April Scoop 2018

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Friday, April 6, 2018

The 2018 primary is a month away. The deadline to register for the May 8 primary is April 13, a week from today. If you are not registered to vote, please take a few minutes to fill out this form and mail it in or return it to your county’s board of elections office. EMPAC has already announced endorsements for Sen. Shirley Randleman and Rep. Jonathan Jordan as well as Rep. Bob Steinburg, who is running for the N.C. Senate’s 1st District in the northeastern corner of the state. We will likely announce more endorsements next week. It is imperative that all state employees and retirees make their voices heard at the ballot box this year in both the primary and general elections. The choices that state politicians make have a direct effect on your lives and the lives of your family, even more so than citizens who don’t work for the state. Please register and support EMPAC-endorsed candidates!

State Health Plan alerts members of phone scam A small number of State Health Plan members have reported receiving scam phone calls from people asking for personal information. These phone calls are not coming from the State Health Plan. If you receive such a call, you should not provide the caller with any personal information. The Plan, as a precaution, is working with vendors and local authorities to determine the sources of these calls and if any member information is at risk. If so, Plan members will be informed.

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

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Friday, April 13, 2018

Correctional officers speak out at legislative committee meeting Correctional officers from around the state gave lawmakers a first-hand account of the dire need for reforms to make our prisons safer for workers Thursday at a Joint Oversight Committee on Justice and Public Safety meeting. Officers gave detailed descriptions of the dangers they face each day. An officer from Pasquotank Correctional Institution, the site of a 2017 attack that left four workers murdered, said officers often feel like they are unable to defend themselves. "We feel like inmates sometimes have more rights than we do," she said. "We're trying to protect public safety. Who protects us?" Another officer from Polk Correctional begged legislators to take the situation seriously. She said she had been an officer for 20 years, and assaults on staff have increased tremendously in the last two or three. "Anything you can do to support us, we welcome," she said. Unfortunately, another reminder of the dangers at our prisons came yesterday at Lanesboro Correctional, where an officer was seriously injured while breaking up a fight between two inmates. SEANC Government Relations Director Ardis Watkins asked the committee to have more meetings in the future, with more notice so more officers can take part. “We have members who have been scheduled for mandatory overtime through November already (because of understaffing problems). It is time to take a very serious look at this.” You can watch the officers' testimonies in the video above.

Worried about affordable dental insurance? SEANC's plans are flexible and convenient! SEANC dental insurance through UnitedHealthcare is designed to offer you coverage for common dental care issues and to help you budget for dental services at all levels.

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2018 Discount Theme Park Tickets Now on Sale 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 location near you. Here is a sneak peak of BUSCH GARDENS' newest attraction Battle for Eire.

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

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Friday, April 20, 2018

Early voting has begun for primary! Believe it or not, it’s already election time once again. Early voting for the May 8 primary started on Thursday, and will last through May 5. To find an early voting site in your area, click here. EMPAC, the political arm of SEANC, released its list of nine endorsed candidates in tough primary races this year. The list includes Mark Hollo, a former state representative who is running to unseat Sen. Andy Wells in Senate District 42 (Catawba and Alexander counties). SEANC legislators of the year Sen. Shirley Randleman and Rep. Jonathan Jordan, both longtime SEANC members and supporters of state employee and retiree issues, also made the list. EMPAC also endorsed Rep. Bob Steinburg in his bid to represent N.C. Senate District 1, comprised of 11 counties in the northeastern part of the state. Steinburg has been a staunch advocate for necessary reforms to make our prisons safe after five deaths of state workers in his area in 2017. SEANC needs you to get out and vote in this primary and make state employee and retiree voices heard! Please find your polling place and vote early if you can. If not, show up at the poll on May 8!

2018 Discount Theme Park Tickets Now on Sale You can purchase your tickets from now until September 28 at any State Employees’ Credit Union Branch. Visit www.ncsecu.org to find pricing and a location near you. Are you a “Thrill Seeker?” Watch this Video from Kings Dominion on their New Attraction “Twisted Timbers.”

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

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Friday, April 27, 2018

SEANC remembers Sgt. Meggan Callahan, calls for prison reform State employees paused Thursday to remember the life of Sgt. Meggan Callahan on the one-year anniversary of her death. Callahan was murdered by an inmate in an attack on April 26, 2017. SEANC paid tribute to her life on social media while pointing out the dangers facing our prison staff each day and the need for reforms. News broke this week that more than three dozen correctional officers have been attacked in the six months since four state workers were killed at Pasquotank Correctional. WRAL-TV laid out a case for more investment in prisons in this editorial, pointing out that, “Low pay remains a VERY critical issue in recruiting and retention. The current average pay for correctional officers is $35,300 – just about the same as for a STARTING public school teacher.”

Still time to vote early and help EMPAC candidates win! Early voting for the May 8 primary is well under way! More than 100,000 votes have already been cast in North Carolina, with another nine days remaining. Make sure you get to the polls to support one of EMPAC’s endorsed candidates. Find your early voting site here. We also need help spreading the word about our endorsed candidates. If you would like to volunteer for one of our phone banking efforts or Election Day activities, send an email to Amanda Finelli or call at 1-800-222-2758.

Nominations open for Upperman Award At the SEANC Convention in September, the State EMPAC Committee will present the Gloria M. Upperman EMPAC Activist Award to recognize a SEANC member who has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to EMPAC through continued initiative and leadership resulting in lasting benefit to the membership. If you would like to nominate a member for the award, click here.

Discount theme park tickets now on sale 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 location near you. Check out the all new Camp Snoopy now open at Carowinds!

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. View this email online. 1621 Midtown Place Raleigh, NC | 27609 US This email was sent to . To continue receiving our emails, add us to your address book.


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