Letter: Equal pay knows no gender bounds

Monday, April 13, 1998 | 11:10 a.m.

Jobs don't grow on trees, and gender has nothing to do with wages. Yet private enterprise cannot force anyone to work for less. One is free to seek employment elsewhere.

If a business fails, it is usually because of the many layers of rules and regulations enacted by bureaucrats who are out of touch with the blood, sweat and tears of those who actually produce something.

If Anne Golonka of NOW wants equal pay for women, she should not discriminate against the private sector but include the whole ball of wax, especially the entire government structure.

If the private sector has to carry the burden of bringing women's wages up to par with those of the men, I suggest she petition the U.S. Department of Labor to bring all civil servant's salaries down to par with those in the private sector.

This should apply across the board. In other words, janitors and custodians working for the feds on the Hill should not earn a dime more than those cleaning the toilets at a local bar.

Jan Storm

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