Friday, May 16, 2008
- Mark Beutler
Contact: Mark Beutler
Director of Communications
405.429.0533
May 13, 2008
For Immediate Release:
“Leave us out—we’ll Vote you out”
Oklahoma City – Members of the Oklahoma Public Employees Association (OPEA) are sending a direct message to state lawmakers: “Leave us out—we’ll vote you out.” OPEA members held a spirited but peaceful protest rally today on the south steps of the State Capitol.
“We have seen our legislators pass corporate welfare packages on to professional sports associations, as well as benefits to the oil industry and tire manufacturers, to name just a few,” said Sterling Zearley, OPEA Executive Director.
“State employees are increasingly being asked to do more with less, and they willingly meet the challenges. But enough is enough. Employees are leaving state government in record numbers, creating a crisis in agencies and services. Clearly waiting another year for a pay raise is not an option,” Zearley said.
Work loads are increasing throughout the state, while paychecks are eroding. More and more workers are leaving public service and taking jobs in the more lucrative private sector. As a result, those employees left behind are forced to carry an increasing burden as well as train new workers. And in many cases those employees leave through the revolving door and the process begins again.
So far throughout this session, cries for additional compensation have fallen on deaf ears. But with less than two weeks left before adjournment, OPEA members say they will not take “no” for an answer.
“There is an emergency in state government employment and the Rainy Day Fund must be tapped to provide relief,” Zearley said. “‘There is no money’ is not an acceptable answer for us. Not this time.”
OPEA hopes lawmakers will implement a long-term compensation plan to bring state employee compensation up to market.
“We have seen sporadic cost-of-living adjustments for nearly a decade,” Zearley said.
“State employees have received only three raises in nine years. As a result the state is losing $85 million dollars a year in employee turnover. We hope our lawmakers will put together a meaningful pay plan, one that is consistent and allows for retention of our state’s workforce.”
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