Great News (3) - Fed/State/Local gov. employees

GREAT news (3) --
if you work for the federal/state/local government

How many Asian Ams. will benefit from the great news?
90,000 Federal employees,
160,000 State employees, and
540,000 local government employees. A total of 800,000!

What is their situation today?

Sad! I have received so many complaints from government workers that he/she trained Caucasian/African-Am colleagues. A few years later, that person became his/her boss. I've received many inquiries about the rules of initiating an EEOC complaint or the names of lawyers who are known to handle Asian Am. cases.

HOWEVER, Asian Am. government workers are NOT without faults.
1) Our culture made us think that we'd "lose face" when others discriminated against them. So we'd hide such incidents from even our spouses.
2) We are easily intimidated by stories of how painful a law suit against our employers could be.
3) Worse, we are not willing to pay "dues" - time and money wise - to organize ourselves to fight discrimination via GROUP political clout. There are organizations like the FAPAC (Federal Asian Pacific Am. Council). Support these orgs. Pay your dues!
4) Worst, those who have "made it" don't care enough to help the ones who are facing discrimination in government jobs. What a shame for those Asian Ams who have "made it."

"When in Rome, do as Romans do." Adopt the American way.

What is the Good News?

A presidential Order is on its way to right the wrongs against Asian Am. federal employees. It was recommended by EEOC on 1/9/09. See http://www.eeoc.gov/federal/report/aapi.html

The report stated:
"Strong leadership and personal commitment to diversity comes from the top down. To that end, the workgroup recommends that an Executive Order be issued by the President . . . . . . "

The recommended Executive Order (not to be confused with EO 11246) is very specific, has teeth and provides the funding to get the job done. See Appendix A of that report.

Will the Order benefit state/local gov. employees?

YES. There were precedents showing powerful indirect impact. Earlier presients had issued amost identically worded Orders for African Ams. and Hispanics. Those order triggered actions from Governors, County Executives and Mayors to right the historic wrong at the state/local levels. 80-20 is confident that the same will occur for Asian Am. state & local gov. employees.

How did this GREAT news come about?

80-20 contributed greatly. Here is what we did:
1/9/06 80-20 visited with EEOC Chairwomen Cari 
Dominguez & 6 of her staff.
4/5/06 80-20 visited with Sen. D. Akaka of Hawaii, ranking member of the Senate Subcomm. on Federal Employees, and his staff.
11/7/06 Sen. Akaka became the Chairman of that Senate Subcomm. He wrote to EEOC inquiring about possible discrimination against Asian Ams. in the Fed. Gov.
1/31/08 Sen. Obama answered 80-20's questionnaire with single-word answers -- 6 YESES.
11/4/08 Sen. Obama became President Obama.
1/9/09 EEOC released the said report.

"Success has a thousand fathers." Other individu 232 als and Asian Am orgs. might have contributed to the above success. We thank them.

Please learn from our past mistakes. Pitch in & support 80-20 to support YOU. Go http://www.80-20initiative.net. Click on "JOIN 80-20." Pay your $35 or $50. Together, we shall overcome. Thank you.

Respectfully,

S.B. Woo
Acting Exec. Director (a volunteer), 80-20 PAC

GREAT News (2), if YOU work for "Private Ind. or Univ.?

GREAT News (2) -- if YOU work for Private Industries (PI) or Universities (U)

Too good to believe? How about the following facts? Pres. Obama appointed Asian Ams to be:

1) 2 leaders in the 16-member Transition Team,
2) 3 of the ed7 15 Cabinet Secretaries,
3) 10 White House Senior staff, a few with significant power,
4) 2 legal counsels with the rank of Deputy Sec., 1 Undersecretary, and 2 Asst. Sec., and
5) The Acting Chair of EEOC.
Indeed, many more will be appointed!

Did you see that many significant appointments coming BEFORE they happened? If not, then have more faith in OUR OWN ABILITY to change destiny.

So listen up! Please absorb the info. presented to you below and try to help your own good fortune along.

If YOU work for PI or U, you have been discriminated against for promotion to the managerial/administrative levels. When 80-20 first dug up those statistics (see the Washington Post ad below), some gov. officials disputed them. Now they are no longer controversial.

Pres. Obama has promised to eliminate such discrimination by the enforcement of Exec. Order 11246 for us which worked effectively for blacks, women & Hispanics. See his signed reply to 80-20 below.

When Executive Order 11246 is finally implemented for Asian Ams, if shall be we assure you, after decades of benign negligence, your chance of being promoted to the managerial level will increase by 81% if your work for PI, and by 150%, if you work for U.

