The Republican nominee says four decades in cabinetmaking and a decade in the Legislature would guide a service-focused approach to workplace safety, wage enforcement and licensing.
OKLAHOMA CITY — Kevin West spent 40 years building cabinets and nearly 10 years writing laws. He says both careers prepared him for the job he wants next: running the Oklahoma Department of Labor.
The Republican nominee has worked in cabinet shops, owned a small business, estimated commercial construction projects and represented Moore in the Oklahoma House. He sees the Labor Department as a place where government rules meet the daily realities of workers and employers.
“Workplace safety, job-site safety can never, ever, ever take a back seat,” West said.
In an interview with OK Politics Today, West discussed his background, reasons for running and plans for leading the agency.
West won the Republican runoff with 58.3% of the vote. He will face Democratic nominee Kevin Dawson and Libertarian nominee Mike Hall in the Nov. 3 general election. OK Politics Today previously profiled Dawson.
The labor commissioner heads the department, which administers workplace-safety, wage-claim, inspection and occupational-licensing programs. West said much of that work remains invisible to people who have never needed the agency.
“This is a very important position that very few people know about unless they’ve ever had to deal with it,” he said.
Four decades in cabinetmaking
West was born and raised in south Oklahoma City and graduated from Douglass High School. He attended Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College for one year, studying construction and business before entering the workforce full time.
Most of his career has been in commercial cabinetmaking.
West said he has worked for several companies building cabinets for hospitals, schools, clinics and other commercial projects. From 1996 through 2004, he owned an Oklahoma City cabinet shop.
The work required him to bid for contracts, coordinate with general contractors, meet construction deadlines and comply with safety requirements.
“I’ve worked in the cabinet shops. I’ve worked on these job sites,” West said. “I’ve seen all of that aspect. I’ve had very close relationships with manufacturing.”
West continued working in the industry after his election to the House, preparing estimates for commercial projects while serving in the Legislature.
He said that experience gave him the perspective of an employee, manager and business owner.
Questions during the pandemic
West said his interest in becoming labor commissioner grew during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Construction companies still had contractual obligations, but employers and workers faced uncertainty about which federal and state rules applied to particular job sites.
West said businesses were not necessarily asking the state to dictate their decisions. They wanted help understanding what they were allowed to do and how rules involving hospitals and other medical facilities applied to construction workers.
“There were a lot of questions and not a whole lot of direction or answers coming from the Department of Labor,” West said.
He said the experience prompted him to study the department more closely, although he does not blame its current leadership for the uncertainty.
“This was pretty universal across all state agencies,” West said. “Pretty much everybody just kind of kept their head down and kept their mouth shut.”
West said he spent the following years learning more about the agency and considering how his experience could benefit workers and employers.
A service mentality
West said one of his first priorities would be emphasizing that the department provides services as well as regulation.
That includes helping employers identify workplace hazards, processing licenses and renewals and explaining rules clearly enough that businesses can comply before problems arise.
“There’s a service that goes along with that,” West said. “We send people from the department out to communicate with these businesses throughout the year.”
The department offers confidential workplace-safety consultations to private employers. Federal OSHA remains responsible for most private-sector enforcement in Oklahoma, while the state Labor Department enforces occupational-safety requirements for public employees.
West said consultation can help a company correct hazards before a worker is injured or federal inspectors arrive.
“Any deficiency against OSHA is potentially somebody getting hurt,” he said. “If an employee does not go home whole, they’re not able to come back the next day.”
He said workplace injuries also can interrupt a company’s operations and devastate a family that depends on the injured employee’s income.
West applies the same service argument to occupational licensing.
West said occupational licensing can determine whether someone is able to work.
“If you don’t have your license or it’s not renewed, you can’t work,” he said.
West said he would begin by meeting agency employees and examining its daily operations before deciding on major changes.
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” he said. “I don’t pretend to know, ‘Hey, on day one, I’m coming in and I’m doing X, Y and Z.’”
He said longtime employees possess institutional knowledge that a new commissioner should understand before reorganizing programs or personnel.
What he learned in the Legislature
West was elected to the Oklahoma House in 2016 and represents House District 54, which includes portions of Moore and south Oklahoma City. He currently chairs the House Government Oversight Committee and serves on committees dealing with appropriations and administrative rules.
West said that experience taught him how state agencies are funded, how administrative rules are written and how commissioners work with lawmakers.
Unlike a private business, an agency cannot move money freely from one purpose to another. State appropriations, federal grants, licensing fees and other funds may come with separate restrictions.
“You cannot cross those streams,” West said.
He said his legislative experience also would help him understand the limits placed on the commissioner’s authority. Administrative rules carry the force of law but must remain within the boundaries established by the Legislature.
“You can really get into a lot of overreach real quick with that,” West said.
West said a commissioner who wants lawmakers to change a statute must be able to explain the problem, answer questions and guide legislation through the House, Senate and governor’s office.
“Our entire system was designed to not make massive changes year to year,” he said. “It is a deliberate process, and you do have to know how to navigate that.”
Building the workforce
West also sees the Labor Department as a potential partner in developing Oklahoma’s skilled workforce.
He was the principal House author of Senate Bill 619, a 2021 law allowing high school sophomores age 16 or older to participate in school-approved apprenticeships, internships and mentorships. Juniors and seniors also may participate.
West said the department could help make workers, schools and employers more aware of such opportunities.
“That’s an untapped source that the Department of Labor can help to provide,” he said.
His campaign organizes its message around an acronym drawn from his last name: Workforce, Enforcement, Safety and Transparency.
West said enforcement must be consistent for employers of every size.
“A mom-and-pop facility has the same exact rules and regulations as this multimillion-dollar facility,” he said. “You have to do that equally and fairly.”
The choice in November
Asked what distinguishes him from Dawson, West said the Democratic nominee has “a very similar work history.”
West argued that his own work, combined with his knowledge of state budgets, administrative rules and the legislative process, would give him a broader view of the department’s responsibilities.
His pitch to voters is that he understands the pressures facing both the person earning a paycheck and the person responsible for keeping a business operating.
“If we’re taking care of our workers, we’re helping the businesses,” West said.
He said a commissioner also should promote the department’s services and explain how its work affects Oklahomans.
“There are some of us who can walk and chew gum at the same time,” West said — doing the daily work while also promoting “a stronger, safer workplace for all Oklahomans.”
