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Friday, Aug. 3, 2018
UNC board announces raises for employees The UNC Board of Governors has decided how it would dole out the $20 million the General Assembly allocated for pay raises for university employees. All employees who fall under the State Human Resources Act and received at least “meets expectations” on their recent evaulation will receive at least a 2 percent raise. Some employees may receive an additional merit raise of .5 percent. If the employee received “exceeds expectations,” they could receive a raise of up to 4.99 percent. The stipulations are different for employees who are exempt from the SHRA. It’s all a little complicated. Fortunately, SEANC spells the whole thing out in the graphic below. Thank you to all the members who helped lobby the board for these much needed raises. Around 10,000 emails were sent to board members in recent months urging them to do the right thing. Your voices were heard!
Nominations open for the 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.
Have the Best Day Ever at Carowinds! The turning of the calendar to August means summer is almost over. Time to get in one last trip to one of the great area theme or water parks with a discounted admission ticket from SEANC! Stop by a State Employees' Credit Union branch today to save on tickets to Carowinds and eight other parks.
www.seanc.org | The State Employees Association of North Carolina | © 2018
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Friday, Aug. 10, 2018
Cutting retirement, health benefits won't solve liability problems The future of the State Health Plan and state retirement system drew attention this week. SEANC Executive Director Robert Broome wrote a guest editorial for the News & Observer laying out causes and solutions to the unfunded liability problems in both systems. Some suggest that cutting benefits or changing the retirement system to a defined contribution plan is the answer. Broome correctly points out that state employees and retirees did not create these problems, and shouldn’t be forced to solely carry the burden of fixing them. They were created by years of mismanagement by politicians, who chose not to fund the retirement system fully, and chose to spend hundreds of millions of dollars unnecessarily on fees to Wall Street for high-risk investments. Instead, Broome argues, the state should allow State Treasurer Dale Folwell to continue his work cutting unnecessary costs associated with both systems, be it the reduction of unnecessary fees paid to money managers with pension funds, or unnecessarily high costs of lucrative contracts with health care providers for the State Health Plan. Also this week, Folwell announced that cutting costs associated with Medicare Advantage plans allowed his office to freeze premiums for state employees. SEANC Government Relations Director Ardis Watkins agreed with his approach.
A few weeks left to enjoy Summer fun! The turning of the calendar to August means summer is almost over. Time to get in one last trip to one of the great area theme or water parks with a discounted admission ticket from SEANC! Stop by a State Employees' Credit Union branch today to save on tickets to nine great parks.
www.seanc.org | The State Employees Association of North Carolina | © 2018
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Friday, Aug. 17, 2018
Help us set a record in August! SEANC is aiming for our best month ever recruiting new members in August. Help us out and win! Each member who recruits three members in August will earn an entry in a drawing for $250. And each new member who joins through Sept. 30 will be entered into a drawing for a new DeWalt saw! So if you have a coworker who isn’t yet a member, tell them to join online today!
State ends fiscal year with a $440.2 million surplus For the third consecutive year, the state has posted a significant budget surplus. According to the report released today, North Carolina’s revenue exceeded the certified revenue by $400.2 million. This actual revenue was $83.5 million more than the revised projection of $356.7 million. A budget surplus increases SEANC’s opportunity to negotiate pay raises and additional funding for the State Retirement System and Health Plan. Unanticipated revenue growth allows state agencies an opportunity to receive additional funding specific to their needs. SEANC looks forward to working with the new General Assembly in January on the biennial budget. Also this week: State Treasurer Dale Folwell reports a 7.3% increase in the state pension fund. According to a national survey, North Carolina’s Retirement System continues to have the second-lowest administration costs in the nation. At $23 per member, the pension administration costs are significantly lower than the national average of $93 per member. A firmer prison policy was unveiled on last week. Under the new policy, inmates who attack prison employees will be placed in solitary confinement and lose visitation privileges for at least a year. The attackers may also serve more time in prison due to forfeiture of previously accrued credit for work and good behavior. There were 245 assaults on North Carolina prison workers in the first seven months of 2018. Six prison employees were killed in the line of duty by inmates in 2017.
