Recently a story
surfaced referencing a comment made by Governor Mary Fallin’s staff claiming
that current low staffing levels at our state prisons is adequate to provide for
the safety of the corrections officers and the general
public.
Having a
correctional facility in my district and hearing from multiple employees, I
could not disagree more.
Corrections
officers are currently working mandatory overtime and double-shifts. This is not
just a temporary thing or a new problem. Without raising pay and attracting new
corrections officers, it will continue, day in and day
out.
Without a pay
raise, we can also expect the situation to get worse. In fact, a pay raise will
only be a small step in the direction of recruiting new corrections officers and
retaining those who are already there.
Public safety
must be a priority for us in the Oklahoma Legislature and real reform of our
public safety system, including pay raises should be looked at as soon as
possible. I am aware that the budget is not conducive to any pay raises this
year, but when our priorities include giving away large tax breaks to
corporations who do not need them and spending too much on non-essential
services, we arrive at the current public safety crisis we are at today. True
conservative policy prioritizes core functions before
conveniences.
This year, House
members will be looking at the state compensation system, which is rife with a
variety of problems. In general, public employees are paid below the market
value of their work and that makes it extremely difficult to retain good
employees, or in the case of corrections, enough employees. Generally, the state
pension system is a slightly higher percentage than in the private sector, but
since that percentage is based on salary, the amount that public employees
receive in pension benefits is actually less than in the private
sector.
I hope that my
fellow lawmakers and I will be able to persuade the Governor of the importance
of approving pay raises for our hardworking corrections
officers.
Never hesitate
to contact me. Email me at: Josh.Cockroft@okhouse.gov. Call me at: (405)
557-7349. Follow me on Facebook: Representative Josh Cockroft, and Twitter:
@VoteCockroft27.
I would love to hear where Education lies among this prioritized budget!
ReplyDeleteRandy,
ReplyDeleteOklahoma is the only state in the nation with the requirement in our constitution to fund education. Therefore, for me, it is always very high on my personal priority list. I appreciate your thoughts and concerns.