SEANC

Attacking Democrats whenever he gets a chance:

"We're satisfied that we got the best compromise out of this bill that we could possibly get as state employees, but I've got to tell you that the governor seems to be taking a lot of credit for this and essentially it's the exact same bill that's been sitting on her desk that she hasn't signed for a couple of weeks now," said Cope.

No, it's not. But I can understand your desire to (try to) make it look like supporting Republicans was a good idea. In actuality, it was one of the stupidest moves on record, but keep tying ribbons on that pig. It's amusing.

43 years later, echoes of the gunshot can still be heard:

Union supporters who want to repeal a 1959 North Carolina law denying collective bargaining rights for public employees will speak out through silence on the 43rd anniversary of the slaying of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

The state chapters of the AFL-CIO and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People are helping to organize a 15-minute silent protest at noon Monday across the street from the Legislative Building in Raleigh.

There has been a lot of innuendos and misinformation out there about what SEANC/SEIU Local 2008 did and did not do in the decision not to make endorsements in this year's NC state legislative races.
As an elected officer in SEANC, and a member of the 2008-2010 State EMPAC Committee, I was approached by a former Democratic party activist and asked to weigh in. The following is factual and is my own representation of the process that was decided upon for this year's campaign.
First some background:
1. SEANC is a member-driven organization. While the staff is encouraged to offer their opinions and insight into the pressing issues that state employees deal with, only "active" members of the association have the authority to make decisions on the directions of the association.
2. The state EMPAC committee is composed of 18 members elected from around the state to make decisions on endorsements and campaign contributions in primary and general elction races.

When the city-slicker announced he would build a new chicken coop for his small flock, the old farmers watched with amusement. When the city-slicker killed some of his best egg producers, the old farmers chuckled and winked at one another. When the city-slicker bought a skulk of red foxes to guard his new chicken coop, the old farmers laughed and slapped their knees. And when the city slicker published a newspaper column giving those new foxes a stern lecture about taking care of the remaining hens, one old farmer finally took him aside to offer a few words of advice

"Sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings, young feller, but it seems like you might want to find another line of work," said the old man. "You can blab all you want about what a critter should do, but there ain't no way those damn foxes is gonna take care of your chickens."

"You're probably right," sighed the city-slicker. "Think maybe I could get a job as the head of the State Employees Association of North Carolina?"

Cutting off your nose to spite your face:

A decision in July by SEANC's political action committee not to endorse General Assembly candidates this fall meant plans were shelved to spend more than $1 million largely benefiting Democrats, according to one of their leaders.

"It will send a message to those politicians that have taken us for granted," SEANC Executive Director Dana Cope said. "We're tired of them treating us like a giant ATM but never caring about our issues."

I hope you remember that when you find yourself standing around for hours in the lobby with your finger up your butt, only to have a page tell you, "Today's not a good day. Come back next month."

If I were a state employee in North Carolina, I would be telling Dana Cope to take a very long walk on a very short pier. How did this clown get to be in charge of anything ... and why is SEANC spending its political capital to help elect a government-hating Republican?

They're apparently more serious than we thought:

Wearing matching "Bring Jobs to North Carolina" T-shirts, Donnell Smith of Fayetteville and Shelitia Brooks of Raeford told people they were trying to create better jobs and more affordable health care.

What they didn't say is they're also trying to throw 8th District Democratic Congressman Larry Kissell out of office.

But could they also be inadvertently helping to throw Tim D'Annunzio "in" office?

Next Tuesday's Wake County School Board election promises to be a watershed event for race and poverty. I have followed the issue closely and today's Op Ed article in the Raleigh News&Observer by David Zonderman, "On school vote hangs our future", expresses what's at stake as capably as any observer.

Few recent school board elections have carried such historical and educational weight. Voters should remember the modern civil rights movement's struggles and realize that the fight for educational access and equity did not end with Brown v. Board of Education. That campaign for quality education continues today. In an increasingly diverse nation and an ever more complex world, all children need and deserve the best education possible in classrooms that reflect the rich and variegated human mosaic of America.

Last week I let everyone know about Town Halls on Health Care that are being held across the state by the State Employees Association of NC, SEIU Local 2008.

Since then we have a few updates, including a Western NC event, and 2 Congressmen!

Over the next three weeks, the State Employees Association of North Carolina will host a series of town hall meetings on health insurance reform across the state. SEANC and community members will share their health care concerns and hear local experts discuss the dire need for health insurance reform. SEANC also invited local congressmen to join the town hall events.

“State employees are concerned about health care. Many of them can’t afford to cover their spouses or children on the State Health Plan, adding to the growing number of uninsured North Carolinians,” said SEANC Executive Director Dana Cope.