State employees rally in downtown Raleigh

The News & Observer ^ | June 12, 2002 5:35PM | APRIL BETHEA

[jern]

By APRIL BETHEA, STAFF WRITER

Hundreds of state employees gathered at the Legislative Building Wednesday afternoon to let legislators know that they are fed up with pay, layoffs, and reductions in their health benefits.

The gathering was sponsored by the State Employees Association of North Carolina, a statewide organization that represents 60,000 active and retired state employees.

State employees have faced a multitude of challenges this year. Roughly 1,400 employees received notices May 31 that they their jobs may be in jeopardy. Some employees and retirees have run into trouble getting prescriptions because of a dispute in the state's health plan. And neither Gov. Mike Easley or Senate budget writers are recommending pay raises this year for state workers.

"Don't tell us there's no money left. Tell us the truth," Sherry Melton, a spokeswoman for the association, told the crowd. "Tell us that there's no money left because you've spent money on everything except the state's most valuable resource: its human resource."

Melton said about 1,800 people had brought tickets to the lunch that was part of the day's rally.

Meanwhile, teachers and state workers face the prospects of more disruptions at local pharmacies because of a showdown between the state health plan, its prescription plan manager and drugstores.

Eckerd Drug Stores said Wednesday it will no longer accept the state prescription plan after July 1 if the plan does not begin paying higher rates. Last week, CVS drugs said it would do the same.

SEANC Executive Director Dana Cope urged workers to boycott the two drug giants.

"This is all about corporate profits," Cope said.

Other speakers highlighted the importance of state employees for the future of North Carolina.

Harry Payne, chairman of the Employment Security Commission, said state employees should not be treated as "bureaucrats."

"We are not a bureaucracy," said Payne, who served formerly as state labor commissioner."We are not waste. We are not fat. We are people who donate out hearts, minds and souls to doing what is asked of us."

During the rally, protesters carried various signs reading, "An investment in state employees is an investment in N.C.'s future" and "Cut perks, not people."

Other forms of protest were more subtle. Attendees who had recently been laid off from their jobs wore black arm bands. Others, who said they work more than one job to help pay their expenses, wore orange ribbons. Many of the protesters took a vacation day from their jobs to attend the rally, including Susan Strickland, an office assistant at the East Carolina University Brody School of Medicine.

Strickland is a single mother of two daughters, including one who has a learning disability.

Strickland said she sometimes has to choose between buying prescriptions for herself and her daughters over other expenses, such as groceries.

"It's so much to figure out how we're going to make it," Strickland said. "It's not just about survival. We want to live."

Staff writer Jean Fisher contributed to this report.

Staff writer April Bethea can be reached at 829-8950 abethea@newsobserver.com

[GailA]

TENNESSEE TEA PARTY BUMP. NEXT TAX PROTEST IN TENNESSEE IS JUNE 19TH.

[Lancey Howard]

Eckerd Drug Stores said Wednesday it will no longer accept the state prescription plan after July 1 if the plan does not begin paying higher rates. Last week, CVS drugs said it would do the same.

Excellent!
Man, I am sick of government parasites getting more benefits than regular productive citizens.

[Lancey Howard]

Harry Payne, chairman of the Employment Security Commission, said state employees should not be treated as "bureaucrats."
"We are not a bureaucracy," said Payne, who served formerly as state labor commissioner."We are not waste. We are not fat. We are people who donate out hearts, minds and souls to doing what is asked of us."

LOL!!!
This guy sounds like he is trying to convince himself, hahahaha...!

[Lancey Howard]

Strickland is a single mother of two daughters.....
A rocket scientist here....

Strickland said she sometimes has to choose between buying prescriptions for herself and her daughters over other expenses, such as groceries.
Haha... Yeah, sure. Strickland is a liar.

"It's so much to figure out how we're going to make it," Strickland said. "It's not just about survival. We want to live."
Huh....? Like I said, a rocket scientist...

[Jen]

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[TC Rider]

Gee, all those people that got layed off at Cisco and Nortel should try this. I doubt any state or fed employee has been layed off in the last 50 years.

[stubernx98]

I have done compensation studies in both the private and public sectors and government employees have benefit packages between 37% and 50% of base pay. The private sector typically is 25% to 33% max. Public sector productivity runs 65% to 75%,while private sector is 10% to 15% higher. The reason for this is primarly poor management and the politics of keeping your head down.

A bureaucracy's purpose is to expand, not to provide a service or solve a problem(then they wouldn't be needed). There a lots of good people in government, but they tend to be low risk takers, and, hey, look at the benefit package and job security.

[FreedomFarmer]

Take names and fire them all! Tax Suckin' Leeches!

[jackliberty]

That cite was going to be used for a celebration after the Hurricanes beat my beloved Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Final. State employees decided to rally because the space was available and they can always find something to gripe about.

Wonder how many of the protesters were on the clock. Wonder how many Carolina citizens had to wait in line a little longer until their bureaucrats were late getting back from lunch.

[jonsie]

First I like you to know that I have voted as a conservative republican for 30 years in North Carolina. I am a high school teacher and I signed on as a teacher to get the medical benifits as well as retirement benifits. It looked very promising after I recieved my degree. I am also a Vietnam era veteran and served in South Korea from 1973-1976. I recently had my only prescription go from 12 dollars to 20 dollars through CVS and now they will not honor my prescriptions ( Eckerd Drug Stores said Wednesday it will no longer accept the state prescription plan after July 1 if the plan does not begin paying higher rates. Last week, CVS drugs said it would do the same. ) Believe it or not these are the only two drug stores within 10 miles of my home. I am not a deadbeat. I work everyday teaching 9-12 HS from 7:15 to 5:00 and teach periods of 90 minutes of 30 children. This means I teach 90 children for each semester and 180 for each year. I email interims to every parent who has email every three weeks. Parents who do not have email receive a copy from their child. I grade upward of 25 assignments per child during each interim. I have 2 parent teacher conferences per week plus extra school duties and I am the sponser of two afterschool clubs and set aside two days for mentoring and tutoring to my students. Teachers are constantly berated in our society and some deserve it, however there are many who work hard for those benifits. I spend many hours afterschool talking to parents, grading papers and preparing lessons. Do I feel I deserve the benifits, you bet. I am not a slackard. I spent three years in the Eight Army Command in Korea and raised 3 children while attending college to improve my life and theirs. If I complain over the benifits that they said were part of the package when I signed on, they should deliver.

[glc1173@aol.com]

This is the beginning of the end for the Democreep Party here in North Carolina.

State employees, not surprisingly, have been - along with teachers - the main constituency for tax-and-spend policies in this state. In a state with few workers unionized in the private sector, the NEA affiliate - and the state employees association - are the only "organized labor" with a cadre organization in every county.

Worst of all for the liberals in Raleigh, the state employees angrily chanted "Vote them out!" today - and openly referred to the governor mainly using the state chopper to ride back and forth to his home at the beach, and the high raises to state-university bureaucrats while the state supposedly is in so much of a budget crunch that state workers get no raises.

[Overtaxed]

This is the beginning of the end for the Democreep Party here in North Carolina

Hehehe....no raises for teachers and state employees in an election year.....