state employees by playing offense and the result was pay increases for active employees and cost-ofliving adjustments for retirees. We stood up for retirees and the General Assembly fully funded the retirement system. We stood up for workers’ rights and halted privatization efforts while at the same time maintaining SPA rights.
Cope
Now more than ever, state employees need SEANC to stand up for their rights. Had the university system been successful, next year more state agencies could have taken away SPA rights. Had inmate health care jobs been privatized, additional jobs would have been targets for privatization.
There is much to reflect on this year at our 29th Annual Convention, but we also need our members to stand up and act. We’ll have SEANC officer elections, rank our Top 10 Policy Platform Objectives and hear from our elected officials and people who want to be our elected officials — including our own SEANC hero Linda Coleman who is running for lieutenant governor!
This year we are introducing 21st Century technologies into the SEANC convention with electronic scanning of delegates and keypad voting. We will also be getting to know delegates from our five SEANC regions better.
We’ll be asking delegates to stand up and help elect Linda Coleman as lieutenant governor, to recruit the next generation of SEANC leaders into the association and to donate to EMPAC and increase our collective strength.
On a personal note, I’d like to thank the Board of Governors for extending my contract for another five years. There’s no job I’d rather have than standing up for state employees, retirees and their rights.
2012 Community Service Project
SEANC Members Start
Holidays in September
by Toni Davis SEANC Communications Director
President Charles Johnson has selected the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation as this year’s community service project for the 29th Annual SEANC Convention to be held in Greensboro Sept. 6-8. Each year the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve collects new, unwrapped toys to distribute to children in need to make their holiday season brighter.
SEANC delegates are requested to bring a new, unwrapped toy for a child up to age 12. Almost any toy is a great gift for Toys for Tots, but the Marines prefer no stuffed animals, books, realisticlooking weapons or gifts with food. If donated, such items will not be distributed.
Not attending the convention? You can still give your gift to a SEANC delegate who will contribute it to the cause. Find your district chairperson at seanc. org/bog/district-chairpersons.
Thanks in advance for making this year’s community service project a success.
tdavis@seanc.org
The following sponsors made the 29th Annual SEANC Convention possible. Please consider patronizing these companies that are committed to SEANC’s mission of protecting public services.
Platinum Exhibitors:
• Blue Cross and Blue Shield of N.C.
• Doug Sutton Insurance Services
Gold Exhibitors:
• Boston Mutual Life Insurance
• Purchasing Power
Silver Exhibitors:
• Busch Gardens Williamsburg
• Colonial Life
• Liberty Mutual
• MetLife Dental
• MetLife Auto & Home
• myDrugCosts
• OSP NC Flex
• PerksCard Network
• Southeastern Senior Strategies, LLC
• Spectera Vision (formerly Optum Health Vision)
• State Employees’ Credit Union
• The Sutherland Benefit Group
• Travelers Insurance
• Wet’n Wild Emerald Pointe
A Night with the SEANC Stars
SEANC AWARDS ANNUAL SCHOLARSHIPS
Compiled by Jonathan Owens and Daniel Pate
This year, the SEANC Scholarship Foundation awarded 42 statewide scholarships for a total of $35,000. The five categories of statewide scholarships include:
Four-year financial — a $1,000 scholarship to attend a two-year junior
Four-Year
Financial ($1,000)
Aaron Armstrong
Castle Hayne
School: N.C. A&T State University
Son of District 62 member
Stephanie Armstrong-Smith N.C. Court System
Kanika Davis
Charlotte
School: Western Carolina University
Daughter of District 13
member Nancy Green
Central Piedmont Community College
Daria Dorafshar
Raleigh
School: N.C. State University
Daughter of District 38
member Bahman Dorafshar, N.C. Dept. of Insurance
Lance Edmonds
Elkin
School: Appalachian State University
Son of District 8 member
Tammy Edmonds N.C. Court System
college or four-year university.
Four-year merit — a $1,000 merit scholarship to attend a two-year college or four-year college or university.
Two-year financial — a $500 scholarship to attend a community college, technical school or trade school.
Two-year merit — a $500 merit
Robert Griffin
McLeansville
School: Campbell University
Son of District 17 member
Bonnie Griffin
N.C. Court System
Keya Echols
Durham
School: UNC-Charlotte
Daughter of District 19
member Karen Echols UNC-Chapel Hill
Kathryn Reilly
Raleigh
Justin Lanning
Fletcher
School: Gardner-Webb
University
Son of District 2 member
Joseph Lanning N.C. Department of Transportation
School: N.C. State University
Granddaughter of District 39
member Zola Turner
N.C. State University (ret.)
Jonae` Patrick
Edenton
School: N.C. A&T State University
Daughter of District 68
member John W. Patrick Jr. N.C. Dept. of Public Safety
scholarship to attend a community college, technical school or trade school.
