A bus worker speaks out

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Workers want an end to Hokulia dispute

There has been much discussion of zoning, economics and county and state political agendas in regards to the Hokulia development.

What about the people? During the week of Sept. 13, a group of local kupuna held a daily prayer vigil at the entrance to Hokulia.

Their prayers were for a quick resolution to the issues surrounding the project, so that men and women may continue to work and support their families. Many voices support this development and developer Lyle Anderson's vision for this special place. I think perhaps a little lokahi is in order.

Howard Kruschke
Keahou, Hawaii

Seniors expect the city to honor old bus passes

Holders of senior citizen two-year bus passes fully intend that their passes will be honored through their expiration dates regardless of any decision by the city or TheBus to void them.

The passes were sold as valid for a two-year period, and they were purchased with cash under that representation. (As of 8 p.m. Sept. 30, two-year senior citizen passes were still offered for sale at $25.) To curtail their use is akin to declaring all drivers licenses or car registrations invalid on an arbitrary date and re-issued at a higher price.

The city has announced that the passes will be honored until Nov. 1, but a rapidly growing number of senior citizens have organized their efforts to continue to present their passes until expiration.

If the city or TheBus wishes to buy back our passes, they may do so on a cash basis at replacement cost.

Roger D. Van Cleve
Honolulu

Active duty is part of being in Reserves

The Sept. 30 editorial ("Increase active duty Army instead of calling up Guard" fails to understand the purpose of the Guard and Reserve as an overall component of the total force that is our current defense structure.

As the former commanding officer of the Navy and Marine Corps Reserve Center of Ho-nolulu, I recalled more than 100 Navy and Marine corps personnel for active duty in the 1991 Persian Gulf War. The vast majority of these Reservists recalled to active duty for the duration of the war were enthusiastic about their return to active duty and fully understood that this was their obligation and what they had been training for one weekend a month and two weeks a year.

Reservists of all services -- Army, Navy and Air Force -- know that a consequence of their reserve duty is that they might be called up for the "duration" of whatever conflict the nation requires of them. They serve one weekend a month for four drills of four hours each for which they are paid one day's active duty pay for each four-hour drill period. They are paid regular active duty pay for the two weeks active duty they are required to serve per year.

They can "retire" after 20 years of active duty plus annual drilling periods, although they don't get their retirement pay until reaching the age of 62. During the Reserve drilling period, the grey area between drilling and receiving retirement pay and upon retirement, they can use all military facilities including the commissary, which is a significant benefit for reservists since they can save more than 25 percent over outside grocery store prices.

Increasing the active duty forces is not an option without huge defense budget increases. The Reserves of all services are an inseparable component of each service and reservists are well aware of the possibilities of their call up for the duration of a conflict.

Garry P. Smith
Ewa Beach

Maestro blessed city with gift of music

The city of Honolulu, the state of Hawaii and the arts have lost a great talent with the passing of Maestro Robert LaMarchina ("Gifted cellist led Honolulu Symphony for 12 years," Star-Bulletin, Oct. 2).

His was a talent of which we did not avail ourselves nearly enough, and this doubles our loss.

Howard Driver
Honolulu

Addiction to drugs is a sickness

I would like to comment on the letters and columns saying that drug addiction is not a disease.

I do not understand how people can say that if they have never experienced addiction. If those people had experienced addiction in any form, they would be able to see that it is an illness of the mind and body.

They shouldn't speak about something they know nothing about.

It is a disrespect to myself and the thousands of addicts in recovery who work every day at dealing with this illness.

Amelia Woods
Kapolei

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Bus employees stuck together for good reasons

This is in response to Jeanne Moore's letter "What do bus workers say about the strike?" (Star-Bulletin, Oct. 2).

Perhaps the most misunderstood point of the strike was the guarantees of no layoffs or service and benefit cuts that Mayor Harris and Oahu Transit Services made public during the first week of the strike. OTS and the mayor offered these guarantees with many strings attached, all of which were on the bargaining table during the entire strike until the day the City Council passed Bill 53. These conditions were not covered by the media and completely unacceptable to the union's negotiating committee. All informed union members were strongly against any agreement that would jeopardize their jobs during the duration of the contract. Apparently many uninformed and irresponsible union members voiced their distrust publicly without first knowing the facts.

The issue of wages is a simple one. One-third of the bargaining unit is made up of bus support and clerical employees. Many of whom are salary rather than hourly wage earners. Bus driver wages seemed to be the hot topic in the media, but no coverage was given to other employees who could really use the increase.

To some extent, bus drivers can dictate the amount of overtime they earn, so a 50-cent raise doesn't make a huge impact. But for the employee who is only making a $1,500 salary a month, the raise could mean earning an extra $90-$100 a month. The union negotiates for everyone, from the janitor to the transit supervisor. No one is given preference and as a union we stuck together to benefit everyone.

As a driver, I supported the strike. Having the best transit system in all of North America comes at a cost. Mayor Harris is trying to have his cake and eat it, too. As a bus worker, I feel that we have delivered all that OTS expected. We were not going to lay down and have OTS and the mayor thank us by making cuts into our benefits. Anybody who has half a spine would do the same.

Kimo Mack
Kaneohe

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[ BRAINSTORM! ] What can be done to disguise or beautify those hulking steel utility boxes found in parks and other locations around town? Send your ideas, drawings and solutions by Wednesday, Oct. 15 to: brainstorm@starbulletin.com Or mail them to: Brainstorm! c/o Burl Burlingame Star-Bulletin 500 Ala Moana 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210 Honolulu, Hawaii 96813 Fax: Brainstorm! c/o Burl Burlingame 529-4750