Oklahoma Department of Labor
Encyclopedia
The Oklahoma Department of Labor (ODOL) is an agency
of the government of Oklahoma
that is headed by the Oklahoma Labor Commissioner
, a statewide elected position. ODOL is responsible for supervising the administration of all state laws relating to labor and workplace safety and gathers and publishes information about the workforce of Oklahoma.
The current Labor Commissioner is Mark Costello
, a Republican
who was elected to his first term in 2010.
Additionally, the ODOL has jurisdiction for the inspection of welded steam lines, boiler and pressure vessels, elevators, amusement and water rides, and water heaters in public facilities. The Department is responsible for the certification of welders and weld-testing laboratories as well as the regulation and certification of asbestos workers. The ODOL is also the primary enforcement agency of occupational safety and health
for public employees across the State.
Consequently, when the new state constitution was ratified by delegates to the constitutional convention in 1907 the Oklahoma Department of Labor was created. Since its inception, the Oklahoma Department of Labor has functioned continuously for more than 100 years under the direction of 18 different Commissioners and 22 governors.
Oklahoma's first Commissioner of Labor was Charles A. Daugherty, who served for two four-year terms from 1907 to 1915, under Governors C.N. Haskell and Lee Cruce. At that time, the Labor Department was located in Guthrie
, as were all state agencies. The original staff consisted of five people: a commissioner; an assistant commissioner; a state factory inspector; a superintendent of the State Free Employment Bureau; and a stenographer.
Due largely to the infusion of federal funds from Wagner-Peyser and Social Security
grants, the Oklahoma Employment Service and the Unemployment Compensation and Placement Division of the Oklahoma Department of Labor had grown to include more than 300 employees in 33 offices throughout the state by 1940. Federal grants accounted for 85 percent of the funds budgeted for these activities.
Then, in 1941, the 18th Legislature amended the Oklahoma Unemployment Compensation Law extensively, changing the name to the Oklahoma Security Act, and renamed administration of the Act from the Commissioner of Labor to the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission
. By FY 1940-41, the Department of Labor had been reduce to 16 employees operating on only 11 percent of the previous year's budget.
Today the Department of Labor has an authorized staff of 112, with two offices one in Oklahoma City
and one in Tulsa
. The present Commissioner of Labor is Mark Costello who was elected by the people in November 2010 and took office January 2011.
Government agency
A government or state agency is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, such as an intelligence agency. There is a notable variety of agency types...
of the government of Oklahoma
Government of Oklahoma
The government of the US State of Oklahoma, established by the Oklahoma Constitution, is a republican democracy modeled after the Federal government of the United States. The state government has three branches: the executive, legislative, and judicial...
that is headed by the Oklahoma Labor Commissioner
Oklahoma Labor Commissioner
The Oklahoma Commissioner of Labor is an elective executive officer of the State of Oklahoma. The Labor Commissioner serves as the head of the Oklahoma Department of Labor...
, a statewide elected position. ODOL is responsible for supervising the administration of all state laws relating to labor and workplace safety and gathers and publishes information about the workforce of Oklahoma.
The current Labor Commissioner is Mark Costello
Mark Costello (Oklahoma politician)
-Personal life:Costello is a fourth generation Oklahoman, born and raised in Bartlesville. After graduating from Bartlesville's College High, he put himself through the University of Kansas by working summers on oil rigs in and around the North Sea. He has been married for 28 years and has 5...
, a Republican
Oklahoma Republican Party
The Oklahoma Republican Party is a political party affiliated with the United States Republican Party . Along with the Oklahoma Democratic Party, it is one of the two major parties in Oklahoma politics.-Voter base:...
who was elected to his first term in 2010.
Responsibilities
The ODOL is responsible for the administration and enforcement of the State's minimum wage law, enforces the State's child labor laws, oversees that State's workers’ compensation insurance compliance program, regulates of private employment agencies, and investigates and mediates of unpaid wages disputes.Additionally, the ODOL has jurisdiction for the inspection of welded steam lines, boiler and pressure vessels, elevators, amusement and water rides, and water heaters in public facilities. The Department is responsible for the certification of welders and weld-testing laboratories as well as the regulation and certification of asbestos workers. The ODOL is also the primary enforcement agency of occupational safety and health
Occupational safety and health
Occupational safety and health is a cross-disciplinary area concerned with protecting the safety, health and welfare of people engaged in work or employment. The goal of all occupational safety and health programs is to foster a safe work environment...
for public employees across the State.
History
In August 1907 delegates from the Twin-Territorial Federation of Labor, the State Farmers' Union, and the Railroad Brotherhoods met in Shawnee and formulated a list of 24 demands for the forthcoming constitutional convention. The 12th demand called for the establishment of State Department of Labor and Commerce.Consequently, when the new state constitution was ratified by delegates to the constitutional convention in 1907 the Oklahoma Department of Labor was created. Since its inception, the Oklahoma Department of Labor has functioned continuously for more than 100 years under the direction of 18 different Commissioners and 22 governors.
Oklahoma's first Commissioner of Labor was Charles A. Daugherty, who served for two four-year terms from 1907 to 1915, under Governors C.N. Haskell and Lee Cruce. At that time, the Labor Department was located in Guthrie
Guthrie, Oklahoma
Guthrie is a city in and the county seat of Logan County, Oklahoma, United States, and a part of the Oklahoma City Metroplex. The population was 9,925 at the 2000 census.Guthrie was the territorial and later the first state capital for Oklahoma...
