Hello Jonathan,

I hope you are doing well. I want to explain an action the SEANC Board of Governors took at our February meeting. By a unanimous vote, the board passed a resolution to set in motion the process of disaffiliating from the Service Employees International Union. We feel strongly that this is the right course of action to best serve our members’ interests.

This is not a decision that we made lightly. Over the past 15 years, we have made many strides toward bettering the lives of state employees and retirees with SEIU at our side. We have shared victories and losses.

SEIU launched a new subsidiary in November 2022 called the Union of Southern Service Workers as part of its “Raise Up the South” movement, with North Carolina as its main target. While we wish SEIU and its subsidiaries success in advocating for workers, they are engaging in tactics that are contrary to the practices and beliefs that have made SEANC a successful force in North Carolina politics for the last 75 years.

Their aggressive tactics will not serve our members well when we lobby for pay raises, affordable health care, retirement security, and better working conditions, no matter which party is in charge. SEANC is the strongest voice for state employees and retirees at the legislature because of the manner in which we advocate and the reputation we have earned. The tactics SEIU plans to deploy in North Carolina will do more harm than good for SEANC and our members.

The time has come for us to separate from SEIU.

It’s important for you to know that, even though the Board of Governors vote was unanimous, SEANC is first and foremost a member-led organization, and members will have the final say in this decision. The matter will be taken up at the 2023 SEANC Convention in September, where delegates will decide the fate of our affiliation with SEIU.

I appreciate your continued membership and support. May we always strive to keep the best interests of hardworking state employees and retirees at heart.

Thank you,

Martha Fowler

SEANC President