News
Stay informed with the newest announcements, stories, and member highlights.
Big changes coming to the state’s HR law. Here’s what it means for you.
For the first time since the 1960s, North Carolina has rewritten the law governing how state government hires,…
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The Budget Delay Continues, and Every Day Costs You
The raises are agreed to. The money is there. But state employees still aren’t seeing a dime — because the legislature still hasn’t passed a budget. Republican leaders in the House and Senate announced a high-level budget framework last month, 10 months after the fiscal year it was supposed to govern had already begun. Now, […]
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State Health Plan Votes to Raise Medicare Advantage Costs
The State Health Plan Board of Trustees voted Friday to raise costs for members enrolled in the Humana Medicare Advantage plans — and SEANC is pushing back. The board’s vote was unanimous. The changes take effect in 2027 and affect nearly 177,000 Medicare retirees currently enrolled in the Humana plans. What you’ll pay starting in […]
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New documentary highlights SEANC’s fight for pension transparency
A first-of-its-kind investigative documentary about the threat to public pensions across the country features SEANC Executive Director Ardis Watkins among dozens of pension leaders, board members, and advocates demanding greater transparency and accountability. “Pension Fight Club,” an investigative documentary by award-winning filmmaker Doug Orchard, takes a hard look at how, over the past 30 years, private […]
READ MORECorrectional raises leaving some personnel behind
Lawmakers were away from Raleigh this week, but the news that matters to state employees and retirees kept coming. Gov. Josh Stein and prison leaders called on the General Assembly to make sure budgeted raises reach more than just correctional officers. The current Republican framework gives officers a 15% raise but leaves out many supervisors and […]
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What Craggy’s closure tells us about state employee pay
Quick Take: The Issue: Craggy Correctional Center in Asheville is set to close in late summer 2026, displacing 77 employees and transferring 250 incarcerated men to other state prisons. Why It’s Happening: Craggy correctional officers start at $38,859 — more than $22,000 less than the Buncombe County Detention Center pays for the same work — and the […]
READ MORELegislative leaders announced details of pay raise deal
House Speaker Destin Hall and Senate Leader Phil Berger just announced that the House and Senate have agreed on the following details of the state budget. They stopped short of announcing a full budget, saying they have more work ahead. It’s important to note that this is just one step, albeit an important one, in […]
READ MOREStatement from SEANC Executive Director Ardis Watkins on the Budget Agreement
How Many State Jobs Are Being Cut to Pay for This Budget? The following is a statement from SEANC Executive Director Ardis Watkins on the Budget Agreement: “The budget agreement announced today raises a question lawmakers refused to answer: how many state jobs are being eliminated to pay for it? We know legislators want to […]
READ MORESEANC Fights Back on Atrium/WakeMed Merger
When Atrium Health announced plans to absorb WakeMed on a Friday evening and pushed for a Wake County Board of Commissioners vote the following Monday, SEANC had less than 72 hours to respond. And we did. Executive Director Ardis Watkins sent a formal letter to the Wake County Board of Commissioners calling for a no vote, […]
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