EMPLOYEE FREE CHOICE ACT

MIDDLE-CLASS WORKERS NEED STRONG UNIONS

Middle-class workers are fighting a steep uphill battle. Today's system is horribly broken, skewed heavily in favor of big businesses and their super-rich CEOs. As it stands, corporations can effectively veto their employees' efforts to organize and bargain collectively — coercing, intimidating, or firing workers who try to form a union. Businesses shouldn't be allowed to bully their employees.

The Employee Free Choice Act puts the power to organize back in the hands of hard-working Americans. The EFCA prevents corporate coercion and intimidation, and makes it easier for workers to come together around issues like healthcare benefits, pension plans, and safe working conditions.

Unionized working men and women are the backbone of the middle class. It's time we give workers the tools they need and reform the system unfairly biased toward major corporations and their super-rich CEOs. It's time to pass the Employee Free Choice Act into law.

EMERGENCY

CENTER, RESPONDERS ACTED WITH DUE SPEED

In recognition of George Kekuna's position as a former administrator of the former O'ahu Civil Defense Agency, I would like to thank him for taking the time to comment on our operations (Letters, Dec. 19).

Mr. Kekuna needs to consider that much has changed in the 20 years since he was running the agency. This is a new city, a new century and a new operation.

Our first responders — police, fire and emergency medical services — are much more robust and able to adequately deal with the response to an evolving disaster for a longer period of time before necessitating the need of activating our Emergency Operating Center, or EOC, to coordinate efforts.

Staff officers from the Department of Emergency Management were on-call from close of business on Wednesday, Dec. 10 and department staff monitored the situation throughout the evening until the next morning. The City and County EOC can be open and operating within minutes during non-business hours.

At 6:55 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 11, the City and County EOC was officially activated; staff members were already in the department initiating coordination activities prior to that time.

The speed with which this storm event struck, coupled with the sheer volume of rain water falling over a short period of time, was unprecedented. Each disaster and disaster response is different.

PAY RAISE

LEGISLATORS SHOULD NOT TAKE IN MORE MONEY

A 36 percent pay raise for legislators on Jan. 1 is excessive when private sector employees are taking cuts in salary, hours, and benefits. The $35,900 a year legislators are getting for part- time work is not bad at all; most people I know are barely making $40,000 from full-time work this year. Using taxpayer money to raise salaries by almost $13,000 per legislator in today's economy is just not right!

SOCIAL SECURITY

PROGRAM PROTECTS MANY FROM POVERTY

A letter (Dec. 22) puts forth the latest right-wing talking point attacking Social Security.

Social Security is not an investment but an insurance program supported by payroll taxes. It has helped many elderly, disabled, widows and orphans avoid poverty since it was established.

I am sure the many people losing their jobs in the current recession prefer knowing that they have Social Security to fall back on in their retirement rather than an investment in the stock market.

TRAFFIC

CRACKDOWN NEEDED ON EXPIRED SAFETY STICKERS

In response to C. Abe (Dec. 7), your answer to the question if HPD gives traffic tickets to violations other than speeding, my opinion is no!

Like you, I was concerned with this issue and wrote to Mayor Hannemann twice, questioning why violators who are driving with expired safety check and registration stickers weren't getting cited. I advised Mayor Hannemann that with the City & County of Honolulu in need of funding, why HPD was not issuing tickets to help boost their budget.

Mayor Hannemann referred me to a HPD sergeant on the Leeward District who telephoned me and gave me HPD's yearly statistic which included an average of citing 200 violators a month. I just can't believe this statistic. I drive to and from work every day on the H-1 and can actually count on one hand how many police officers I see — zero! How can HPD tag an average of 200 violators a month when they're not even visible on our highways?

RECESSION

GIVING UP ON OUR PETS IS HEARTBREAKING

Your article (Dec. 22) on cats and dogs being returned to shelters and euthanized because of the recession was heartbreaking. As a volunteer at the Honolulu Humane Society shelter, I've seen the surge of pets being given up by their owners after many years together.

Making the problem even worse here in O'ahu are the many apartment buildings and condos that have a "no pets" policy. Not a week goes by that I don't talk with someone who comes to the shelter to visit and pet the cats, but sadly tell me they can't adopt because their landlord won't allow it.

Many beautiful and healthy animals would find loving homes if these building owners would reconsider their policies and let their residents adopt pets. Maybe they'd even find it easier to attract tenants if they allowed pets in their buildings.