Specifically, we will benefit?

In PI, they will be those who are classified as "professionals," "Sales workers," and "technicians." There are about 940,000 such Asian Ams.

In U, they will be those who are classified as "faculty," and "professionals." There are about 67,000 such Asian Ams.

How many more Asian Am Managers in PI & U?

In PI, there are currently 160,000 Asian Am. managers, out of a total employment of 1,900,000. In an estimated 10 years, the 160,000 number will increase to 290,000 or 130,000 MORE Asian Am managers, assuming no change in the total number of Asian Am employees.

In U. there are currently 3,500 administrators out of a total employment of 71,000. In an estimated 10 years, the 3,500 number will increase to 8,800, or 5,300 MORE Asian Am administrators, assuming no change in the total number of Asian Am employees.

Your Best Option?

80-20 understands your frustration with the discrimination against you. We understand the tough choice before you today -- going through the court procedure for discrimination is money and time consuming, painful, and often humiliating.

Joining 80-20 may be your best option. The more you support us, the more we'll have the strength to work for you. We'll fight for your equal opportunity to live to the maximum of your potentials. Go http://www.80-20initiative.net & click on "JOIN 80-20."

Please practise "ENLIGHTENED SELF-INTEREST."

Respectfully yours,

S. B. Woo
Acting Exec. Director, 80-20 PAC, Inc. (a volunteer)

Announcement:
GOOD news (3) will be for the 790,000 Asian Americans who work for the federal/state/local governments.

Please view the Washington Post ad.

CLICK HERE to view President Obama's solemn commitment to the Asian American community.

GREAT NEWS (1) - Obama Appointments

YOU are breaking through the glass ceiling.

Indeed, the next 2 e-newsletters GREAT NEWS (2) and (3) will address YOUR own brighter future -- doubling you chance to become an administrator/manager/head in almost any profession you happened to be in.

Let's first look at

ASIAN AMS. APPOINTED BY PRESIDENT OBAMA THUS FAR:

2 top Leaders in the 16 member Transition Team (TT):
Pete Rouse - a Japanese Am., one of 3 co-chairs of the TT
Chris Lu - Executive Director of the TT

About 10 Senior White House Staff
Chris Lu - Asst to the President and Cabinet Secretary
Pete Rouse - Senior Advisor
Vivek Kundra - CIO, Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
Tina Tchen - Head, Office of Public Liaison
Sonal Shah - Head, Office of Social Innovation
Madhuri Kommareddi - Associate Staff Secretary
A few more whose names we'll publicize later.

3 of the 15 Cabinet Secretaries:
General Eric Shinseki -- Veteran Affairs Dept.
Nobel Laureate Steven Chu -- Energy Dept.
Governor Gary Locke -- Commerce Dept.

A Labor Secretary: with the background to understand our concerns. Hilda Solis' old Congressional District includes Monterey Park Her parents are both immigrant workers. She and Judy Chu are good friends.

An Acting Chair of EEOC -- Stuart Ishimaru

Many Sub-cabinet Level Appointments Now and To Come

2 Legal Counsels in important Cabinet Depts.
Ivan K. Fong -- General Counsel (Deputy Secretary in rank), Homeland Security Dept.
Harold Hongju Koh (고홍주) -- Legal Counsel, State Department

These appointments exceed the sum of Pres. Clinton's and Pres. Bush's appointments in their 16 years in terms of significance & numbers. Credit must be given when credit is due. We thank President Obama.

80-20 was once in conflict with the Obama campaign if you'll recall. That President Obama chooses to place so many Asian Ams in such important positions in his Administration is a wonderful comment on the American democracy and a magnificent reflection on President
Obama.

Notwithstanding the above good news, 80-20 will NOT be content unless, YOU, the millions of Asian Ams working in private industries, universities, local/state/federal governments get YOUR equal opportunity to become managers/administrations/heads. We'll report to you via GREAT NEWS (2) & (3).

80-20 delivers. Give credit where credit is due. Go http://www.80-20initiative.net and click on the button "JOIN 80-20." Or send check to 80-20 PAC, PO Box 22509, Philadelphia, PA 19110

Respectfully yours,

S.B., Acting Exec. Director, 80-20 PAC, Inc.

PS: Texas State Rept. Betty Brown has apologized. Together, we've overcome!

Change Your Name, She suggested.

A Texas Republican State Representative, Betty Brown, asked during a House testimony on voter identification legislation if Asian Ams should change names so that it is “easier for Americans to deal with.”

