Ardis Watkins | newsobserver.com projects

Union blasts SEANC leaders

Submitted by bniolet on September 22, 2009 - 3:17pm.

A national labor union has stepped into the Wake County school board elections to endorse candidates and fling barbs at State Employees Association head Dana Cope.

UNITE HERE, which represents hospitality and textile workers, issued a press release today endorsing Rita Rakestraw in District 1 and Karen Simon in District 7 for their support of Wake's school diversity policy, T. Keung Hui reports on his Wake Ed blog.

UNITE HERE said it felt "morally obligated to get involved" because Cope, executive director of the State Employees Association of N.C., and Ardis Watkins, legislative director of SEANC, had formed the Children's PAC to back candidates who support neighborhood schools. UNITE HERE said Cope and Watkins "have done their union and the union movement a real disservice."

SEANC is affiliated with the Service Employees International Union.

Cope and Watkins couldn't be reached for comment this afternoon.

The Children's PAC officially shut down last week. But the group plans to work with the Wake Schools Community Alliance in the school board races.

Update: Cope has responded to UNITE HERE's news release.

"Obviously UNITE HERE, which is a Washington D.C. union, has no clue with what's going on in Wake County," Cope said. "The Wake County school board is not progressive in its policies. It's deterimental to families."

To illustrate his point, Cope gave the example of Southeast Raleigh children being bused to Brier Creek Elementary in northwest Raleigh. He said Brier Creek was too far away for his SEANC members in Southeast Raleigh to be involved at the school.

Health Plan narrowly passes key vote

Submitted by bniolet on April 8, 2009 - 10:23am.

The State Health Plan bill squeaked through the House appropriation's committee on Wednesday.

The narrow margin 44 to 40 suggested to House Majority Leader Hugh Holliman that he may have some more work to do before he puts the bill up to a vote on the House floor next week.

"I think there's a lot of concern about state employees," said Holliman, a Lexington Democrat. "We're working to make this bill as good as we can."

The plan is facing a shortfall this year of $250 million and in addition to setting premiums and establishing coverage for state employees and their dependents, the bill would keep the plan solvent this year.

For next year, the bill would increase premiums for spouses and children of state employees by 10 percent each year. That increase grew after lawmakers added some $54 million in costs over two years to move the plan to a calendar year and voted to cover chiropractic services and physical, occupation and speech therapy at the same level as primary care.

More after the jump.

Judge postpones Moore deposition

Submitted by ryanteaguebeckwith on April 18, 2008 - 2:20pm.

Richard Moore will not be facing a deposition soon after all.

Wake County Superior Court Judge Paul Gessner postponed a deposition of the state treasurer in a public records lawsuit until at least a month after the state's May 6 primary.

Attorneys for the State Employees Association of North Carolina, which is suing Moore over access to records on the state pension fund, had sought to interview him on Tuesday — the same day he is supposed to debate Beverly Perdue.

Ardis Watkins, legislative affairs director for SEANC, said the decision was disappointing. She said that Moore "has not been forthcoming at any state of this."

"For a gentleman who keeps going on TV saying he wants to be held accountable, it's remarkable to me that he won't make himself available or answer any written questions about the retirement system," she told Dome.

She said that SEANC wil continue to "vigorously pursue" the lawsuit.