Cooper cabinet members get 10 percent raises

Their salaries now range from about $145,000, which four secretaries make, to Transportation Secretary James Trogdon's salary of $217,980 a year. With the raises, each secretary now makes more than the governor, whose salary clocks in at $144,349.

The largest increase went to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen, who got a nearly 35 percent increase, making her the second-highest-paid secretary after Trogdon.

The raises kicked in Jan. 1, and they were in addition to the $1,000 increase each state employee received through the annual state budget. WBTV in Charlotte was the first to report on the increases.

The Governor's Office defended the increases Tuesday, saying it can be difficult to keep top talent in government jobs when the private sector pays better.

"Cabinet secretaries take on tremendous responsibilities providing services to a state of more than 10 million people, and it’s important to minimize turnover and encourage continued leadership in our state agencies," Cooper spokeswoman Noelle Talley said in an email. "Governor Cooper will also keep pushing for fairer salaries for all state employees."

Cooper called for 2 percent employee raises in his budget proposal last year, which legislators discarded in favor of $1,000 increases across the board.

The Governor's Office said only cabinet secretaries received these most recent raises, with one exception among the governor's senior staff: A policy director who received an increase of 3.1 percent.