Talk Back

PAY EQUITY

I offer the following in opposition to your editorial article, “Women Play Catch-up at Work” (Mar/Apr 1999).

Your article is based on a misrepresentation of facts which show women earn less than men. While I would agree with the statement and your “skirt chart” which shows that women have less median annual income (although increasing) than men (decreasing), the inference in the article is that this is caused by women being paid less for equal work. This is not the case. Recent studies have shown that women working in the same field as men receive 97 percent of the compensation men receive. The disparity in compensation is caused by many factors such as career choice and longevity (seniority).

The fact of the matter is that women tend to gravitate towards career fields that do not pay as well. And while I can applaud the union’s efforts to increase pay for “traditional women’s fields” such as clerks, secretaries, cashiers, librarians and child care workers, is it fair to persons (including other women) who work in more demanding fields such as law enforcement or corrections to be paid on the same level?

...

Perhaps what is needed is less “gender bashing” and policies based on distorted facts and perceptions and some gender neutral policies which would allow more men to be nurses and more women to be doctors, based on their abilities and personal desires and not on gender, as well as policies which help families meet their needs such as competent and affordable medical care for all workers, a minimum wage for ALL full-time workers that meets at least a living wage and educational policies for our children that allow them to become all that they are capable based on ability alone and not on gender, economic, racial, religious or any other stereotyping.

James Hays
Local 1873 (Council 82)

CLINTON IMPEACHMENT

I very rarely write a letter in opposition to someone’s views, but your column in the Public Employee magazine is an exception.

I can’t sit back and have your view spread to the rest of my union brothers and sisters without any rebuttal. I do agree that the economy is strong (yet we have too much poverty), we have low unemployment (when is the downsizing going to stop?), the budget is balanced (when Social Security Trust Fund monies are taken into the budget). All these things have happened while we had a Democratic president and a Republican congress. Who gets the credit?

...

Please don’t blame people who did the duty that they felt was their constitutional obligation for the ills of our society. If Clinton had told the truth from the beginning, this country would not have been put through the ordeal of an impeachment and trial, no elected official would have had to put his job on the line to satisfy his obligations and we wouldn’t be hearing about all the other Jane Does who are or will be popping out of Clinton’s closet.

Johanna D. Hug
Civil Service Employees Association/
AFSCME Local 1000

SOCIAL WORKERS

I just read your Public Employee article on social workers and I am very impressed with the great job you did. Of course I like it that you highlighted my local president [Jeanette Matsumoto], but even if she were not in the article, the writing and the content were excellent.

Randy Kusaka
Hawaii Government Employees Association/
AFSCME Local 152

AIDS AND CORRECTIONS

Thank you for your efforts in producing an interesting magazine. I would appreciate your printing a correction re: Bob Oliver’s story on p. 15 (Jan/Feb 1999). As a prison guard, you stated he was exposed to a prisoner’s blood last March and is, to quote your article, fearful: “Today he lives in fear of AIDS.” It continues, “While Oliver hasn’t tested positive yet, it is sometimes years before one can be sure.” Actually this is not true. With very, very few exceptions most people can be tested accurately for HIV antibodies three months after exposure, and definitely by 6 months or more. Only AIDS takes years. Jennifer Brinch
Hawaii Government Employees Association/
AFSCME Local 152

Editor’s Note:

The writer is correct. The vast majority of cases of HIV infection are detected in blood tests within the first three months of exposure. There are some cases that took six months to show up in tests, and one reported case that took a year. Negative results after a year of testing should be very reassuring to anyone who has been exposed. Once a person has been infected with HIV, however, it can take years for full-blown AIDS to develop.