Oklahoma
House of Representatives
Media Division
June 18, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: State Rep. Mike
Shelton
Capitol: (405) 557-7367
Oklahoma City: (405)
424-4141
Shelton / OPEA Announce Public Hearing on Four-Day Work Week
Call
on Gov. Henry to Order Condensed Work Schedules for State Employees
OKLAHOMA CITY- (June
18, 2008) – State agencies and their employees will have a chance to discuss the
possibility of moving to a four-day work week at a public hearing at the State
Capitol Wednesday, July 9th.
The meeting will be held in room 432A from 10 am until noon.
In light of skyrocketing fuel costs, State Representative Mike Shelton and officials with the Oklahoma Public
Employees Association (OPEA) have been at the forefront of a national push to
allow government employees to work condensed schedules that could save money
for employees and agencies, as well as taxpayers.
Unfortunately, said Shelton,
the idea has spread like wildfire across the nation while Oklahoma’s government workers have been left
behind.
“Hardworking state employees need a break, and without a pay
increase, a condensed work schedule is the best way to give it to them,” said Shelton, D-Oklahoma
City. “Our state
employees have had only three pay raises in the last decade, and we wonder why
we cannot retain our best and brightest in the public sector. These are men and
women with families who feel compelled to serve the public and must sacrifice
financially to do so. We owe them something, and helping them ease the burden
of high fuel prices is a start.
“At the same time, we can reduce energy bills and ease the
burden on the taxpayer by turning off the lights in some of our state buildings
one day a week. This is a victory for both sides in a game ‘survive-the-recession’
that nobody wants to play,” Shelton
said.
This year, the Legislature passed a standstill budget for
2009 that did not include promised pay raises for state employees after state revenue
fell short of projections, prompting Shelton in May to introduce a resolution encouraging
state agencies to implement “flex time” work schedules that would have allowed
employees to work four 10-hour work days each week instead of five eight-hour
days.
Shelton
said the combination of high gas prices, inflation and stagnant pay have put
state employees in a serious financial bind, and he and the OPEA have recently
called on Gov. Brad Henry to issue an executive order encouraging state
agencies to allow their employees the opportunity to work condensed schedules.
The group is currently attempting to meet with Henry to
discuss the matter.
OPEA Executive Director Sterling Zearley said a new survey
on the Association’s website shows most state employees support the change.
“We’ve seen an overwhelming 98 percent of respondents who
say they favor going to a four-day work week,” Zearley said. “Many of our state employees are simply worn
out trying to stretch a dollar, and anything we can do to help them in the
short-term, we need to do immediately.”
In recent weeks, gasoline prices have surged to around $4 a
gallon or more throughout the nation, a 30 percent increase from one year ago,
according to the American Automobile Association.
The recent surge has prompted public and private employers
to seek ways to reduce costs for their employees as well as save money for the
employer.
City officials in Birmingham,
Alabama, recently voted to
implement a four-day week for more than 3,400 municipal employees, a move
expected to save the city $500,000 to $1 million annually in fuel costs alone.
The University
of Central Oklahoma has
also adopted a four-day work schedule for summer faculty and expects to save
more $150,000 on energy costs.
Officials in Washington, Ohio and Alabama
are currently considering proposals to allow their state employees to move to
four-day work weeks, as well. Some experts report that a quarter or more of all
private businesses in the U.S.
are considering moving to the short week.
In addition to saving both employees and employers money, Shelton said the move
could boost morale and increase productivity in state government.
A recent study released by the Romney Institute of Public
Management reported that 60 percent of employees who work an alternative
10-hour, four-day work schedule are more productive, happier with their pay and
benefits and are less likely to seek a new job. In addition, the study found
that 60 percent of residents during the same period reported increased access
to government.
-30-
Posted on
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
by Mark Beutler