Fair Shot for Central Oklahoma
Working people of Oklahoma are demanding change. We want priorities placed on laws, now and in the longer term, that provide working families a #FairShotCentralOK at better lives.
Fully Fund Neighborhood Public Schools
Fight Private School Vouchers
Provide Adequate Resources to Professional Educators and Support Staff
Give Workers the Right to Organize a Union
Educate Workers on their Union Rights
Assist Unions with Establishing a Contract
Raise Wages and Expand Benefits
Increase the Minimum Wage
Encourage and Educate Workers on Employee Rights
Improve Access to Health Care
Educate People on Medicaid Expansion and Children’s Health Insurance Programs
Work Toward Universal Access to Health Insurance Coverage
Expand Voting and Protect Democracy
Increase Working-Family Education
Educate Voters on the Poor People’s Campaign
Open Doors Wider to College and Apprenticeships
Increase Union Capacity in Locals and Apprenticeships
Assist children of Union Members with Scholarships
Provide Justice for Immigrant Workers
Assist Immigrant Workers with Establishing a Driver’s License
Educate Oklahomans on Immigration Reform
Reform our Criminal Justice System
Reform our OKC Jail
Increase Staff and Provide Humane Living Conditions (basic necessities, resources for mental health and education)
Address Climate Change
Establish Green Union Jobs
Encourage Locals to Grow More Sustainable
Our Agenda
Fighting for a Fair Shot for Working Families
Fully Fund Neighborhood Public Schools
Every day, our local public school teachers and support staff go above and beyond the call of duty to ensure that our children receive the quality education they deserve. The pandemic shed a bright light on the sacrifices these educators and paraprofessionals must make in order to do their jobs. However, instead of providing more resources to these professional educations and support staff, the state has increased onerous requirements, leading to burn out and fewer teachers in our classrooms. The state must make increasing teacher and support staff pay a priority, while reconsidering the burdensome policies put in place in recent years.
Give Workers the Right to Organize a Union
Joining together with co-workers to organize a union is a fundamental right recognized in U.S. labor law. It’s even affirmed in the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights. That said, employers usually oppose working people’s efforts to organize because they would prefer to have all of the power in the employment relationship. That’s why it’s important that every Oklahoman knows their right to organize.
Raise Better Wages and Expand Benefits
One job should be enough! To give every Oklahoman who works hard a fair shot, the state needs to raise the minimum wage and public employee pay, end wage theft and worker misclassification, protect and improve public pensions, and make sure every Oklahoman is covered by workers compensation insurance and benefits like health insurance coverage. To stop undermining wages, Oklahoma also needs to end tax giveaways to corporations that ship Oklahoma jobs overseas.
Improve Access to Health Care
Every Oklahoma family should be able to see a doctor without fear of bankruptcy or overwhelming medical bills. The state should continue Medicaid expansion, Children’s Health Insurance Programs, provide access to earned paid sick days, and work toward universal access to health insurance coverage.
Expand Voting and Protect Democracy
Our democracy works best when everyone eligible to do so is able to participate. Every eligible Oklahoma voter should be able to cast a ballot without impediment. The state should make voting more accessible through online and same-day voter registration, along with other measures that make it easier for every eligible Oklahoman to cast a ballot.
Open Doors Wider to College and Apprenticeships
Student loan debt is hampering young Oklahomans more than ever. Oklahoma should increase funding for public colleges and universities with an eye toward reducing student financial burdens. The state should also help increase availability of registered union apprenticeships – a proven path to a lifelong career, great wages, and outstanding healthcare and pension benefits.
Provide Justice for Immigrant Workers
All workers should be protected – regardless of their immigration status. State and local laws should be in place that create a subclass of workers who cannot speak up out of fear of deportation.
Reform Our Criminal Justice System
A minor offense shouldn’t bankrupt a family or stop someone from getting a job, credit, or housing. Every day, Oklahomans face daunting fines or even languish in jail because they cannot afford to settle simple traffic violations. The Central Oklahoma labor movement is committed to working for an equal justice system that protects everyone’s liberty and safety.
Address Climate Change Through Good Jobs
Climate change is a serious issue and one that Oklahoma is well-positioned to be a leader in combating. Our state’s leaders should embrace this opportunity. Doing so would create high-paying jobs over the next 25 years by investing in geothermal power generation, hydrogen-fueled energy, solar generation, energy efficiency, and more.
About Us
Fair Shot Central Oklahoma is a coalition of community leaders, organizers, and grassroots union activists across Oklahoma. We are Oklahoma neighborhood school teachers, local government workers, plumbers, electricians, other skilled trades workers, and more.
All across central Oklahoma, working people are coming together like we have in the past to demand that our elected officials put our families first. That’s why we’re working to elect candidates up and down the ballot and in every corner of central Oklahoma who will stand up and deliver for our public schools, job training programs, higher wages, paid sick days, and healthcare for everyone.