Letters for February 19, 2015

Union bullies

Re “The shame game” by Jordan Venema (SN&R News, February 12):

Local 46 may be just doing this for a publicity stunt. They sure are getting a lot of attention for it. But it's backfiring. You don't claim that a local, successful small business is “taking away the American Dream from the middle class.” Owning a successful small business is the American Dream. My mommy friends and I specifically went to Insight this week just to enjoy their coffee and scones and protest the union by spending our money. Local 46 looks like bullies, not union advocates.

Kris Rogers

Sacramento

Pro union, upset at Local 46

Re “The shame game” by Jordan Venema (SN&R News, February 12):

I support unions. I only ever buy American cars and will buy American-made products whenever possible. I would never cross a picket line, and I don’t ever shop at Wal-Mart. I also think that Local 46’s picketing of Magpie and Insight is a stupid tactic and totally inappropriate. If you are renting a house or apartment, demand that your landlord only allow union workers to fix problems in “your” apartment and see how that works out. The tenants are not parties to the labor-pay disputes, which may exist between the developers, construction companies and the workers who build the property. The Carpenter’s Union is right in working to protect the wages, working conditions and benefits of their membership, but Magpie, Insight and their patrons aren’t part of the issue.

John S. Smith

Sacramento

Hold back anti-vaxxer judgment

Re “Anti-vaxxers vs. reality” by Cosmo Garvin (SN&R Bites, February 5):

I am writing to inform Cosmo Garvin that if you choose to opt out of one or more vaccines for your children—chicken pox, for example—California law requires you to sign the opt-out form upon enrolling them in school. It does not mean that you are anti-vaccine. So, Garvin might have considered doing his research before making assumptions and sweeping character judgments about people he knows nothing about.

Yvonne Macias

via email

More ER coverage

Re “Bed ridden” by Raheem F. Hosseini (SN&R News, January 15):

I want to thank you for running the story about emergency rooms doing psychiatric-crisis intake.

As you know, this function was shifted from a dedicated unit to local ERs over five years ago to save money during the economic crisis. I worked at the old unit and can’t imagine this function works well in an ER. We had the ability to keep unstable, and sometimes actively suicidal and combative, psychotic patients for days if need be in order to determine if they were stable enough to go down the hall to the inpatient unit. ERs do not have that luxury.

Dan Fiske

Sacramento