Spread the wealth to NC state workers

There’s nothing inherently wrong with the University of North Carolina Board of Governors raising the salaries of UNC system chancellors. There was something wrong with taking the action behind closed doors and then later announcing the figures, and they were in some cases very generous figures. That is more reflective of the Republican-dominated board’s inexperience and the same kind of clumsiness shown during the selection of a new system president.

But the awarding of these raises at the executive level spotlights the need for the General Assembly to do more than award a one-time $750 bonus to faculty and staff and state employees. The on-the-cheap treatment of all those employees is going to cost the state valuable workers and set up a teacher shortage.

Do legislative leaders not see the irony here, that people who are already among the highest paid in the state get raises of tens of thousands of dollars retroactive to the start of the fiscal year on July 1, while regular employees get a relatively small bonus?

The problem, of course, is that Republican legislators have reduced state revenue by cutting taxes for the wealthiest North Carolinians and big business. After the rich get richer, there’s not much left for the rank and file.

This story was originally published November 3, 2015 at 6:49 PM with the headline "Spread the wealth to NC state workers."