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Editorials
Thursday, December 28, 2000Workplace violence
takes more victimsThe issue: A worker in a Massachusetts computer company opened fire, killing seven coworkers.
THIRTEEN months ago, Byran Uyesugi shot and killed seven of his coworkers at a Xerox warehouse/office in Honolulu. Now, in a grotesquely similar incident, another worker has killed seven coworkers in a computer company in a Boston suburb.
Uyesugi imagined himself persecuted and had undergone counseling after a previous incident at work. He went on his rampage in the apparent belief that he was about to be fired, targeting workers he thought had mistreated him.
His counterpart in Massachusetts, Michael McDermott, had received psychiatric care, according to his lawyer. McDermott had financial problems. The Internal Revenue Service was about to garnish his pay for back taxes, which may have provoked his killing spree. His victims worked in the company's accounting department, which would have handled the garnishing of his pay.
Uyesugi was a gun collector. He had permits for all his guns but had been denied an additional permit because of his earlier troubles. Because of an omission in the law, his other permits were not revoked.
McDermott told a neighbor that he collected antique guns, but if he did he did not use them in his rampage. A county prosecutor said McDermott had no permits for his weapons -- he used a semi-automatic rifle and a shotgun --but had no criminal record.
After his rampage, Uyesugi got into a van and drove to a park, where he surrendered peacefully a few hours later. After the shootings, McDermott walked to the reception area of his company's offices, where police found him sitting quietly.
Workplace violence is nothing new but easy access to firearms probably contributes to the occurrence of these multiple slayings. Collecting guns provides an obvious source of weapons but it would be absurd to make much of this connection. There are many other ways for killers to obtain guns.
Both Uyesugi and McDermott had undergone psychological counseling, yet their treatment failed to keep them from exploding in violence. It isn't clear in either case whether more could reasonably have been done to deal with their emotional problems.
Employers have to be particularly concerned about such incidents not only in terms of the safety of their employees but also because they may be held liable for negligence in failing to prevent them. Yet they must also be careful not to infringe employees' privacy rights.
Personal conflicts, at work as in the home, are inevitable. The Xerox and Massachusetts killings are examples of failure to preserve the safety of the workplace from assaults by troubled employees who work out their conflicts in blood.
Reduced UPW benefits
THE last time the state negotiated a contract with the Hawaii State Teachers Association, Governor Cayetano succeeded in winning union acceptance of a longer school year in exchange for a pay raise.
Now the Cayetano administration has agreed to a raise for members of the United Public Workers union in excess of what it had initially offered, in exchange for reduced vacation time and sick leave for new hires. The union also accepted a rule that commercial drivers and probationary employees can be fired if they fail drug tests twice.
The governor said the adjustments will produce savings for the state in the future, and there is little doubt that they will. Cayetano has complained repeatedly that the state can't afford to maintain the expensive employee benefits granted in previous contract negotiations and in legislation.
The latest settlement covers 8,700 state and county refuse, wastewater, custodial and road crew workers. It calls for a total raise of 11 percent over four years of the contract, which actually starts retroactively in July 1999, with no raise in the first two years.
For new employees, the contract provides for an initial 12 days of vacation a year, increasing to 24 days after 20 years of service. Currently workers receive 21 days of vacation regardless of length of service.
Similarly, new employees will receive 15 days of sick leave annually, increasing to 21 days after 20 years. The current standard is 21 days regardless of length of service. The new terms bring the state closer to the standards in the private sector, which is appropriate.
Cayetano said it was important to reach this agreement with the UPW because its terms are similar to those the state will be seeking in negotiations with other government employee unions.
The tactic can be effective because the union's foremost concern is to protect its current members, who will not be affected by the concessions. UPW Director Gary Rodrigues confirmed that the exemption of current employees from the benefits reductions made it possible for him to accept. The state's main concern should be with the benefits due new employees, who will be collecting them in future years when current employees are gone.
Cayetano has made little headway with the Legislature with his proposals to reduce other government employee benefits, but he will try again in the new session. The gains made by Republicans in the lower house in the November elections may improve the prospects for his reform program by reducing the power of the public employee lobby.
Legislative reform as well as contract concessions are needed to make state employee benefits affordable. This contract settlement offers hope for progress.
Published by Liberty Newspapers Limited PartnershipRupert E. Phillips, CEO
John M. Flanagan, Editor & Publisher
Frank Bridgewater, Acting Managing Editor
Diane Yukihiro Chang, Senior Editor & Editorial Page Editor
Frank Bridgewater & Michael Rovner, Assistant Managing Editors
A.A. Smyser, Contributing Editor
