AFSCME Local 2406

Oklahoma City has been aware of the 2006 thru 2010 financial crisis that has taken place throughout the Nation for some time now. The city’s officials have even stated on several occasions that Oklahoma has fallen as far back as one (1) year behind the rest of the Country due to our declining oil & gas market. Current projection clearly shows that the tax revenue had also begun to drop as a result of this crisis.

Meanwhile OKC officials continue to blindly move forward with countless non-crucial projects such as the MAPS-3 project, vehicle replacement incentive, office equipment incentive, as well as a Mayors Convention. Add to this a list of their multi-million dollar commitments paid for by us, such as a three (3) million dollar budget for upgrades to the Blazer’s hockey facility, a six (6) million dollar budget for the “Gran Prix” street resurfacing project, and an even more staggering ten (10) million dollars in order to build a new practice facility for the OKC Thunder. Let’s also not forget about the 95 million dollars that these city officials have also borrowed from Devon Energy for the Myriad Gardens project, as well as various other financially damaging programs. By doing this, these very officials have made it clear to our working class citizens that their main focus of concern has nothing to do with our hard working fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters of this great City. Do they worry about our countless men and women that have to face and reconcile well-founded complaints of concerned citizens occurring on a daily basis? NO!

What about our heroes in the trenches of the waterline working backbreaking hours to ensure that our children have safe clean water to drink? Let’s cut their wages too!

Is it important to OKC officials to recognize our deteriorating Parks or to ensure safe travel through reconstructed roadways for its faithful taxpayers? NO, let us protect our financial investments! That’s their answer. In fact not even our most deserved and important work forces of the police and fire receive their recognition and support.

So I ask you now, why is it okay to ask our foundation, the city worker, to take any percentage of a pay cut while they continue to blindly spend on their so coveted ideas and wasteful projects which they will tell you is the answer to all of our problems? Their answer is to put the load on you, like always, and to ask you to sacrifice your dreams in order to accomplish theirs. Well not on my watch brother!

As a city worker I know of the simple and heartfelt dreams we hold so close. A dream of food on the table, decent clothes for our children and to simply provide for our families with the hope of some basic benefits that we work hard to receive. Now we are being asked to freeze our wages, cut our insurance, and take a 5% pay cut.

I have an answer for them ….Cut their wages or better yet the financial team; OSU projection specialists should have taken their job seriously and made better choices on how to cut spending and how to keep the already low manpower that they have!

The problem my friend is that the city officials have forgotten that this is the land of benefits and opportunity for everyone not just them. Even more than the MAPS-3 project our police and firefighters have the right to be supported by the municipal employees and furthermore we will not be placed in a position to sacrifice our rights on their whims and bad decisions! WHATEVER HAPPENED TO “THE CITY IS ME”.