UE150 NC Public Service Workers Union

06/04/2026

Last night, UE150 member Darrion Smith spoke out against Duke Energy’s outrageous proposal to raise utility rates by 18% to build dirty power plants that we don’t want! 84% of this new energy will go to Data Centers, which we don’t want! Data Centers which will pollute our communities and allow tech companies to surveil workers more, which we don’t want!

06/04/2026

Due to “budget constraints” the libraries saw a reduction of 30 percent of temporary staff hours at the beginning of 2025-26 fiscal year. As a result, library programs and service offerings to patrons have been reduced, and burnout and turnover among library workers has soared.

Before the cuts, Wake Library Workers United had been operating underground as a pre-majority union. “Our organizing committee had only formed in 2024 with a handful of Wake library workers,” said Alexandra Helms, one of the founding members. “Things really heated up when our temp coworkers lost a ton of their hours in July 2025. We saw there was serious discontent among all of our coworkers and many were looking for a way to take action.”

In September 2025, members began wearing their union buttons at work to bring visibility to the union and the campaign. They also began circulating a workplace petition, which addressed the years of understaffing and demanded a reversal to the recent cuts to staff hours. 215 of the roughly 600 rank-and-file library workers signed the petition.

“This was way more than we expected initially,” said LWU member Daniel Sumerlin. “Many of our coworkers had never heard of the union before this action and many more thought union activity was illegal for public-sector workers in North Carolina. There was a lot of fear and misinformation to combat, and many more coworkers gave us their support even if they were too nervous to sign the petition.”

Read full story here

Members of Library Workers United (LWU), a chapter of UE Local 150 in North Carolina, held their first public action on May 11 outside the Wake County Commissioners’ public budget meeting. This rally and the public comments given by workers and their supporters was the culmination of a yearlong ca...

06/03/2026

Duke Energy is requesting an 18% rate hike this year. Speak out tonight at the Utility Commission hearing at the Durham County Courthouse

05/22/2026

UE150 is organizing a workplace outreach blitz the week of June 22-26. We would like to invite you to join us in Raleigh, NC to help build the union!

Please RSVP to participate by filling the form linked here bit.ly/RaleighUE150Blitz

Why Raleigh, North Carolina?
Raleigh is home to thousands of state and local government employees. Ironically, the Local does not have a strong base there. Raleigh is the state capital and home of state workers’ primary boss, the NC General Assembly. Having a strong, activated base of members in Raleigh will be critical for the union to fight the state government in the coming years.

Why now?
It’s a critical time to be talking with as many workers as possible. The State of NC has not passed a state budget in nearly two years, meaning state employees have had no raises. This spring, the state announced a budget surplus of $370 million, but rather than pass a state budget with raises and that funds people’s needs like healthcare and education, the state is planning additional tax breaks for the rich and corporations. NC is on target to be the first state in the country with 0% corporate tax rate.

As the chaos in society increases and conditions for workers declines, as polarization and divisions sharpen, the willingness to take action to change conditions is growing. Reaching workers who are thinking in this direction and bringing them into organization and a broader movement is imperative.

What is a blitz?
A blitz is a concentrated, multi-day effort to reach as many workers at as many workplaces as possible. We’ll be working with members of the local, members from nearby locals, and inviting workers assemblies and other community allies to join us for as long as they can to maximize the amount of outreach we’re able to accomplish.

05/20/2026

Today we highlight one of our stewards in the City of Raleigh, Utilities department for his great efforts to build the union. Salute Joel!

05/18/2026

‼️ BEWARE: Today the NC Senate Ag committee is discussing a bill to add Right-to-work (for less) law into the state constitution.

🤔 Why are electeds spending time on this while working people are suffering from low wages, high gas, food, & housing costs. Is there nothing better to do?

05/15/2026

The North Carolina Republican Party Senate Leader Phil Berger released a proposed state budget this week that continues to undervalue critical services provided by state workers. Rather than prioritizing education, healthcare, and raises for the people that keep our state running, they are proposing billions $$ more in tax breaks for the rich and corporations. Join us June 3 in Butner (other actions TBA) to support state DHHS mental health and UNC System workers to demand the General Assembly pass a state budget for:

💰Raises to $25/hr & 25%
🏥Fully funded State Health Plan
😷Safe staffing in DHHS mental health facilities
💪🏾Collective bargaining
🚫Tax the Rich & Corporations! Join us

05/14/2026

🤬🤬🤬3% raise for state workers, after 0% raise last year. This is an outrage!

Public school workers marched and earned an 8% we salute their organizing efforts! State highway patrol and prison guards are getting 13%. Why are our members still thrown the scraps off the table? Meanwhile, the rich and corporations will have their taxes lowered again! And the Republicans are proposing to add a constitutional amendment to ballot in November to PERMANENTLY keep taxes low for the rich!

See attached pictures of our members at the Legislature this past Tuesday pushing for a state budget that funds raises, healthcare and education, not tax breaks for the rich and corporations!

05/13/2026

Salute to our members in Charlotte for speaking out strongly last night at the City Council budget hearing to protest a meager 4% raise tied to evaluations. Why do police and fire continue to get bigger raises than the rest of us? However, we are proud to have won a $25/hr minimum wage this year!

05/06/2026

On May Day, state DHHS mental health workers rallied at NCSU and marched to the General Assembly to raise their demands for:

💰Raises to $25/hr & 25%
🏥Fully funded State Health Plan
😷Safe staffing in DHHS mental health facilities
💪🏾Collective bargaining
🚫Tax the Rich!

was founded on the fight for the 8-hour work day. Yet, today most workers are taking 2-3 jobs to make ends meet because their first jobs don't keep up with the rising costs of housing, healthcare, food and all living expenses.