In an effort to give state employees a louder voice in the workplace, the Oklahoma Public Employees Association is kicking off a month-long membership recruitment drive.
“Get on Board the OPEA Express” will take the Association to every corner of the state beginning June 1. OPEA Executive Director Sterling Zearley, his staff as well as key board members will hit the road, making stops from Miami to Altus, Antlers to Woodward, and many points in between.
“State employees are being hit especially hard with the economy the way it is,” Zearley said. “Agencies have to cut their budgets, and while state officials say reductions-in-force and furloughs are not necessary at this time, that doesn’t mean we’re out of the woods yet.
“That’s why OPEA is taking this aggressive approach…getting out there on the road and telling our valuable state employees about the association, and how they can protect their rights. Oklahoma has 35,000 employees, but only 10,000 are members. With one collective voice, we can have a much louder voice at the state Capitol and protect our jobs and benefits,” Zearley said.
In addition, state employees will receive some fantastic perks for joining, including being in the running for the grand prize, which is a Dell laptop computer.
The “OPEA Express” culminates in August with a trip to Lake Murray on the Heartland Flyer for the annual OPEA Convention and Delegate Assembly.
Posted on
Wed, May 27, 2009
by Mark Beutler