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DOC Employees! OPEA Press Conference to End Furloughs!

 

Department of Corrections employees from across Oklahoma will hold a press conference on Monday, October 18, 2010 at 2:00 PM, at the State Capitol Press Room (432B), to discuss issues ranging from furloughs to overtime and the impact the staffing crisis is having on their lives. They are asking the Director to suspend the furloughs and for the legislature to provide DOC with supplemental funding. The Oklahoma Public Employees Association is sponsoring the press conference.

 

“Never in the state’s history has the crisis in funding and shortages in staff put the lives of officers and citizens at such risk,” said Sterling Zearley, OPEA Executive Director. “We are inviting corrections officers and case managers to discuss the impact of the budget crisis.”

 

The Department of Corrections estimates it only needs $9 million to halt the furloughs for the rest of this fiscal year.

 

“We hope that the legislature will take note of this serious situation and act quickly on a DOC a supplemental appropriation,” Zearley said.

Posted on Fri, October 15, 2010 by Trish Frazier

6 comments (Add your own)

1. Mamaw wrote:
I pray it goes through, you need safety.

Sat, October 16, 2010 @ 8:57 AM

2. Cheryl wrote:
Why only Correctional Officers and Case Managers? That's part of the problem with this agency as a whole...everyone wants to be a special consideration group...not a whole group.

Furloughs effect ALL staff. There should be no division amongst us for as the old saying goes, "United, We Stand...Divided, We Fall!"

And 9 million isn't enough. Why is it that DOC employees have NOT had a raise in 5 years and the staff of the Department of Education has had them every year? This is pure favoritism.

Mon, October 18, 2010 @ 8:44 AM

3. James wrote:
Cheryl:
We are tired of fighting your fight. Show up and help us! Put your money where your mouth is.

Mon, October 18, 2010 @ 9:06 AM

4. Kelly wrote:
I think the wording could have been better. We discussed the improtance of ALL non-uniformed staff attending these events and we welcome you to attend. WE NEED YOU TO GET INVOLVED! Bring your co-workers also! Let's get this fight started but not among each other......Direct it where it needs to be!

Mon, October 18, 2010 @ 9:55 AM

5. James Kroth wrote:
DOC are the backbone of many local communities, they are dependant of employees paychecks to keep the local economy flowing, Town leaders, including clergy and local business owners should join this fight also, in order to maintain a good local economy. DOC employees has been forced to lower their standard of living, even inmate programs has been cut. All of this affects the mission of Department of Corrections; DOC staff also protects the community.
We don’t need another Joe Allen Gamble or Gay Carter Incident. SO Support your Local Furlough Fighter!!

Mon, October 18, 2010 @ 11:16 AM

6. Josh wrote:
First off, the DOC is underpaid for the job they actually do. Co's risk their lives everyday dealing with the different states worst of the worst offenders. We're getting furloughed one day a month right now. That's a pretty big amount coming from a single parent with a newborn. One furlough day is an electricity bill, a water bill plus gas or gas to actually get to work. What happens when we move to the four day a month furloughs. That takes away a house payment, a car pay,food,gas...etc. Where are we gonna have the money to actually spend time with our families we are people too. Four furlough days a month is a furlough day a week. You can't have overtime during a furlough week what is gonna happen when we have emergencies transports, hospital runs, hospital watches, employee call ins. No CO will be able to cover there shift because we can't work overtime. That's basically giving our keys to the inmates and saying run the prison the CO's will pay for you to be housed here. I think we need to start taking WANTS away from the inmates. The free cable, the library , the air condition, the ball fields and the volleyball courts.... The offenders will end up having more freedom than the CO's I would like to see the furloughs start with the legislators take away 20,000 off of there sallary theres 9 million dollars right there that we could take why do the make 100000 dollars a year and we make a measley ole 11 dollars and hour. THAT'S INSASNE!!!!! We're currently understaffed like crazy and cant hire. We have 1500 offenders to our 20 guards talk about a threat to the officers the community and the world deep down inside I know the right people will come to the right conclusions about the mess they got us in and make the proper changes and pay us the proper wages that this dangerous potentially life threating job deserves. I would like to see raises and no furloughs. Why do you ride down the streets and see escalades denalis magnums chargers as police cars take away from the other agencies and departments too... Thank you. Have a nice day....

Tue, October 19, 2010 @ 3:39 AM

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