, as were all state agencies. The original staff consisted of five people: a commissioner; an assistant commissioner; a state factory inspector; a superintendent of the State Free Employment Bureau; and a stenographer.
Due largely to the infusion of federal funds from Wagner-Peyser and Social Security
Social Security (United States)
In the United States, Social Security refers to the federal Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance program.The original Social Security Act and the current version of the Act, as amended encompass several social welfare and social insurance programs...
grants, the Oklahoma Employment Service and the Unemployment Compensation and Placement Division of the Oklahoma Department of Labor had grown to include more than 300 employees in 33 offices throughout the state by 1940. Federal grants accounted for 85 percent of the funds budgeted for these activities.
Then, in 1941, the 18th Legislature amended the Oklahoma Unemployment Compensation Law extensively, changing the name to the Oklahoma Security Act, and renamed administration of the Act from the Commissioner of Labor to the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission
Oklahoma Employment Security Commission
The Oklahoma Employment Security Commission is an independent agency of the state of Oklahoma responsible for providing employment services to the citizens of Oklahoma. The Commission is part of a national network of employment service agencies and is funded by money from the United States...
. By FY 1940-41, the Department of Labor had been reduce to 16 employees operating on only 11 percent of the previous year's budget.
Today the Department of Labor has an authorized staff of 112, with two offices one in Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City is the capital and the largest city in the state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 31st among United States cities in population. The city's population, from the 2010 census, was 579,999, with a metro-area population of 1,252,987 . In 2010, the Oklahoma...
and one in Tulsa
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
. The present Commissioner of Labor is Mark Costello who was elected by the people in November 2010 and took office January 2011.
Divisions
As the head of the Department of Labor, the Labor Commissioner supervises, directs, and controls the following agencies Labor Divisions:- Commissioner of Labor
- Deputy Commissioner
- Administration Division - provides administrative support and handles the business functions of the Department, including responsibility for communications, finance and accounting, human resources, purchasing, research, agency legal services, legislative affairs and constituent services, information technology and data processing services, mail and reception
- Finance Unit
- Legal Affairs Unit
- Information Technology Unit
- Asbestos Abatement Division - responsible for ensuring asbestos abatement projects are accomplished safely and in accordance with the law, and also administers an Environmental Protection AgencyUnited States Environmental Protection AgencyThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
(EPA) grant program to manage asbestos hazards in schools - Employment Standards Division
- Child Labor Unit - responsible for enforcement of Oklahoma's Child Labor statutes
- Wage and Hour Unit - responsible for processing all wage claims under the Labor Department's jurisdiction
- Workers' Compensation Enforcement Unit - ensures that all employers comply with the Oklahoma Workers' Compensation Act by providing appropriate coverage for their employees
- Public Employee Occupational Safety and Health Division (PEOSH) - provides consultation and enforcement services to public sector employers to protect public employees from workplace accidents and injuries.
- Safety Pay OSHA Consultation Division - provides free, confidential, voluntary and non-punitive safety and health consultation services to private sector employers in the state
- Safety Standards Division - regulates the installation, operation and maintenance of boilers, pressure vessels, hot water heaters and amusement rides, and also regulates welding practices
- Licensing Unit - handles licensing for private employment agencies (where fees are paid by the employee rather than the employer), persons who conduct activities relating to asbestos, and most welders, weld test facilities and weld inspectors
- Statistical Research Analysis Division - responsible for conducting occupational safety and health surveys in conjunction with the United States Department of LaborUnited States Department of LaborThe United States Department of Labor is a Cabinet department of the United States government responsible for occupational safety, wage and hour standards, unemployment insurance benefits, re-employment services, and some economic statistics. Many U.S. states also have such departments. The...
's Bureau of Labor StatisticsBureau of Labor StatisticsThe Bureau of Labor Statistics is a unit of the United States Department of Labor. It is the principal fact-finding agency for the U.S. government in the broad field of labor economics and statistics. The BLS is a governmental statistical agency that collects, processes, analyzes, and...
and for providing incident and research information to assist safety officials with their safety programs.
- Administration Division - provides administrative support and handles the business functions of the Department, including responsibility for communications, finance and accounting, human resources, purchasing, research, agency legal services, legislative affairs and constituent services, information technology and data processing services, mail and reception
- Deputy Commissioner
Staffing
The Labor Department, with an annual budget of just over $7 million, is one of the smaller employers of the State. For fiscal year 2010, the Department was authorized 104 full time employees.| Division | Number of Employees |
|---|---|
| Administration | 11 |
| Asbestos Abatement | 10 |
| Regulation and Enforcement | 49 |
| Statistical Research and Licensing | 5 |
| Occupational Safety and Health | 29 |
| Total | 104 |
See also
- Oklahoma Labor CommissionerOklahoma Labor CommissionerThe Oklahoma Commissioner of Labor is an elective executive officer of the State of Oklahoma. The Labor Commissioner serves as the head of the Oklahoma Department of Labor...
- Governor of OklahomaGovernor of OklahomaThe governor of the state of Oklahoma is the head of state for the state of Oklahoma, United States. Under the Oklahoma Constitution, the governor is also the head of government, serving as the chief executive of the Oklahoma executive branch, of the government of Oklahoma...
- Oklahoma Employment Security CommissionOklahoma Employment Security CommissionThe Oklahoma Employment Security Commission is an independent agency of the state of Oklahoma responsible for providing employment services to the citizens of Oklahoma. The Commission is part of a national network of employment service agencies and is funded by money from the United States...