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OPEA Questions Two-Day Corp Comm Meeting

 

 

The Oklahoma Public Employees Association has learned the state Corporation Commission is holding a two-day training meeting at Midwest City’s Reed Center, reportedly paying thousands of dollars in per diem and lodging as the threat of furloughs hangs in the balance. 

 

“For months we have been asking agencies to curb all unnecessary expenditures,” said Mark Beutler, OPEA Director of Communications.  “We live in an age of webcams and computers and telecommunications, so OPEA believes other alternatives should have been explored before hosting a two-day meeting.  Could the training have been handled through a teleconference?  Could it have been condensed into one day?”

 

State agencies were faced with a $130 million dollar shortfall in May, and projected revenue for June will also be significantly less than expected. 

 

“When an agency is looking at furloughing its employees as we have heard the Corporation Commission is planning to do, OPEA believes every effort should be made to cut wasteful spending,” Beutler said. 

 

Look for a complete wrap-up on  Oklahoma City’s KFOR-TV and at www.KFOR.com

 

Posted on Tuesday, June 23, 2009 by Mark Beutler

7 comments (Add your own)

1. concerned wrote:
First of all, why can't they do these training sessions on the Internet for the various companies? This is a very big waste of money going on. Where do they come up with expediture money for all these hotel stay & travel expenses if the state is in such a money crunch? There are more simpler ways to handle these meetings and cut down half of the unnessary expenses. Somebody needs to be removed that does not know how to save money and the cost of things. They sure don't have to pay for it!!!! This is nonsense spending!!!!

June 23, 2009 @ 2:28 PM

2. Fed Up with lip service wrote:
OPEA needs to look at all state agencies for unnessary money expenses. ODHMSAS certainly uses travel money for all the upper management to travel around the country while the staff working to take care of the patients are told no more staff, reduce the amount of overtime and "suck it up". I am sure most state agencies are ignoring the call for cutbacks when it impacts the upper management (kinda like the Wall Street tycoons who did not care one bit about the people putting money into savings just making themselves comfortable. You know that it will be the working staff who take the furloughs not the upper management.
Thanks OPEA for being the watchdog we all need.

June 23, 2009 @ 5:43 PM

3. Not recession-proof after all wrote:
Interestingly, according to the Office of State Finance, several key people at the Corporation Commission have gotten large raises in 2009:

Jeff Cloud: $24,837.96 pay increase since 12/2008
Dana Murphy: $41,713.80 pay increase since taking office in Jan 2009
Brooks Mitchell (Director of Administration): $9,795.12 pay increase since 12/2008
Christine Jolly (Director of Human Resources): $7,944.96 pay increase since 11/2008

Were these raises necessary, or even deserved? Bob Anthony, who has served the longest of the three commissioners, has the lowest salary of the three and has received only a $2,000.04 salary increase since 12/2008.

I found these numbers with a quick search for key names. I wonder what an in-depth search of all OCC employees would reveal? What agency is next to receive furloughs? Will it be under similar circumstances?

While I don't begrudge even the higher-ups receiving a cost-of-living adjustment, the raises described above seem ludicrous in light of the state's current budget situation. The average state employee has not seen even cost-of-living adjustments in years, let alone raises: Now our income is being docked to fund outrageous pay increases for elected officials and unclassified employees. What's next? Layoffs?

Mr. Henry, if this isn't a "rainy day," then please define what is, because an overwhelming percentage of your state employees are standing under a large, dark cloud.

June 24, 2009 @ 10:46 AM

4. FattCatt wrote:
This is absolutely ludicrous in a time when furloughs’ are being threatened…this is BS.
Here at ODOT we have to travel to Guyman, Idabel, Miami or Hollis and we do not get that luxury. Our day on the road begins at 7:00am and at times we do not get in till 7:00 and 8:00pm that night. In my opinion this creates a major safety issue…and here we have some of the elite of State Employees abusing the system when others are putting their life on the line. What a bunch of hogwash!

I know I will never understand our State Government and its perverted priorities but I’m still going to do everything I can to change that thinking. Every “Call to Action” every letter, e-mail and most important every “Lobby Day” I will be all over it like white on rice. I will stand up for myself and make my voice heard!

We must organize and get to lobby day…our legislators’ will not take us seriously until then.

“No Abuse Again in 2010!!!”

>*X*<

June 24, 2009 @ 12:25 PM

5. Commission Lass wrote:
I don't know where some of this information comes from. People need to get the information straight before they go off on someone.

This trainning session was approved way last year. Until the Commission started having these sessions once a year our field offices had no idea what was going on. This is something that should have been going on years ago.

The Commission does not have near the amenities that other agencies have. Even after the last RIFs we continued to cut corners to save.

Bottom line when you don't know what you are talking about don't talk.

June 25, 2009 @ 1:40 PM

6. Tankman wrote:
Commission Lass, since it appears that you are a lacky for the commission, you won't mind taking the furlough days. For me, this was a waste of money that should have been used to help offset the furloughs along with other ideas for savings such as shutting down the office for a day. The fact is that our administrator does not give to hoots about the staff.

June 26, 2009 @ 7:32 AM

7. FattCatt wrote:
Commission Lass,

Has any one at the Corporation Commission heard of e-mail...there is also been something else that’s been around for awhile now…it’s called teleconferencing.

If there is a communication problem at the Corporation Commission, then it sounds like you have some managers that are getting paid way too much!

In this age of high tech there is NO reason to waist money on a convention that could have help minimize the need to furlough you and your fellow employee's but hey, you’re the one losing pay not me.

Not Again in 2010...Lobby Day

>*~*<

June 26, 2009 @ 12:39 PM

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