OKLAHOMA CITY (April 2, 2010) – The battle to keep public employee’s birth dates private escalated today as the Trooper’s Association filed an injunction against the state. On Monday, OPEA filed a similar injunction that seeks to prevent a state worker’s date of birth from being made public.
“We are fortunate the state Trooper’s Association is joining with us in this fight,” said OPEA Executive Director Sterling Zearley. “This is an issue that will affect every single state employee, as well as those who work for city and county municipalities.
“Our fight has been mainly with The Oklahoman, who believes their ‘journalists’ need to know every single detail of a person’s life. It has been described as a ‘witch-hunt’ designed to expose anything that might be potentially embarrassing for the employee. That’s exactly what it is. If indeed there is an issue with a particular state or city worker, then that can be dealt with on an individual basis. It might take a little extra work on the part of the reporter, but if it protects thousands of people, then it’s worth the effort,” Zearley said.
The OPEA injunction will be heard in Oklahoma Country District Court on Friday, April 9th. “With the Trooper’s Association filing a similar injunction, we are showing a united effort that our employee’s safety is something on which we will not compromise,” Zearley said.
Click the link below to read a copy of the Trooper's Association injunction.
DOC.pdf
Posted on
Fri, April 2, 2010
by Mark Beutler