Keep Oklahoma’s Promises Coalition (KOP) is a public sector union-aligned organization that conducts advocacy to influence the retirement programs for Oklahoma firefighters, teachers, nurses, librarians, and other government employees. KOP is a member of the National Public Pension Commission (NPPC), a labor-union-aligned, left-of-center advocacy group that supports maintaining and expanding pension programs for government employees and that has close ties to labor unions that support Democratic candidates and left-of-center activism. 1
History and Activities
Keep Oklahoma’s Promises Coalition was founded in 2013 to influence state legislatures to protect and expand the state’s public pension system. KOP claims credit for the state legislature’s passage of a cost-of-living adjustment for retired government employees. 2
KOP invites any Oklahoma resident who supports its mission to become a member. The organization asks residents to complete a form that includes their name, professional affiliation, and address. It also asks volunteers to indicate if they would be willing to lobby for public pensions by calling an Oklahoma state representative or senator, email a local paper about the importance of public pensions, write a testimonial supporting public pensions, participate in an interview on The Pension Podcast, or be interviewed by local media. Oklahoma residents who fill out the survey to join KOP receive an activist training kit with further information about actions they can take to support public pensions. 3
In November 2023, KOP, the Public Employees Association and Oklahoma Retired Educators Association supported a lawsuit filed by a retired state employee supporting government pension fund investments in financial institutions with left-wing environmental, social, and governance (ESG) policies. The lawsuit argued a 2022 Oklahoma state law that required divestment from institutions devoted to ESG principles would financially harm retirees and violate free speech protections, and that the law was therefore unconstitutional. After the law was passed, the Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System avoided divesting from companies with ESG requirements by voting in August 2023 to exercise a provision of a law that allowed exceptions if divestment would violate a governmental entity’s fiduciary responsibility. Ginger Sigler, executive director of the Oklahoma Police Pension and Retirement System, claimed the list of unapproved institutions, which included Blackrock, Wells Fargo, JP Morgan Chase, and Bank of America, was “arbitrary.” 4 5
National Public Pensions Coalition
Keep Oklahoma’s Promises Coalition appears to be the product of the National Public Pension Coalition, a labor-union-aligned, left-of-center advocacy group with ties to American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), and National Education Association (NEA). KOP’s website is a single page hosted on NPPC’s website and most of the information materials and links listed on KOP’s page are produced by or connect to NPPC. Information content provided by NPPC and promoted by KOP include a booklet arguing against the conversion of government-worker pensions to 401(k)-style plans; a product claiming that public pension funds provide economic stimulus to the Oklahoma state economy, including supporting 23,789 jobs and generating $593.2 million in tax revenue in 2018; and a post on the history and structure of the Oklahoma state pension system. 6 7 8 9
KOP is one of 15 state affiliates of NPPC. 10
References
- “Oklahoma.” National Public Pension Coalition. Accessed June 4, 2024. https://protectpensions.org/states/oklahoma/.
- “Oklahoma.” National Public Pension Coalition. Accessed June 4, 2024. https://protectpensions.org/states/oklahoma/.
- “Oklahoma.” National Public Pension Coalition. Accessed June 4, 2024. https://protectpensions.org/states/oklahoma/.
- Forman, Carmen. “State retiree files legal challenge over Oklahoma’s bank boycott law.” Oklahoma Voice. November 30, 2023. Accessed June 4, 2024. https://oklahomavoice.com/2023/11/20/state-retiree-files-legal-challenge-over-oklahomas-bank-boycott-law/.
- French, Maria.” This Week in Pensions: August 25, 2023.” National Public Pension Coalition. August 25, 2023. Accessed June 4, 2024. https://protectpensions.org/2023/08/25/this-week-in-pensions-august-25-2023/.
- “Oklahoma.” National Public Pension Coalition. Accessed June 4, 2024. https://protectpensions.org/states/oklahoma/.
- Collier, Andrew. “Fiscal Responsibility and 401(k)s.” National Public Pension Coalition. January 2021. Accessed June 4, 2024. https://protectpensions.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/OK-conversion-final.pdf.
- “We Support Local Business.” National Public Pension Coalition. Accessed Jun 4, 2024. https://protectpensions.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/OK-PensionBuck.pdf.
- Admin. “Oklahoma: A Historical Look at Public Pensions.” National Public Pension Coalition. November 21, 2019. Accessed June 4, 2024. https://protectpensions.org/2019/11/21/oklahoma-historical-look-public-pensions/.
- “State Coalitions.” National Public Pension Coalition. Accessed June 4, 2024. https://protectpensions.org/states/.