For Immediate Release: June 27, 2006
For More Information Contact:
Elizabeth Frame (Cal Hobson for Lt. Gov.)
405-840-4779 or 405-203-0001
Adrianne Covington (OEA)
405-528-7785 ext. 353
Nancy Hughes (OPEA)
405-524-6764

6.27.06

Historic Joint OEA and OPEA Endorsement of Cal Hobson for Lt. Governor to be Announced June 28th

A joint press conference of the Oklahoma Education Association and the Oklahoma Public Employees Association, announcing their endorsement of Senator Cal Hobson in his bid for Lt. Governor, will be held at the Capitol Press Room (4th floor, state capitol building) on Wednesday, June 28th at 2 pm. Both organizations have chosen to endorse Senator Hobson due to his strong 28 year legislative track record in support of issues important to all Oklahomans.

Representatives of OPEA, including uniformed officers from Oklahoma's state prisons, will make brief statements and be available for your questions. As is well known, some members of the house republican leadership opposed a state employee pay increase until the final days of the special session. In contrast, the increase was supported for months by house and senate democrats. Additionally, a last minute change to the appropriation bill, championed by Senator Hobson, added the pay increase for correctional officers and other employees of the Department of Corrections. Without Senator Hobson's initiative, this group of hardworking and loyal public servants would have been denied the increase afforded to all other state employees effective October 1st, 2006. The total cost, when annualized, of this long overdue pay increase is approximately 45 million dollars.

A 3,000 dollar per teacher salary increase will be across the board for each instructor and is funded outside the school formula, thus guaranteeing our greatly valued educators will actually see these dollars in their 2006-2007 pay checks. Additionally, 18 million dollars was appropriated through the formula for a salary increase for all support personnel at Oklahoma's public schools. Current classroom teachers will make brief statements. Senator Cal Hobson and his wife Elaine, a public school speech and language pathologist, will attend the press conference.