Once again, it looks like Kevin Stitt is taking this run a state like a business thing too seriously.
Yesterday, to the cheers and applause of greedy corporate executives from all over the world, he vetoed a a bipartisan bill that would have allowed state employees who earn less that $31,000 a year to collect overtime pay.
That sucks. When you make less than $31,000 a year, and are likely living paycheck to paycheck, overtime pay can make a huge difference in your quality of life. It can help you pay for luxuries like electricity, food and even running water. The only thing comp time does – if you're able to use it – is let you go home early on a Friday so you can realize how broke you are.
Why did Stitt decide to be a cheap dick and veto the bill? Here's you answer...
In striking the bill, Stitt called for a broader conversation on developing standardized pay policies for all state agencies...
“State employee pay and benefits, including overtime pay and compensation time, is critical to ensuring Oklahoma retains the best and brightest in state government. Unfortunately, there are not across-the-board policies for all state agencies and employees,” Stitt wrote in his veto letter.
That excuse is weaker than a degree from Oral Roberts!
I know I'm not a former mortgage banking CEO who was banned from doing business in multiple states, but I'm pretty sure you can close a loophole that cheats Oklahomans out of overtime pay while also having a broader conversation on developing standardized pay policies for all state agencies. In a business sense, that would be like saying you can't evict a widow until you have a broader conversation about getting more people to apply for predatory mortgage loans. One doesn't have to wait for the other.