Equal Work, Unequal Pay

www.WinHawaiianHome.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – How To Sell A Home in a Recession - Essay Contest

Pahoa, HI, February 7, 2009: Sheri Smith and John Williams, a couple from Southern California (the wife was born in NYC) who now live in Hawaii, have come up with a unique, pro-active way to “sell” their one-of-a-kind 1,300 square-foot custom, never-before-lived-in home in a depressed real estate market - they are offering it as the grand prize in an essay contest.

Smith and Williams, as WinHawaiianHome.com, llc, are sponsoring Essay 101, a contest of skill, where anyone (21 years old or older) can write a short essay (101 words or less) and, for a $101 entry fee, get a chance to win a brand new, custom home on the Big Island of Hawaii. The contest is open worldwide, however essays must be submitted in English, and must be the entrant’s original work. 101 finalists will be chosen and then judged by community leaders.

This home (affectionately called the “Sweetheart Cottage” due to its many design details) was built by Williams, a local builder, with the goal of selling it immediately and using the proceeds to finish construction of his castle (www.castleinhawaii.com), a future vacation rental or bed and breakfast. Due to the recession, real estate sales are down and thus, this fun and exciting vehicle was created. Contest entries will be made online at www.WinHawaiianHome.com, although postal mail entries will also be accepted. Local schools in Puna to benefit by donation from the sponsor. Essay 102 is in the works (with two spectacular homes to choose from) and they hope to write an e-book to share their method with others to try to turn around the economy, one house at a time.

We cannot be successful UNLESS people find out about it. Please help us spread the word! Mahalo! Sheri

the real question

Instead of bickering with each other or calling Mrs. Ledbetter a whiner, shouldn't the real question be , "how was Goodyear able to require a donation to United Way?" and wasn't there postings of the job description every time it was open?

Replying to HR Management

If you're really so knowledgeable of HR Management then you would be aware that the growing trend and expectation is that pay is a public issue and can be discussed. Sometimes payrates are even posted. The most fundamental principle that I learned in HR Management was if there is a do not discuss policy then the company is trying to conceal something. If payrates are fair and justified, not necessarily equal, then there is no reason for a closed mouth policy! I currently am employed by a retailer and make $10000 less a year than a less qualified female. There is no justification at all for the pay difference and I am not supposed to know. She is even disgusted that our pay is so different. Without proper legislation employers can continue to take advantage of people and it isn't just at all. Every aspect of our society needs an overhaul why not start with this. Thank you for fighting for your rights Lilly

Replying to HR Management

If you're really so knowledgeable of HR Management then you would be aware that the growing trend and expectation is that pay is a public issue and can be discussed. Sometimes payrates are even posted. The most fundamental principle that I learned in HR Management was if there is a do not discuss policy then the company is trying to conceal something. If payrates are fair and justified, not necessarily equal, then there is no reason for a closed mouth policy! I currently am employed by a retailer and make $10000 less a year than a less qualified female. There is no justification at all for the pay difference and I am not supposed to know. She is even disgusted that our pay is so different. Without proper legislation employers can continue to take advantage of people and it isn't just at all. Every aspect of our society needs an overhaul why not start with this. Thank you for fighting for your rights Lilly

And Who is Whining Again?

Hey, Army--wow, are you ever out of touch! You want to make it sound like you're from the WWII generation, but my dad was from that generation and I know he'd deck you for half of the hate towards women you clearly display. We women do pay our equal share and I have no idea what subsidies you are talking about--I see no special privileges in the SSI and Medicare being sucked out of my paycheck every week and when I manage my parents' finances, I don't see a difference there, either. Most employers don't cover us on our spouse's health insurance and our husbands will get doled out the same half-rate after our deaths as we would if they died first, but only in certain states. We have to work to support our families--it's no longer a choice--and at least 2/3rds of us are the sole breadwinners for our families because our husbands either can't find jobs or they abused us and we left to protect the kids. We work the same hours (usually more) than our male counterparts but we get paid less and we still come home to an unequal burden of household chores and childcare. The only reason there are twice as many women as men seeking college degrees is because the boys and men aren't applying to go. They'd rather mooch off of their mothers and their girlfriends and stay home playing videogames all day. But what do we get in return? States that refuse to recognize the full rights of a wife to the entire estate she helped build should her husband die--no, she is treated subordinate to her children when the same wouldn't happen to her husband if she were to have died first. States that refuse to ratify the Equal Rights Amendments, states who won't protect our rights and our children's rights to freedom from assault and fear from abuse and rape, states that will lock a woman away for life for killing her abusive child-molesting husband but let a husband who murders his wife off after a handful of years. Considering the sheer numbers of young single mothers I see roaming about my city, I seriously doubt your statistics, sir. Maybe those boys wouldn't have dropped out of high school had the fathers in their life manned-up and took responsibility inside and outside his home instead of shirking his duties and being a baby when his ballgame is interrupted by his overworked, underpaid wife coming home to a house full of chores and mess. And you can stop blaming women for sucking the government dime dry--you seem to be doing a good job on the dole yourself. I seem to recall it being your generation who screamed when our gov tried to raise the SSI age from 65 to 70...

