Rick Allen, OPEA Membership Representative
The Oklahoma Public Employees
Association is proud to welcome Rick Allen as its newest staff member. Allen, a native of Lexington, Oklahoma,
joined OPEA December 1 as Membership Representative. In an exclusive interview with OPEA’s
Director of Communications Mark Beutler, Allen shares his thoughts on state
employment, his long career as a Corrections professional, and his goals for
his work at OPEA.
MB: Tell us about your
background
RA: I grew up and went to
school in my hometown of Lexington,
Oklahoma. I joined the US Army in 1972 and was
honorably discharged in 1975. After that
I studied criminal justice and went to work for the Oklahoma Department of
Corrections. After 25 years in service
and numerous transfers to different facilities I retired November 30th.
MB: What prompted you to
join the OPEA team?
RA:
I joined the OPEA team to fight for my fellow co-workers. After 25 years of watching state employees
being under-valued, I wanted to join the association that fights for state
employees and plays by the rules. OPEA
does that and more. I have gained a
great respect for this organization and its goal to achieve a quality work environment
for all state employees.
MB: You were on the Board of
the Oklahoma Corrections Professionals; why did you leave?
RA: Under the circumstances, I don’t want to say
much about the issue. I don’t want to
get distracted from my objective of why I came to OPEA. But I will say this: “Say what you mean and mean what you
say.” You must play by a certain set of
rules in life no matter what you do.
OCP, in my opinion, was not doing that.
So I felt I either had to go against my own beliefs or not participate. I felt I had no other choice to resign my
position there because of the actions of several individuals.
MB: What are your thoughts
on the current lawsuit against the three founding individuals?
RA: Part of my duties at
OPEA is to protect sensitive information we receive from our members. Those three individuals named in the lawsuit
allegedly betrayed that trust, and that’s why the lawsuit was filed, to recover
that confidential information that belongs to OPEA. I hope all my peers in Corrections realize
this lawsuit is not about OCP; it’s about the ex-OPEA employee and two ex-OPEA
board members who allegedly started OCP with information that didn’t belong to
them. I was an elected OCP board member,
and I wish the argument about it being OCP would stop.
MB: What are your goals in your position at OPEA,
and what do you hope to accomplish?
RA: Right now I want to get
all state employees focused on the issues at hand. The Department of Corrections lost a lot of
bargaining power last year with their audit, due to their inner turmoil. OPEA cannot be distracted for a second year
in a row. Distraction will cost state
employees money, whether it is in pay raises or benefits. I cannot and absolutely will not be drawn
into anything that is not beneficial for OPEA members. My loyalties are to the state employee.
Posted on
Fri, December 12, 2008
by Mark Beutler