human resources and labor law

Purpose 

Ensure Oklahoma employers are competing on a level playing field with other states when it comes to the laws and regulations they have to comply with, particularly in the area of employment law.  

2021 Policy Positions

Unemployment

• Support efforts to reform Oklahoma’s unemployment benefits system
• Support stronger regulations that require unemployed individuals to actively be looking for work in order to collect unemployment compensation benefits
• Support statutory penalties for unemployment compensation fraud that parallel those for workers’ compensation fraud 
• Support cooperative work with the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission to ensure hearing officers comply with or follow statutory mandates

Paid Leave

• Oppose all efforts to force businesses to provide paid leave above what is currently required by federal law
• Oppose efforts to divert unemployment compensation trust money to pay for family medical leave

Wage & Hour Law

• Oppose all statutory mandates, either state or federal, as they relate to employer/employee relationships
• Oppose efforts to lower the small business exemption from 50 to 25 or fewer employees
• Support the “mirroring” of pro-business federal law on wage and hour laws
• Support allowing employers the option of granting compensatory time in lieu of payment for overtime
• Oppose any attempt to limit the definitions of “exempt employee” or otherwise expand employee eligibility for overtime including but not limited to raising the current salary thresholds
• Support efforts to allow an employer to pay overtime only when a 40-hour weekly work schedule is exceeded
• Oppose any federal or state legislative or regulatory measures that will interfere with an employer’s and employee’s freedom to contract, including efforts to pass the Arbitration Fairness Act

Drug Use & Employee Safety

• Support business protections and property owners' rights regarding medical marijuana including but not limited to the preservation of safety sensitive rules
• Support business protections and property owners' rights regarding regulation of employee drug use

Weapons

• Support business and property owners’ rights to regulate the possession of weapons on their property

Business Briefcase

Unemployment in 2021: UI Fund and Rates