ANAHEIM : City to Ante Up for Employees in War

The City Council unanimously voted last week to make up the difference in pay for city employees called to active military duty.

The wage supplements, which are retroactive to last Aug. 2, will go to all reservists called up in support of Operation Desert Storm, including those not deployed to the Persian Gulf.

Spouses of city employees serving in the Middle East lobbied the city for the pay differential, arguing that lower military pay was insufficient to support their families.

“The fact is that all cities ought to adopt an ordinance like this one,” said Mayor Fred Hunter, who spoke strongly in favor of the measure, and urged other cities to follow suit.

Ruth Palisin, whose husband, Charles, works for the city public utilities department and is now serving with the Navy in the Persian Gulf, said she tries to continue her life with a business-as-usual attitude but mounting bills create extra pressure on her.

“He (Charles Palisin) always took care of the bills,” she said.

Palisin, who joined other spouses in lobbying the city for the extra pay, said her part-time job offers no health benefits and that she is worried about health care in case of an emergency. She also said she is coping with payments on the new car her husband bought before he was deployed on Jan. 4.

“It really took a load off my shoulders,” she said, referring to the council’s action. “There’s just lots of pressures at this time, and that’s a major one.”