COVID-19 Update for Oklahoma State Employees
As COVID Cases are rising across the United States more members have contacted us with questions regarding leave for a person infected with COVID-19 or someone who is caring and/or in close contact with a COVID positive individual. We have been in contact with OPEA lawyers and we have bad news to report.
The leave that was given for COVID-19 was under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) which required covered employers to provide eligible employees with paid sick and expanded family and medical leave for certain COVID-19 related reasons. The FCCRA expired on December 31, 2020. If an employee wants to take off due to COVID-19, or is caring for ill family members, they may use accrued time off (vacation/sick leave) and could also possibly qualify for FMLA.
If you need to stay home from work due to COVID you are required to use your own leave or apply for FMLA.
The legislative session is right around the corner!
As we approach the start of the session, legislators have begun filing their bills to be considered this year. You can find our legislative agenda on our website using this link! Once all of our legislation has been filed we will update this web page with the bill numbers and authors so members can track bills as they progress through the 2022 session. The first day of the legislative session is February 7th. We will have our detailed legislative agenda released after the bill filling deadline on January 20th.
The best way for members to prepare for the legislative sessions is to learn who your legislators are and how to contact them using this tool. Save their phone number and email address to your phone contacts. This way you can easily lobby them regarding OPEA’s high priority bills such as market-based pay and pay for performance when it is time to do so.
Our membership dues have increased for new members!
Over the last 46 years, OPEA had periodically increased the cost of our dues when necessary. When OPEA was founded in 1975 the monthly dues were only $1 a month, and dues were collected by hand by the early leaders of OPEA. We began at $1, once OPEA established our payroll deduction our dues have been increased from $1 to $5, then to $10, and in 2002 we established the current $15 a month rate for active members and $5 a month for retired members. For the last 20 years, OPEA has not increased dues. Starting on January 1, 2022, OPEA will be increasing our monthly dues OPEA’s board of directors approved a dues increase for new OPEA members who join after January 1, 2022. Current active and retired members will not have their dues increased. The decision to increase the cost of dues was made by a unanimous vote by the OPEA Board of Directors. This decision was not an easy one, but it was necessary. Inflation is the primary factor behind this decision. $15 in 2002 is equivalent to about $22.65 in 2021 because of the 51% cumulative inflation rate over the last 20 years. It was time to increase the cost of dues. OPEA membership at the $18 rate is still a great value for what members receive. OPEA membership for new members is still only 60 cents a day. If you have any questions about this decision please contact OPEA office or your Regional Director.
Our updated dues for new members are as follows:
GO20 Promotion Has Ended!
The go20 promotion has ended. If you would like to continue to make money recruiting for OPEA. Please contact your membership representative and inquire about becoming an OPEA worksite representative. If you have any questions about the worksite representative program please contact OPEA at 405-524-6764.