She asked, “Rather than everyone here having to learn Chinese — I understand it’s a rather difficult language — do you think that it would behoove you and your citizens to adopt a name that we could deal with more readily here?” See Houston Chronicle http://www.chron.com/d cc6 isp/story.mpl/front/6365320.html

That of course has created a fire-storm in the Asian Am community. Besides the suggestion to change names, there are plenty of hints that she doesn't think Asian Ams are American citizens. How otherwise is one to understand "your citizens" and “easier for Americans to deal with.”

For those of us who think that the "perpetual foreigner" image against us is attenuating, think again! If your compatriots think you are a foreigner, can you get good jobs?

A number of organizations have asked for an apology. 80-20 supports that.

However, unlike others, if words & reasons fail, 80-20 acts!

80-20 punishes those politicians who don't share our rightful concerns when they run for an office again.

In Betty Brown's case, her fellow Republicans are likely to be so embarrassed by her that a good Republican believing in "diversity" and that "We are all Americans" will want to replace her for the glory of Texas in 2010. If so, 80-20 may want to create a "Victory for a Republican" fund to help elect that good Republican.

If you like our style and effectiveness, join as a dues paying member. Go http://www.80-20initiative.net and click on the button "JOIN 80-20."

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A Related Story

A reporter emailed to ask:

"WE WERE IN CHINA LAST YEAR. MANY OF THE CHINESE WE SPOKE WITH HAD ADOPTED AMERICAN NAMES SO PEOPLE COULD TALK TO THEM EASIER. WHAT IS SO WRONG WITH THAT? IT IS A REALITY!!
LARRY SMITH"

My answer:

Dear Mr. Smith:

There is not a thing wrong with people voluntarily adopting names to make things more convenient for themselves and others. What is wrong is for others to suggest that.

If I say why don't you adopt a Chinese name in emailing me to make things easier for me, you might think me uncivil, to say the least, and perhaps uneducated and arrogant to the point of being Barbaric.

When you were in China, if a Chinese had suggested to you to adopt a Chinese name to make things easier for him/her, you'd probably write an article reporting a growing arrogance among Chinese now that they are economically doing well. Or if the Chinese government had suggested that non-Chinese naturalizing to Chinese citizenship need to consider adopting Chinese names, you'd probably write an article condemning the entire Chinese government.

Well, Betty Brown is an official, speaking in an official capacity.

Thanks for asking the question. It gives us a chance to exchange views.

Regards,

SB

Two Political Announcements

(A) Judy Chu, Vice Chair of California's Board of Equalization and a multi-year 80-20 member, is running for Congress in CA's 32 Congressional District. Her chance of winning is good. She has a very impressive list of endorsements.

(1) She is running for the seat vacated by Hilda Solis who became Labor Secretary under President Obama. Judy was endorsed by Hilda Solis's sister. Hilda Solis won her last election by 100%.
(2) She had also been endorsed by The Emily's List -- a powerful political org. that specializes in endorsing female candidates.
(3) She was also endorsed by Los Angeles County Federation of Labor. A large fraction of the voters in the 32nd are union members.
(4) She was also endorsed by Dolores Huerta, Co-Founder, United Farmworkers in a district where about 50% of the voters are Hispanics.

She faces a primary on May 19, 2009. You can help nail down her victory by visiting http://www.judychu.net. 80-20 PAC sent her $1,000. If she wins the primary, she will become the next Congresswoman from that district, since the district is strongly Democratic.

(B) Two Other 80-20 Members Are Running for High Offices.

Besides Judy, we have
a) Ted Lieu, an 80-20 Life member, is running for CA's Attorney General. Help him by visiting http://www.tedlieu.com/ . Ted is leading a valiant fight to give our children a level playing field in admission to Univ. of California. He'll face an election in 2010. See http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-ed-rape3-2009apr03,0,7522775.story which is an LA Times editorial lauding Ted Lieu for his legilation on DNA evidence.
b) Sam Yoon, an 80-20 family member, is running for Mayor of Boston. Visit http://www.samyoon.com. Sam will face a primary election on Sept. 22, 2009. The Mayoral race is non-partisan.

80-20 has already donated to both wonderful candidates.

Practice "ESI" or enlightened self-interest. Derive happiness and self respect from plowing back to enrich your community. Join 80-20. Go http://www.80-20initiative.net and then click on the button "JOIN 80-20." United, we shall overcome.

Respectfully yours,

S. B. Woo
Acting Executive Director (a volunteer), 80-20 PAC, Inc.