Letters to the editor: 06/26/03

Verizon strike is unnecessary

To the Editor:

These are trying times for the Verizon family.

Some 150 of our wireline employees in Western North Carolina walked out on May 19 and have not returned, despite a comprehensive contract offer from Verizon.

I know many of these striking employees personally. They're honest and hard-working, and they ordinarily show a high level of dedication. Regrettably, their union leadership has refused to seriously consider the company's offer.

These employees are already among the best-paid workers in the area. Many earn roughly $60,000 a year, including benefits, before any overtime. And, we have offered to increase their pay as much as 11.3 percent over three years. Verizon also has offered to establish new hearing-aid coverage and a new company-paid vision plan.

We also would improve the current dental care plan. We've agreed to continue several key benefits of concern to the union, including a provision for employees to take time off with pay to care for a seriously ill family member and short-term disability payments.

In addition, Verizon has offered to address employees' concerns about overtime while maintaining the high level of service our customers expect.

Let's end this unnecessary strike and focus on our real mission - serving customers.

Sincerely, Dennis C. Harmon
WNC Customer Operations Manager Verizon Communications
Weaverville

Verizon strike is about our families

To the Editor:

You have heard all the statements from Verizon's public relations department; now for the facts.

This strike is not about a raise, it's about our families. We have worked long hours for years (up to 75 and 80 hours a week).Now they want to force overtime. We know there is a need to work overtime, and we have done it for years.

The company also want to take our major illness clause. It's O.K. to have children, just don't expect to have a lot of input into their raising. You owe your soul to Verizon and can only give your family what is left after an 18-hour day.

If you have any illness or death in your family, someone else will have to take care of all your responsibilities. Your first duty is to this company.

We also are protecting our retirees from company aggression on their current benefits after 30 or more years of service.

I have been an employee of the telephone company and a member of the union for 26 years. We have given up good raises and extra days off to keep days off for major illness in our contracts. For this area, we make good money, but to do this we take a lot away from our families, friends, churches, communities, play time and our health. If we had only wanted more money, we would have only asked for more money.

Our bargaining committee could not accept the company's demands, and we voted to strike. We know the company is making billions of dollars. We also know how many millions the CEO made last year and every year prior to that. You can check this out at www.verizon.com.

As for us, we sell our bodies to the company for their bottom line.

We are sorry about the problems people are having with their telephone service, but this is due to the management and scabs hired to replace us.

We would like to thank everyone who has come by and shown support by blowing their car horns, waving, offering words of encouragement, money, coffee, sodas and food. We would also like to thank all who have shown support by joining us on the picket line. We appreciate all the businesses for their support and help in this time of need. You will not be forgotten when this is over.

We will save the bashing, name calling, back stabbing and personal attacks for the bargaining table. We will have the picket line up Monday through Saturday. We will be off Sunday to be with our families, friends and churches.

We don't want to infringe on your rights either. To the churches and families where picket lines are set up, if you have a service or death in the family during these hours, please tell us. We will stop and set up after the service is over.

Best regards, Lloyd Hoyle Jr.
Members of Local 3673 CWA Union

In support of VISTA program

To the Editor:

I am writing this letter in support of the AmeriCorps-VISTA Program. This program is one of the most valuable programs we have in the United States and in Western North Carolina.

The program benefits not only the VISTA members who dedicate their time to serving in the program, but also the community in which they serve.

VISTA members have become invaluable assets in our area. Through the hard work of these members, local non-profit organizations are able to address the needs of low-income residents and the community at large.

Due to a lack of funding, the AmeriCorps-VISTA program serving Buncombe, Haywood, Jackson, Swain and Macon counties is in jeopardy. Without this program, many area agencies will suffer. While most will not have to close their doors, they will be impacted by the loss of VISTA members serving with them.

Some of the agencies will no longer be able to provide services they are currently providing. Others will not have the capacity to expand current services or develop new services with out the dedicated service of VISTA members.

I ask you to please support this wonderful program and the community it serves.

Sincerely, Barbara Jeffreys
Director Family Resource Center

Can county handle another four-lane highway?

To the Editor:

If I understand correctly what I have read, the purpose of the Southern Loop is to relieve the congestion at the busiest intersection on U.S. 23 Business and N.C.107. This will also shorten the wait for motorists at the traffic light.

A road as wide as four football fields in places will be cut through the heart of Jackson County, displacing between 94 and 124 residential homes and five to 17 businesses. I am sure this will also displace lots of animals and mountains.

We will get all this for the small fee of between $193,800,000 to $227,400,000 (and these are just estimates). I don't want to discuss which is better a Northern of Southern loop.

I think building another huge, four-lane through this small county can not be a good idea. Conjestion is everywhere, in every growing town in the United States. Maybe it is time to address other issues, like over-population or public transportation. What could this county do with its public transportation situation if we put $230,000,000 towards it.

