* Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin is urging legislators to reject bills that would shelve increases in homeowners insurance premiums.

* North Carolina native Brad Woodhouse will leave a labor-backed group to head communications and research for the Democratic National Committee.

* Democratic pollster finds 69 percent support, 13 percent oppose two-track sex education bill in survey of 1,020 voters from Feb. 13-15.

* Political consultant Thomas Mills reveals how an independent expenditure campaign for the SEIU helped Beverly Perdue win in the mountains.

Dana Cope pledged to be a fighter.

When taking his job as executive director of the State Employees Association of North Carolina, Cope said he would fight for better pay and benefits for state workers. 

During his tenure, they got the two biggest back-to-back increases, sued Gov. Mike Easley and state Treasurer Richard Moore, affiliated with the SEIU, and had his contract renewed twice. Some legislators have refused to meet with him.

He's also gotten six tickets for driving 20 mph over the limit, led a battle with the Wake County school board over its economic diversity plan, and gotten into a scuffle with a neighbor on an unrelated matter.

Cope says his "shock jock" style is necessary to get noticed in a state that has not traditionally been labor-friendly. Critics say it's immature. (N&O)

A new radio ad running in Sen. Richard Burr's community of Winston-Salem urges him to support the economic stimulus package now being considered by Congress.

The ad, sponsored by Americans United for Change, references conservative talk-show host Rush Limbaugh, who said on his program on January 16, "I hope he fails," of President Barack Obama’s economic recovery plan. The ad urges listeners to call the U.S. Capitol switchboard.

The radio spot, narrated by a female voice, points out that the bill received no Republican votes in the House, and that it now goes to the Senate.

"The question is, Will our senator, Richard Burr, side with Rush Limbaugh too?"

The ad will run this week at WSJS-AM in Winston-Salem, according to Americans United for Change. Also helping to pay for the ad are the MoveOn.org political action committee, the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, and the Service Employees International Union.

Burr, a Republican, is up for re-election in 2010. He has said he will not support the economic recovery stimulus bill as it now stands.

After the jump, the script.

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Thomas Mills points out the dog that didn't bark.

In a guest editorial in the N&O today, the Democratic political consultant notes labor's big stories in North Carolina this year: the State Employees Association of N.C. joining SEIU, workers at a Tar Heel hog processor voting to unionize and ads attacking Sen.-elect Kay Hagan for supporting card check.

The response was as remarkable as the victories themselves. The news media basically shrugged. Both events got ample and fair coverage, but there was little editorializing and no big stories. The general public took little notice. Even Smithfield executives struck a conciliatory tone, calling the election in Tar Heel fair and saying they look forward to working together.

During the race between Hagan and Dole, anti-union groups barraged voters with phone calls and mailings warning them that Hagan's election would usher in a new age of unionism that would threaten the economy and workers' independence. Hagan beat Dole by over 8 percentage points, indicating that voters either didn't believe it or, more significantly, didn't care.

Mills, whose firm has represented SEIU, said that the lack of a strong reaction against unions is a sign that public opinion is shifting here. 

Labor spending on state races more than doubled since the 2004 elections.

According to campaign finance reports, six unions spent about $2.2 million on contributions and independent expenditures for campaigns for state office in 2004.

That's less than half the $4.7 million spent this year.

Here's a breakdown:

Service Employees International Union: $1.5 million

N.C. Association of Educators: $272,803

International Brotherhood of Teamsters: $198,150

National Education Association: $149,000

International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers: $40,000

State Employees Association of N.C.: $35,059

N.C. chapter of the AFL-CIO: $8,000

UNITE HERE: $5,000

United Auto Workers: $600

Sen.-elect Kay Hagan received $199,000 from unions in 2008.

The Greensboro Democrat received donations from 29 political action committees affiliated with labor unions during her run for the Senate, according to federal campaign finance reports.

Top donors included the Teamsters, the National Education Association, the American Federation of Teachers, United Food and Commercial Workers, the International Association of Firefighters and the Communications Workers of America, which each gave $10,000.

