NC workers rally at Legislature against layoffs

RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina state employees are gathering to oppose a pending state budget that threatens some jobs and freezes pay and benefits.

Hundreds of blue-shirted members of the State Employees Association of North Carolina rallied Tuesday in Raleigh. The association says its 55,000 members want lawmakers to approve a budget friendlier to working families.

Kim Stewart of Franklin County says the budget cuts mean she’s facing layoff after more than 28 years of work and just over a year before retirement.

Stewart’s work as a vocational rehabilitation specialist keeps people like Mildred Bartley-Fox of Rocky Mount out of nursing homes. Barley-Fox is a multiple sclerosis victim who also spoke against the budget cuts.

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