N.C. 107 from Wal-mart to Western Carolina University is growing, and I travel it many times during the week. The wait time at the lights is not that horrible. At least not horrible enough to spend $200 million on a road. I see things that need money, like the housing market. This county is riddled with poor quality housing, and a large road like this will just eliminate more housing and places to build.

The money could go to feeding the poor in the county, or how about some jobs. Where can people find work in this county? Lots of our younger people are trying to raise children in poor conditions throughout this county. The people can hardly afford to live here anymore.

Then there's this waste management situation with Macon County. What will that cost the county (all of us) before it is over? How would you see the broken contract if you lived in Macon County? I think before the "Loop" goes through we might want to consider the impact on the entire county, rule out any other solutions that might be better, and not just how much time can be saved at a traffic light.

Kelly Timco
Webster

College students are obnoxious

To the Editor:

If you want to find out how few rights you have as a taxpaying citizen of Jackson County, just have college students move in next door.

You will have to endure total disorderly conduct and disrespect, loud, obnoxious music, falling-down drunken students and parties lasting until 3 a.m.

Underage drinking? I'm sure. DWIs? I'm sure. The air filled with the scent of cannabis? Has anyone checked these out? How about the litter - beer cans, bottles and other trash left in your yard?

Deputies do enforce the county's noise ordinance, and I can only imagine how frustrating it is to them to have to answer numerous calls throughout the night again and again. What a waste of manpower, not to mention taxpayer money.

Owners of these properties where the students live care only about lining their pockets with rental money. Your welfare, health and lack of sleep are not their concern. Neither is depreciation of your property values.

Many of us have been stressed to and beyond the breaking point. They let the testosterone run free while we stagger out of bed to go to work or come home from work to listen to "BOOM BOOM BOOM!" "YELL YELL YELL!" "TOOT TOOT TOOT!" and "VROOM VROOM VROOM!"

This has been going on for years. Let's start taking them to court! Give the college a bad name? You bet. I wish someone had told Lizzie Dole and other officials who have visited Western Carolina University of these goings on. But no, they sweep it under the rug.

Our new sheriff, his deputies and college staff are trying to resolve this problem. I'm sure they are also tired of it. College students should rent on campus, not be turned loose in quiet, residential areas. They should be kept within reach of campus police who would not tolerate drunken, disorderly conduct.

If and when there is another tragedy due to wild and crazy kids, the community, parents, town officials and people who rent to students needn't wonder why.

Marion Milano
Cullowhee

Concern for library seems too late

To the Editor:

I wish to make a few comments in reference to the letter last week from Jason Kimeker. In general the information was accurate and was very informative. I was a member of the original task force, and I, like Jason, hear and read some of the inaccurate statements with dismay.

In June of 2000 the task force submitted a written report to the county commissioners with our recommendation. To my knowledge the report was never acknowledged or discussed at a meeting. In effect it was round-filed.

That goes along with a comment made by Commissioner Jay Denton at one of our meetings that if you don't want anything done, appoint a committee.

Due to the lack of action by those in office at that time nothing was done, and the site we recommended is no longer available. The site we recommended was in the city, but not downtown.

The Jim Gray property has been mentioned and said to be desired in a number of articles, letters and speeches. As the letter stated, we did study that site. We were interested in this site because of the river and its closeness to the park, but there were some major drawbacks. We looked into the idea of parking under the building to compensate for the 100-year floodplain, but due to the additional construction cost we felt that concept prohibitive.

Another proposal was to stay with a single-floor building but the property would have to be raised high enough to get the building above the floodplain. With a 20,000-square-foot building there would be little space left for sidewalks and green areas and no parking. Plus there would not be any room for any expansion if that would be needed in the future.

A member of the task force was a member of the town board and mentioned that a city parking lot that was adjacent to the property would provide adequate parking. We asked her if the city would make an agreement that it would always be parking as long as the library was there, but she didn't think so.

The courthouse property was suggested to us, and we did study that as a possible site. There was no estimate of cost for renovations of the courthouse to accommodate the library, which were thought to be extensive. The library would be located in the courthouse as well as the addition in order to provide the needed space. The addition would have to be multi-story, which means elevator, enclosed stairs, loss of floor space and additional staffing costs. Parking would be limited. Construction costs would be higher due to the multi-story plan and the blending of the addition into the construction style of the courthouse.

Although the current concern over the library's plight is gratifying, it almost seems too late. The neglect of the previous commissioners and the citizens of the county in the past have put the library in a very difficult situation. I suspect that what is needed now is not a knee-jerk emotional response but a carefully thought out approach, which is thankfully what we are getting from Chairman Stacy Buchanan and the current Board of County Commissioners.

Respectfully, Robert Johnson
Whittier

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