Long road to justice

At Issue: Efforts to secure payment of wage discrimination during the golden days of the TT Government.

Our View: A long road to justice but only those who work for it will eventually secure a worthy trophy.

Several years ago, a federal court ruled that the two-tiered wage system in the former Trust Territory Government was discriminatory. Better salaries were paid to American expatriate employees, far less for Micronesians doing the same work with equal, if not, better qualifications.

Kudos to Representative Dino Jones for revisiting a long-standing issue where justice has yet to be rendered. He’s seeking for payment, through the US Congress, on a discriminatory pay-scale so openly practiced as acceptable by the US Department of Interior.

How ironic that in recent years, Interior pushes for inclusion of the NMI in the federal wage system, oblivious to the disastrous economic consequences that would descend in these isles if it had been successful in its agenda. It goes to illustrate what happens to the fate of people in insular areas when attempts to ruin self-government by mediocrity in the lead federal agency becomes a matter of policy. It also shows the obvious lack of conscience in the obvious unequal application of federal policies. And this is supposed to be the lead federal agency?

Indeed, this issue will never make it to the “Wish List” of our national agenda. But then it’s good to revisit it in hopes that our national government rectifies a long-standing discrimination leveled against Micronesians under Interior’s two-tiered payscale. Those were the days when college educated Micronesians salivate at the dollar and upwards salaries their counterparts receive while theirs is limited to $.81 an hour. Micronesians couldn’t take the open discrimination being leveled against them, thus the decision to litigate it. The court ruled that Interior’s payscale was discriminatory. Sadly, though, litigants got everything except compensation.

We sincerely hope that our friends in the US Congress would settle this issue forthwith. It is only appropriate that justice is rendered on a nearly forgotten issue so royally failed Micronesians by the US Department of Interior. The infection is still wide open and it’s time that we allow for an appropriate resolution so we put this issue to rest. We trust our national policymakers would pay heed to our tiny and often inaudible voices to right a long-standing wrong. Si Yuus Maase`!