Public Employee Unions in North Carolina

Public employees in North Carolina have been fighting to retain their right to build power through unions despite anti-union laws rooted in bigotry. The origin of these obstacles is the 1959 General Statute 95-98, which forbids formal contracts between unions and state and local public employers and denies public workers the freedom to collectively negotiate over their pay and working conditions.

While the proximate cause of this bill was a campaign by International Brotherhood of Teamsters president Jimmy Hoffa to organize police unions in North Carolina, G.S. 95-98 was part of a broader campaign by conservative politicians to disempower working people and protect racial and economic inequality. According to David Zonderman, a professor of labor history at North Carolina State University, politicians across the country passed anti-union laws to protect segregation; this was because of the alliance between the Labor movement and the Civil Rights movement.

G.S. 95-98 has had a negative effect on North Carolina’s public workforce. Employees are unable to collectively negotiate, which results in lower pay and worse working conditions. This ban also negatively affects those served by public employees, as the precarity of non-union labor results in a less stable workplace. For example, public sector workers are often paid less than their peers in the private sector, which disincentivizes workers from seeking public employment. 

The Hear Our Public Employees (HOPE) Coalition, a collection of labor rights groups including the AFL-CIO, formed in the early 2000s to reverse the ban on public sector union contracts, but attempts have thus far been unsuccessful. This could change, however, as Virginia workers conducted a successful campaign to repeal a law similar to G.S. 95-98 in 2021.

Despite restrictions on their freedom, North Carolina public employees have continued to organize themselves and fight for equitable employment. Unions like the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), N.C. Public Service Workers Union (UE Local 150), and North Carolina Association of Educators (NEA) still represent thousands of workers. This representation typically entails informal agreements with elected officials, civil service review boards, and publicly lobbying for pro-worker policies.

A repeal of G.S. 95-98 would benefit all North Carolinians. It would restore to public employees the same tools and opportunity that most private sector employees have to improve their jobs. It would ease administrative burdens on government employers and reduce ambiguity between them and employees, as legally binding contracts would replace informal, ad hoc agreements. Additionally, repeal would not disrupt services for the general public, as strikes by public employees would still be prohibited.

Further Reading:

• How public-sector workers are building power in Virginia: https://www.epi.org/blog/how-public-sector-workers-are-building-power-in-virginia/