Dear Members,

I have some good news.

Six months ago, SEANC’s Board of Governors voted unanimously to begin the process of disaffiliating from Service Employees International Union (SEIU). That process ended today in a victory for SEANC – we are no longer affiliated with SEIU.

Once SEIU realized that SEANC delegates would overwhelmingly support disaffiliation at our September convention, they tried to save face. This afternoon, they “approved” disaffiliation at an International Executive Board meeting, then sent an email to some SEANC members.

All of this was done without the knowledge of your SEANC President. It’s the latest and final example of SEIU not informing me, your leader, of actions they plan to take until they have already done so.

As your president, I believe that disaffiliating from SEIU is in the best interest of SEANC and our members. But it’s not just my opinion – it’s the unanimous opinion of SEANC’s Retiree Council, Membership Committee, Board of Governors, and every past president dating back to the 1990s.

Why? SEIU chose a path that made us less effective – and they chose it without any input from us. That’s not a partnership.

SEIU has called for strikes, walkouts, shutting down policymaker meetings, and insulting the same people we negotiate with – all without consultation with SEANC. That’s not a partnership.

SEIU has been actively supporting our competitor. That’s not a partnership.

SEIU has declined to support our endorsed candidates. That’s not a partnership.

SEANC is the most effective association in North Carolina because we’ve always been strategic about what we say and how we say it.

That’s why, for example, North Carolina was the first state in the entire country to enact a $15 minimum wage for state employees.

We operated independently for 60 of our 75 years of existence.

In my opinion, and the unanimous opinion of the Board of Governors, Retiree Council, Membership Committee, and every past president in the past 25 years, returning to that independence is the right decision.

Sincerely,

Martha Fowler
SEANC President