She also received significant donations from the AFL-CIO, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and the United Transportation Union. 

Change to Win, a federation of unions including the Teamsters, also made robocalls on Hagan's behalf, and the SEIU and the UFCW donated to Majority Action, which ran ads attacking Sen. Elizabeth Dole.

What is labor looking for in North Carolina?

Unions and employee associations are pushing for three major pieces of legislation which would make it easier to unionize Tar Heel workers:

CARD CHECK: A U.S. House bill that would allow unions to form if employees checked a card — rather than by secret ballot — stalled in the Senate after a narrow vote last year. Sen.-elect Kay Hagan has said she is open to the bill.

COLLECTIVE BARGAINING: A state law from 1959 forbids any municipal or state agency to negotiate with a union. The State Employees Association of N.C., now an affiliate of SEIU, hopes to repeal the ban on collective bargaining. 

COLLECTIVE BARGAINING, PART II: A U.S. House bill would require all cities and towns of more than 5,000 people to allow collective bargaining for firefighters, police officers and EMS workers. If passed, it would put increased pressure to overturn the state ban entirely.

These are not the only goals of unions in North Carolina, obviously. The National Education Association, for example, also has specific educational goals, while SEANC is concerned about government workers' pay and benefits.

But these are the major goals shared across union lines. 

How much did labor groups spend in 2008?

We're still working through the campaign finance reports, but here are the numbers Dome has collected so far on spending in state races by unions and employee associations:

National Education Association: $1,935,703

Service Employees International Union: $1,810,569

International Brotherhood of Teamsters: $334,117

N.C. Association of Educators: $267,230

State Employees Association of N.C.: $194,800

United Food and Commercial Workers Union: $116,500

International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers: $41,500

Communications Workers of America: $18,750

UNITE HERE: $16,500

United Auto Workers: $9,000

N.C. Chapter of the AFL-CIO: $4,000

That adds up to $4.7 million for the 2008 cycle. However, it does not take into account money given by unions to groups such as the Democratic Governors Association, which also spent heavily here.

It also does not include spending in the U.S. Senate race.

The SEIU PAC gave $1.2 million to the N.C. Democratic Party in 2008.

Reviews of the campaign finance reports for the party's state committee show four major donations from the Service Employees International Union's political action committee:

Sept. 16: $250,000
Oct. 15: $250,000
Oct. 21: $600,000
Oct. 31: $50,000

The contributions are not listed among the SEIU's spending in the state, which includes only a $4,000 donation to the party on April 21.

As noted previously, the PAC spent $410,569 on state races in 2008. The donations to the state party brings its total state spending to $1.6 million.

Update: The SEIU also gave $250,000 to the Alliance for North Carolina, bringing its total spending to $1,810,569.

Hat Tip: Chris Hayes

The SEIU PAC spent $410,569 on North Carolina races in 2008.

The political action committee of the Service Employees International Union, which is affiliated with the State Employees Association of North Carolina, spent $323,069 on independent expenditures, including mailers and phone banks, and gave $83,500 to candidates, according to campaign finance reports.

The biggest expense was $147,279 spent on mailers opposing Republican gubernatorial candidate Pat McCrory. The union did not spend on any other statewide races.

The group also spent $100,568 on unsuccessful candidate Chuck Stone, who came in fourth out of five Democratic primary candidates for Democratic Sen. John Kerr's seat in May.

And it spent $40,510 opposing Republican Rep. Curtis Blackwood and supporting a primary challenger and $34,711 on opposing incumbent Republican Rep. Leo Daughtry and supporting a Democratic challenger.

Among direct contributions, the union gave to 33 Democratic candidates and three Republicans and donated another $4,000 to the N.C. Democratic Party.

SEIU donated to a dozen Democratic incumbents who were unopposed in either the primary or general elections, including $4,000 apiece to Senate president Marc Basnight and House Speaker Joe Hackney.

More after the jump.

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