Member only — a $500 scholarship awarded to SEANC members.
Scholarships are also awarded on the district level. This year, districts awarded more than $94,000 in scholarship funds. Congratulations to this year’s recipients!
Kadey Phillips
Robbinsville
School: Western Carolina University
Daughter of District 1 member
Tressie Phillips, N.C. State Highway Patrol
Anecia Stevens
Goldsboro
School: UNC-Charlotte
Daughter of District 59
member Mable “Renee” Dixon N.C. Dept. of Health and Human Services
Wylonda Surles
Raleigh
School: Methodist University
Daughter of District 37
member Angela Surles, N.C. Department of Public Safety
Anthony Thomas
Morganton
School: N.C. A&T State University
Son of District 6 member
Betsy Forney, N.C. Department of Health and Human Services
Tiffany Tilley
Madison School: UNC-Greensboro
Daughter of District 16
member James Tilley
N.C. Dept. of Transportation
SCHOLARSHIP
Four-Year Merit ($1,000)
Sara Awad
Knightdale
Noryn Alam
Morganton
School: Salem College
Daughter of District 6 member
Sitara Alam
N.C. Dept. of Health and Human Services
School: N.C. State University
Daughter of District 36
member Barbara Awad
N.C. Dept. of Health and Human Services
Connor Davis Cullowhee
School: UNC-Chapel Hill
Son of District 1 member
Jeffrey Davis Western Carolina University
Allison Donnenwirth
Greenville
School: East Carolina University
Daughter of District 65
member Robert Donnenwirth East Carolina University
David Gu
Raleigh
Emily Garcia
Charlotte
School: UNC-Charlotte
Daughter of District 13
member Christine Garcia UNC-Charlotte
School: UNC-Chapel Hill
Son of District 44 member
May Gu
N.C. Dept. of Public Instruction
Jessica Neville
Linden
School: N.C. State University
Daughter of District 22
member Ellen Neville
Cumberland County Schools
Kathleen Petermann
Raleigh
School: Appalachian State University
Daughter of District 47
member Mark Petermann
N.C. Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources
Two-Year Financial ($500)
Alina Shevchenko
Holly Springs
School: Wake Technical
Community College
Daughter of District 20
member Nataliya Rice
N.C. Dept. of Health and Human Services
Melissa Robinson
Cary
School: UNC-Chapel Hill
Daughter of District 42
member Janice Robinson
N.C. Dept. of Health and Human Services
Roderick Setzer
Newton
School: N.C. Central University
Son of District 9 member
Felicia Setzer
N.C. Dept. of Commerce
Sarah Lisson
Raleigh
School: East Carolina University
Daughter of District 38
member Robert Lisson
N.C. Dept. of Insurance
Harley Smith
Lenoir
School: Wayne Community College
Daughter of District 66
member Lisa Smith
N.C. Dept.of Health and Human Services
Michaela Smith
Princeton
School: UNC-Chapel Hill
Daughter of District 58
member Kelly Jones Wayne County Schools
Shannon Taylor
Winston-Salem
School: Massachusetts
Institute of Technology
Daughter of District 16
member Greg Taylor
Winston-Salem State University
Shayna Vance
Newland
School: Wingate University
Daughter of District 3 member
Jeffrey Vance
N.C. Cooperative Extension
Jordan Willett
Cameron
Jessica Kidd
Wallace
School: Sampson Community College
Daughter of District 61
member Shelby Kidd Sampson Community College
School: Sandhills Community College
Daughter of District 20
member David Willett
N.C. Dept. of Transportation
Janet Bunch
Durham
Angela Bond
Winterville
School: East Carolina University
Member of District 64
N.C. Dept. of Health and Human Services
School: N.C. Central University
Member of District 27
N.C. Central University
Anke Cahoon
Fairfield
School: Stanley Community College
Member of District 63
N.C. Dept. of Public Safety
MEMBER ACTION SCHOLARSHIP
Member Only (cont.)
Mike Gould
Sherri Cook
Charlotte School: Belmont Abbey College
Member of District 12
N.C. Dept. of Health and Human Services
Raleigh School: UNC-Chapel Hill
Member of District 41
N.C. Dept. of Public Safety
Stacey Moretz
Mathilda Kendrick, Dudley School: Barton College Member of District 59
N.C. Dept. of Health and Human Services
Morganton School: East Tennessee State University
Member of District 6
N.C. Dept. of Health and Human Services
Chaka Ruffin Goldsboro School: Elizabeth City State University Member of District 60
N.C. Dept. of Health and Human Services
Linda Swarts
Jacksonville School: UNC-Wilmington
Member of District 61
N.C. Dept. of Health and Human Services
District 7 members at J. Iverson Riddle Developmental Center held a Rada Cutlery sale recently, donating half of the profits it generated to the Burke County Red Cross fund for tornado relief. The district donated $100 to the cause. Pictured left to right are District 7 members Scott McMahan, Debbie Chadwick and Jill Fletcher, Charles Avery of the Red Cross, District 7 Chairman Henry Belada and District 7 member Sandra Bristol.