I am an educated professional. I see this with my counterpart. He is male. I found out that he is making almost $10,000.00 more per year than I am making. We both have Master's degrees. I have more experience and many more responsibilities. How demeaning this is to know that my work is not valued as much as his. Way to go Ms. Lilly. I am thinking that when she worked in the cotton fields the pay per pound of picking cotton was the same for men and women. Have we really come so far or have we regressed?

Business 313 Human Resource Management

I think the ruling in the case of Ms. Ledbetter was the right judgement. First of she was ok with her pay until she found out that it was lower than her male employees. That's technically doesn't call for discrimination. Reason for her pay being lower than others can be from less work experience, not being capable for flex working hours, or not achieving the high level of education that's required.

She waited until she found out she was gettin paid less to bring up a complaint to the company. She should have brought this complaint up during an interview before she accepted the position. She was satisfied with it for the most part. I don't think the pay rate between employees should be even talked about amongst employees in the work place. That's how situations like this come about.

In most jobs today the females have some type of advantage for growth in the work place over the males. Now we all could use a little extra money in our lives and she probably needed it for personal reasons, and thought she should be getting paid the same or more than everyone else. She still waited to long to address this issue I think. Reasons for her not bringing this to any attention earlier can be that maybe she was afraid of losing her job or maybe causing problems at work.I dont think this is a matter of discrimination at all.

What to do..?

As a conservative and a woman, I am torn about this country we live in. I feel like seperating from my party but there is not a party I can claim to be a part of, because while I don't want the government to control our lives...I also know that people can't be trusted to treat each other equally as humans...someone will always be victimized by the cruelty of each other.

A society can't be happy if people aren't respected because of how they were born....and yet, we're taught to believe women are weaklings in the work place and in mind (just listen to the upper 60's whiner for example) and that minorities have been liberated fully and should shut up, funny huh? We may not know what politics this country needs in regards to sexism AND freedom, because there isn't a party that satisfies it. I think that's why we will never have a utopian society...but I do know I will never allow myself to be treated so distastefully by what's passing for "men" in this country...men who want us working, raising babies, cleaning house, giving our bodies but staying prude and ladylike...the world will never be pleasant for women as long as domination is considered important and necessary. It's fear that drives so many comments you read by males who you would otherwise consider level headed. it's why the image of the amazons were created, to scare men. it's why when a guy hears abotu feminists, automatically bra burning man haters come to mind, instead of a movement to allow women freedoms in this coutnry. It's like saying all Germans must be nazis. There are extremists yes, and some women thinking abortion is necessry if you want freedom, which is isn't...but feminism was necessary to wake people up to their ignorance. How can we be called "free" if not all the people in this country are? How silly we can be.

To Whine whine whine

One more thing I forgot to mention...your society provides college education to nearly twice as many women as men? Where do you live? I was unaware that society was handing out college educations to people with female anatomy! Where do I sign up? From what I can remember in my experience, I had to pay for my college, which is why it is on hold, because now that money goes to my baby and my time goes to my family and work, seeing as how I'm a breadwinner, a dutiful wife, a mother, and a maid at 23.

To Whine whine whine

I love how you claim to know so much and be so intelligent yet you rely on stats...most of which you probably concluded in your own observations...anyone who can claim to have a brain knows that stats are unreliable...and if you hold the delusion that women would be equal if they just shut up and work, well then you're definitely not as smart as you think you are. We would be stuck in the 50's if women just shut up, and that's ideal for men, but not for women...and how many children we have is none of your pig headed business. You're a contradiction...you want women to be at home with the children, but you also want them to work and shut up about it. I feel guilty no matter what I do, whether I work, or am with my son as a "homemaker". Maybe that's why God kills off men early, too much of one goes a long way.