17
ment. An amendment to the New York
bill which would have included public
employees was passed by the legislature
and then vetoed by the governor. It is
interesting to note that the Montana
law became effective April 1, 1919
(a carryover from World W ar I labor
shortages) and that it covers women in
public as well as private employment.
The federal law if passed will cover
part of the women in private employ
ment but it is state law only which will
protect public employees and private
employees in business active only in
intra-state commerce. The State Civil
Service A ct should be sufficient pro
tection for Oregon state employees, but
county and municipal employees w ith
out civil service have no such protec
tion. During the 1945 session of our
state legislature, an equal pay bill was
defeated in the state senate by a 15
to 13 vote. "Opponents of the meas
ure,” reported the Capital Journal in
Salem, "argued that the bill would not
accomplish its purpose, would cause la
bor disputes, is impractical and is neb
ulous.”
Miss Frieda Miller makes the follow
ing recommendation for a state law.
". . . we would like to suggest that if
it is introduced again, the language of
the bill should be clear as to covering
public employment and specifically
'state, county and municipal em
ployees’.*” It will be interesting to see
whether women who would benefit by
such legislation will work for the in
troduction of an equal pay bill during
the 1947 legislative session.
If there must be differences in base
pay rates within a given classification,
it would seem that the only fair dif
ferential must be determined by need.
One philanthropic organization pays its
employees according to the number
and ages of their dependents and the
local living costs. This basis of wage
determination would give a woman
with dependents the same status as a
man with the same number of depen
dents, and a single woman the same
financial status as a single man.
This need for improvement in the fi
nancial status of working women, to
gether with other employment prob
lems, should present an irresistible
challenge to every woman who is sin
cerely interested in doing more than
just hoping. It should encourage her
to accept her full working responsibil
ity by developing and performing***to
the best of her ability the skills she 'is
employed to perform. It should mak'e
her see the need to inform herself on
the economic and employment princi
ples and problems which affect her fi
nancial status and job security. She
must come to realize her potential
strength and influence through cooper
ation with employee and professional
organizations. The Oregon State Em
ployees Association offers every wom
an employee of this state an organiza
tion through which she can accept this
challenge!
No thoroughly occupied man was
ever yet very miserable.
— L. E. L andon .
The free expression of opinion, as
experience has taught us, is the safety-
valve of passion. The no se of the
rushing steam, when it escapes, alarms
the timid; but it is the sign that we
are safe. The concession of reasonable
«privilege anticipates the growth of
furious appetite.
—G ladstone .
All city employees of Hazel Park,
Michigan were recently placed under a
retirement system ‘ when the voters of
the city approved the plan by a 2 to 1
majority.