San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Deluge of plastics
Why don’t we hear more about alternatives to single-use plastics? One example: I shop at the Berkeley Bowl, where the salad bar and deli now use clear, compostable containers that are indistinguishable from the plastic versions they used to use, except for green labeling. I imagine they are more costly for the store, but if jurisdictions mandated their use, I’m guessing the cost would go down, and our oceans and marine animals would benefit.
Donna Mickleson, Berkeley
Teachers need sick days
Regarding “Increase sick leave days,” (Letters, June 12) whose writer was shocked to hear that teachers can get paid for up to 100 sick days: Readers need to understand that California public school teachers, as with most public employees, receive 10 days per year of paid sick leave. While unused sick leave can accumulate, in order to accrue 100 days of paid sick leave, a teacher would have to go 10 years without missing a single school day for sickness. As a former public school kindergarten teacher, I can attest that is nearly impossible given all the germs the 30 students in an average classroom bring to school each day.
I was never more in need of my sick days than I was when surrounded by 5-year-olds five days a week. Please let teachers have and accrue their sick days; no occupation, with the possible exception of nursing, needs them more!
Hire older adults
As someone nearing retirement after a decades-long career as a state worker, I’m troubled to read “Big push to fight age bias in hiring” (Business, June 9). Job seekers over the age of 50 have decades of knowledge and work experience to offer a potential employer. They should not be rejected from consideration simply because they are graying at the temples. And speaking of graying, the U.S. Census Bureau projects that by the year 2035 older adults will edge out children in population size. The people who are age 65 and over are expected to number 78 million, while children under age 18 will number 76.7 million. Our nation’s employers need to embrace this trend and hire more citizens over the age of 50, not just because
GOOD WEEK
they’re qualified, but because they are still dedicated people with a lot to offer in our workplaces.
Not the same as Hitler
In “Lost lessons of WWII” (Letters, June 10), the writer referred to President Trump’s attendance at the D-Day commemoration, saying that Trump’s “words and actions resemble those of Adolf Hitler.” Although the writer obviously dislikes Trump, I find it incredible that he would contend that Trump resembles someone that ordered the killing of 6 million people.
Politicians and the media, whatever their own biases, may want to consider what impact their actions are having on this society.
Enjoyed the reviews
Kudos to Soleil Ho. I haven’t enjoyed restaurant reviews as much since I was reading Ruth Reichl’s in New West magazine decades ago.