Jessica Turner Alamance School: East Carolina University
Member of District 17 Alamance Community College
District 37 raised more than $400 to support breast cancer research in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Raleigh on June 9. Pictured from left to right are District 37 Chairman James Bridges and family with District 37 members Teressa Jackson, Jennifer Powell and Ronald Coley.
District 65 members volunteered for the 2012 Children’s Miracle Network telethon that was broadcast June 1-3. The event raised $1.3 million to benefit the N.C. Children’s Hospital. Every dollar pledged stays in eastern North Carolina to provide programs and services to help sick and injured children. Pictured are District 65 members Lynn Tuthill, Debbie Austin and Vivian Bazemore with fellow participants Kenneth Willis and Joann Lilley.
PHOTO SUBMITTED BY LYNN TUTHILL
PHOTO SUBMITTED BY JAMES BRIDGES
PHOTO BY JULIA DALE
MEMBER ACTION
District 65 sponsored a food drive June 11-19 for Kids Summer Stock, a community-wide food and funds event to benefit children at risk of hunger. The program is designed to help meet the nutritional needs of children during the summer when they don’t have access to free and reduced-priced meals at school. The district collected 235 pounds of food, or approximately 197 meals. Special guest Angel Ray attended from the Eastern Food Bank and gave a presentation of the project. Pictured from left to right are members Valeria George, Bill Dawson, Tammy Heller, Debbie Austin, Evelyn Hinnant, Camilla Dawson, Eastern Region Representative to the Executive Committee Gloria Highsmith, SEANC Director of Insurance Brenda Hooker, Lynn Tuthill and SEANC Member Action Coordinator La’Tuan Danns.
District 65 held a book bag drive from July 23-Aug. 10 at East Carolina University and collected 50 bags from members and employees to be distributed to children in an orphanage in Africa. Picture from left to right are members Lynn Tuthill, Eastern Region Representative to the Executive Committee Gloria Highsmith, Doris Wrighten, Martha Peele, Angie Tyson, Tanya Tripp, Jacqueline Caudill, Kimberly Vanwagenen, Denise Vinson, Ginger Drake and Greg Messick.
District 6 members, including Dr. Ramesh Krishnaraj (left), Wayne Freeman (second from right) and Thomas Figura (right) held a “Beat the Heat with a Slushie Day” recently at Broughton Hospital, where they handed out cold slushies and information on joining SEANC. The group signed up new members at the event and gave out applications to others. A full 72 percent of Broughton’s staff are SEANC members. District 6 member Sherry Helton is seen in the background in green shirt.
SEANC District 65 members Stasia Austin, Debbie Austin, Tammy Heller, Karen Simmons and Lynn Tuthill helped with the City of Greenville Spring Clean on May 5.
P.O. Drawer 27727
Raleigh, NC 27611
New Contracts Awarded for State Health Plan
Multiple Companies Will Split the Pie Beginning in 2013
by Cary eDgar SEANC Asst. Communications Director
State employees, retirees and their dependents will see a change next July in the insurer that administers the State Health Plan (SHP), as the contract to manage the plan has been broken up from exclusivity with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina.
Starting July 1, 2013, the SHP will be administered collectively by three different companies — Blue Cross, Benefit Focus and CobraGuard. The decision is expected to save the state at least $22 million.
The SHP Board of Trustees met on Aug. 13 in Raleigh to review bids submitted by eight companies. District 22 member Michele Shaw is a member of the board, representing state employees as an active voice in
helping the plan to be more affordable, accountable and user-friendly.
The newly-constituted board of trustees came about last year as a result of oversight of the SHP being moved away from the General Assembly and into the state treasurer’s office — a change that was SEANC’s No. 1 policy platform objective for 2010-2011.
SEANC Executive Director Dana Cope is adamant that $22 million in savings be passed on to state
employees in the form of lower costs. He told the News & Observer in an Aug. 14 interview, “We would hope those cost savings ... will be put back into the State Health Plan itself,” and called the old way of awarding nobid contracts for the plan “sweetheart deals being done in back rooms by three or four members of the legislature.”
The current agreement with Blue Cross administering the entire SHP is set to expire on June 30, 2013. The plan currently covers over 660,000 state employees, retirees and their dependents.
Blue Cross has held the current contract since 2006, and was paid approximately $110 million last year to oversee the plan.
