Posted on: Friday, April 13, 2001

Don't cancel health or retirement benefits

State efforts to suspend paid health care benefits and accrual of retirement credit for striking teachers and faculty are unworthy and should be abandoned immediately.

As a tactic to persuade teachers to cross the picket lines, the threat that they may be unprotected in the face of possible catastrophic illness may be brutally effective.

But it smacks of vindictiveness, and it's not the way we do business here in the Aloha State.

There's a teacher shortage in Hawai'i. We need these teachers and faculty members back at work as soon as possible. It won't help if they are burning with resentment when they get there.