State employees in North Carolina have not been treated fairly by the Republican leaders.

  1. Pay to state workers has been stagnant.  During the past five years, the pay of state workers has increased as follows:  2010-11:  0%; 2011-12:  0%;  2012-13: 1.2%; 2013-14:  0%; 2014-15: $1,000; 2015-16:  $750.  When one considers the effects of inflation, our state employees are marching backward in compensation.
  2. The number of employees at state agencies dropped from 70,823 in 2008 to 65,640 in 2013.
  3. North Carolina State Highway Patrol troopers are especially irate, and have filed a lawsuit noting that the state has broken a promise to give them pay raises. The troopers were promised automatic pay raises when they completed training at the police academy, but the state stopped paying those raises five years ago. Certain raises based on time and service, knows as step raises, were guaranteed, but the Republican leaders have not paid them. The lawmakers have also implemented positions, implemented a hiring freeze, and halted promotions across the state.
  4. A $4,000 deduction that was available to many retirees of state agencies was eliminated by the Republican leaders.
  5. The Republican leaders established a “North Carolina Government Efficiency and Reform initiative.” Its purpose is to review all of the personnel and agencies of state government to find ways to save money. One area being evaluated is retiree pensions; a savings in retiree pensions will, of course, mean a decrease in benefits to retirees. One alternative is to increase the time needed to qualify for full benefits. Another alternative is to change the formula used to compute the guaranteed benefits so that the calculated amount will be lower. Also being considered is the elimination of the guaranteed pension plan and replacing it with a non-guaranteed 401(k) plan. Some workers might prefer the 401(k) plan (where the benefit depends on the investments chosen and the ups and downs of the stock market), but many prefer the certainty of the guaranteed pension plan. If any change is made, the state employees should have a choice. Any reduction in retirement benefits is certainly not in the best interests of the state employees.

State employees perform a valuable service to the state of North Carolina, and they should be treated with respect. The Republican leaders, however, treat them with disdain, as if they are a necessary evil that must be tolerated. These Republican leaders need to be replaced; VOTE DEMOCRATIC!!

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