Home / OPEA News

Call Legislators Now with Emergency Message

 

With only three weeks left in session, OPEA members must create a "significant emotional experience" for legislators and the governor in order to move them to act on state employee compensation. 

 

State leaders are taking the easy way out by planning to leave a week early and not address the challenging issues of the crisis in state employment and compensation.  The $85 million in turnover cost and critical staffing issues are their responsibility.  As long as the Rainy Day Fund is full, they cannot say "there is no money" and walk away from the problem.  The legislature and the governor must live up to their responsibilities as leaders and address the crisis in state employment.  A one-time bonus to all state employees would stabilize the workforce and provide much-needed relief for state employees.

 

Tell legislators that they must send a message to the governor now to declare an emergency in state employment and provide a bonus to all state employees from the Rainy Day Fund.

 

Make Your Voice Heard...Click Here  http://capwiz.com/opea/state/main/?state=OK

Posted on Tuesday, May 6, 2008 by Bud Elder filed under

12 comments (Add your own)

1. Linda Johnson wrote:
We desperately need a raise. Everything is going up and this is desperate times. Gas is skyrocketing, medical cost increases every year but our salary does not and groceries are increasing. Our net buying worth gets less and less as things increase except our salary. We do our best to servie clients but we need support also for ourselves and our own families. It is way past time for a raise.

May 7, 2008 @ 10:16 AM

2. Vick wrote:
Well, this is as expected. State leaders are determined not to increase State Employee salaries. It is not a question of money being available in the rainy day fund or not. The question is - "why pay someone more than they are willing to work for"? State leaders know the answer to that question very well and therefore the situation with pay-hikes.

I think that it is amazing that even a "cost of living adjustment" is not being considered by State leaders as the minimal hike to offset increased prices of food and transportation. Tells you what they think about State employees.

May 7, 2008 @ 10:58 AM

3. Connie wrote:
My legislator gave me the run around again. He stated that in theory he supports a state employee pay raise, but there just isn't enough money. These guys just don't get it.

May 7, 2008 @ 12:31 PM

4. Julie Whitaker wrote:
Dear Legislators:

Please do everything you can to give DHS/Child Welfare employees a bonus. I understand there is money available to do this from the Rainy Day Fund. Child Welfare employees deserve a bonus. The lawsuit against the Department is creating tension to an already stressful position. There have been many stressful situations for me and I know for all DHS employees. Just yesterday, I overheard one DHS participant yelling obscenities in the reception area and another participant made a bomb threat. I have had experience in the field going to homes where roaches crawl in your shoes, you have to spray your car with bug spray for fear the creatures will ride back home with you in your car, or you have had to knock on doors at night in dangerous neighborhoods-all this to ensure the safety of children. I have a coworker that visited a home and was bit by a family’s pet raccoon and then had to suffer through almost forty shots. People like me that put their own safety and welfare at risk and work to advocate for children and their families. There is a new payment plan for brand new DHS employees to promote employee retention; unfortunately, that compensation is not available to the tenured or seasoned employees with over two years of DHS work experience. I think we should promote employee retention for the employees that have served time at DHS.

Thank you for your time,

Julie Whitaker, MSW
DHS Oklahoma County 55D
Statewide Hotline

May 7, 2008 @ 6:18 PM

5. mary wrote:
DOC employees need that money to we are the ones that take care of the inmates to keep them from hurting anyone of the people that the legislators doesnt want to pay any of us. The people that try to take care of the young children and the people that keep the bad ones locked up. And if both of us dont do our jobs we get fired. Will the legislators they are not doing their jobs. Lets fire them.

May 8, 2008 @ 8:55 AM

6. bryan wrote:
Well, more people show up for free hotdogs than to fight for their pay. We now know what is important to State Employees! WAKE UP PEOPLE! We need a strong showing on May 13th. If you can't make it to OKC, get out in front of your office, especially in the Tulsa and OKC areas, and let the media know. We need to take a stand, NOW!

May 8, 2008 @ 10:45 AM

7. Gena wrote:
Vick and Bryan got it! Worse, our legislators got it!.

It's not a question of money; after all, Oklahoma is an OIL state. It's not a question of hot dogs either. It's a question of votes and a question of apathy. Why should our legislators care if we don't?

So do we?

I know you care as much as I do and I know a lot of you are hurting financially. (But even if you are not, don't we deserve to be compensated at least our worth?" And is OUR worth so much LESS than the person whose pay raise doesn't depend on our legislators? So tell it to them! If we don't show up in force and in their faces, how else will they see us? If we don't tell them (and when we stop telling them tell them again) how else will they hear us? I know that we feel "it will not make a difference," but if we, you and I, the one and the two of us join with all the other ones and twos at the Capitol steps (or the Capitol telephones), the numbers of us will be a force to be reckoned with.

I hear your complaints of "I am too busy" and "I can't take off to go because..." Don't leave it to others please. It's OUR life and OUR life NEEDS Us NOW!

MAKE IT A PRIORITY.

May 8, 2008 @ 1:24 PM

8. Disillusioned wrote:
Blu Flu July 1st !!!

May 8, 2008 @ 1:42 PM

9. Judith wrote:
I am still amazed that there has been no mention of the 21% raise Governor Henry signed for himself and other elected officials while reluctently approving a 5% raise for state employees in 2007. What is the Rainy Day Fund for if not for emergencies? The crisis in cost of living increases constitute a major emergency! The legislature and governor have the ability and means to correct the situation.

May 8, 2008 @ 2:08 PM

10. Vick wrote:
I find this hard to believe and harder to swallow:

........of the 21% raise Governor Henry signed for himself and other elected officials while reluctently approving a 5% raise for state employees in 2007.

Is this a third world state? That's where this could happen!

May 8, 2008 @ 3:47 PM

11. Tom Dunning wrote:
Take a couple hours of annual and DO SOMETHING!
Be at the capitol if you can....If you can't, make some noise where you are......

The general public does not give two hoots & a hollar about the well-being of state employees. But, they want their services and infrastructure when THEY need it.

"The legislature and gov won't do anything anyhow" is a cheap excuse for people who don't want to affect change, but do want to gripe.

Be there, be loud, be proud to be an Oklahoma State Employee. And, fall during campaign time, be there, be loud, be proud to be an Oklahoma State Employee and make the promise-breakers accountable.

May 8, 2008 @ 7:50 PM

12. Jack wrote:
this is a responce I got from my representatvie. I say vote them all out of office if they dont help us.  State employees need and deserve a pay raise. But simply don't have themoney without using Rainy Day funds. I agree with the Governor, that weare very likely to need that money next year just to keep our heads John Auffet

May 12, 2008 @ 1:08 PM

Add a New Comment

Enter the code you see below:
code
 

Comment Guidelines: No HTML is allowed. Off-topic or inappropriate comments will be edited or deleted. Thanks.