Still waiting for pay equity

Still waiting for pay equity

Re “California governor signs law targeting gender wage gap” (sacbee.com, Oct. 6): On Oct. 6, Gov. Jerry Brown signed historic legislation to eliminate gender pay discrimination in California, saying pay disparities eats away at our whole society.

The same day, California state scientists overwhelmingly rejected his tentative agreement because it did not provide like pay for like work. While women make up more than half of state scientists, state engineers and geologists are mostly men and earn upward of 50 percent more for doing substantially similar work.

The governor’s seemingly “generous” offer wouldn’t fill the 40 percent pay gap with scientists working for our universities and in local and federal governments. Last summer, Brown reinstated pay parity between scientist and engineering supervisors and managers because they perform substantially similar work.

The governor has an opportunity to prove that the women and men protecting our health and environment are valued fairly, like everybody else in the scientific and engineering marketplace.

Government is killing business

Re “Business alliance rejects plan to raise pay” (Page 1A, Oct. 20): Doing business in California is more difficult than ever. Government is driving businesses out of our state with increased costs.

The more expensive it is to do business, the fewer employers will come and stay in California. Employers equal jobs. Many jobs are well above minimum-wage rates, but it takes some minimum-wage jobs to create higher-wage jobs as well.

Minimum wage was never intended to be a lifetime career wage. We are setting the stage for employees to feel entitled to minimum efforts and maximum pay. We need to inspire people to want more and go for it, not expect “it” to come to them.

Senior citizens don’t go cruising

Because gasoline prices have come down in 2015, those of us living on Social Security will not receive an annual cost-of-living increase in our benefits in 2016.

How is it that paying less at the pump during the previous year equates to receiving no cost-of-living increase in our benefits, half of which we paid into while working?

Does the government think senior citizens have nothing better to do than to go joyriding?

Sugar-coating Syria’s exodus

Re “Toughest test for migrants? Winter” (Page 1A, Oct. 19): I am dismayed that The Sacramento Bee uses the word “migrants” to describe the unfortunate people fleeing Syria.

These people are not moving to find a better life. They are fleeing death and destruction, and they are refugees in every sense of the word. Words matter. Don’t trivialize their situation with a palliative word that can cause them to be ignored by those who should be helping them.

Celebrate this city’s diversity

Re “Selling a new image of Sacramento” (Marcos Breton, Oct. 18) In addition to changing the economic image of greater Sacramento to a positive one, it’s time to celebrate the richness of the ethnic diversity this region has to offer.

In 2003, when we moved here from San Diego, we found a very livable environment with reasonably priced homes, relatively easy commutes and accessible local government.

What we soon discovered was the incredible ethnic diversity. Mining this cultural richness, and creating a positive business environment, the Sacramento area has the potential to be a truly vital and progressive region.

Image salesmen peddle potions

Surely the modern version of the snake oil peddler is the image salesman, whether for a city, business, or one’s self.

Does Sacramento really need to shed itself of a cow-town complex? We natives might recall the dairies and canneries, but no particular sense of inferiority. We all dressed to shop K Street. Rubes we were never.

To be sure, our stepsister city reposes in the shadow of that Cinderella by The Bay. But remember, both towns have the exact same number of vowels. Get out more, Marcos. You might take a refreshing walk along our beautiful river parkway.

This story was originally published October 20, 2015 at 5:01 PM with the headline "Still waiting for pay equity."