www.seanc.org | The State Employees Association of North Carolina | © 2018
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Friday, Aug. 24, 2018
State Health Plan open enrollment starts next month The State Health Plan announced recently that it would conduct open enrollment from Sept. 29-Oct. 31, for all plan members. Members will receive a Decision Guide from the State Health Plan in the mail in coming days to prepare you to choose the best plan for you and your family for the upcoming year. During Open Enrollment: All active members will be automatically enrolled in the 70/30 plan, which will have an $85 employee-only premium. Members can reduce this premium by $60 down to a $25 employee-only premium by completing the tobacco attestation. Members who wish to reduce their monthly premium by completing the tobacco attestation or who wish to enroll in the 80/20 plan will need to take action during open enrollment All Non-Medicare members will be automatically enrolled in the 70/30 plan, which will remain premium free for subscriber-only coverage. Subscribers who wish to reduce their monthly premium by completing the tobacco attestation or wish to enroll in the 80/20 plan will need to take action during open enrollment. All Medicare retirees currently enrolled in the 70/30 Plan will be automatically enrolled into the UnitedHealthcare® (UHC) Group Medicare Advantage (PPO) Base Plan effective January 1, 2019. You will need to take action during Open Enrollment if you want to be enrolled in a different plan option. Visit the Plan’s website for a quick overview of what actions you will need to take during Open Enrollment and some upcoming opportunities to learn more, including dates for webinar trainings. The Plan will be hosting Open Enrollment Outreach Events for Medicare retiree members across the state in September and October as well. Please RSVP by calling 866-720-0114, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. or click below to RSVP online. Plan to attend a session near you and register early as seating will be limited.
Help wanted for election season! SEANC is hiring five Member Political Organizers (MPOs) across the state to assist the political program for the 2018 election cycle. MPOs will actively engage SEANC members around electoral activities and make sure SEANC members’ voices are heard at the ballot box in November through voter turnout efforts. Click here to learn more about the position and how to apply. For questions, please contact Amanda Finelli at afinelli@seanc.org.
Recruit new members and win in August SEANC is aiming for our best month ever recruiting new members in August. Help us out and win! Each member who recruits three members in August will earn an entry in a drawing for $250. And each new member who joins through Sept. 30 will be entered into a drawing for a new DeWalt saw! So if you have a coworker who isn’t yet a member, tell them to join online today!
www.seanc.org | The State Employees Association of North Carolina | © 2018
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Friday, Aug. 31, 2018
SEANC lauded nationally for minimum wage win National media outlets are taking note of SEANC’s role in making North Carolina the first state in the nation with a $15 minimum wage for state employees! An article in this month’s Governing Magazine credits SEANC with having the courage to fight for a $15 minimum wage for state employees even in a state controlled by Republicans. SEANC was the only employees association that legislative leaders invited to the table during their closed-door budget negotiations. A national expert called the decision “unexpected” in the article. The article credits a grassroots campaign of SEANC members with the victory. “Working for the state of North Carolina should not be a path to poverty,” says Robert Broome, SEANC’s executive director. “We had folks who shared their stories about working second jobs to make ends meet and folks who worked for the state who qualified for assistance. We had people who had been with the state for two decades or more who were still making what I consider poverty-level wages.”
Help wanted for election season! SEANC is hiring five Member Political Organizers (MPOs) across the state to assist the political program for the 2018 election cycle. MPOs will actively engage SEANC members around electoral activities and make sure SEANC members’ voices are heard at the ballot box in November through voter turnout efforts. Click here to learn more about the position and how to apply. For questions, please contact Amanda Finelli at afinelli@seanc.org.
State Health Plan open enrollment begins soon The State Health Plan announced recently that it would conduct open enrollment from Sept. 29-Oct. 31, for all plan members. Members will receive a Decision Guide from the State Health Plan in the mail in coming days to prepare you to choose the best plan for you and your family for the upcoming year. Visit the Plan’s website for a quick overview of what actions you will need to take during Open Enrollment and some upcoming opportunities to learn more, including dates for webinar trainings. The Plan will be hosting Open Enrollment Outreach Events for Medicare retiree members across the state in September and October as well. Please RSVP by calling 866-720-0114, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. or click below to RSVP online. Plan to attend a session near you and register early as seating will be limited.
Time is running out to enjoy an area theme park The turning of the calendar to September means summer is almost over. Time to get in one last trip to one of the great area theme or water parks with a discounted admission ticket from SEANC! Stop by a State Employees' Credit Union branch today to save on tickets to nine great parks, including Dollywood, featured in the video below!
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.