How state employees are reacting to long-delayed raises

About this episode

The episode discusses the reactions of state employees to recently announced raises and the implications of the budget agreement.

Legislative leaders recently announced state employee raises as part of an initial budget agreement, but how much workers will receive will vary greatly depending on what they do for state government. The State Employees Association of North Carolina, better known as SEANC, says the 3% raise for most state employees is "not going to cut it" amid inflation and higher healthcare premiums. And while some workers like correctional officers, state law enforcement officers and teachers would get more, other hard-to-fill positions appear to be left out. WUNC News' Colin Campbell spoke with SEANC executive director Ardis Watkins about the reaction across state agencies to the pay proposal. She also addressed concerns about the elimination of vacant positions, decreasing staffing levels even as North Carolina's population grows.

People in this episode

Host: Colin Campbell

Guest: Ardis Watkins

Topics covered

• state employee raises
• budget agreement
• inflation
• healthcare premiums
• staffing levels
• pay proposal

Keywords

• state employees
• raises
• budget
• inflation
• healthcare
• staffing
• North Carolina

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: State Employees Association of North Carolina

Places: North Carolina

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