
                         THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
                 Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, June 1, 1994                    TAG: 9406010008 
SECTION: FRONT                     PAGE: A14    EDITION: FINAL  
SOURCE: Short 
DATELINE: 940601                                 LENGTH:

FEDERAL BENEFITS BEAT STATE'S

{LEAD} Editor's note: An editing error distorted the meaning of the following letter published on the May 28 editorial page:

A recent letter writer had the gall to suggest that Virginia State Retirement System retirees pay extra taxes to satisfy the federal retirees' claim that they were wrongfully taxed when VSRS retirees were not made to pay state taxes on the VSRS retirement income.

{REST} One of the inducements to VSRS members was freedom of their retirement from state income taxes upon retirement.

We did without a lot of the goodies the federal employees received; among them:

FederalVSRS:

ALL federal holidaysFor years, only some federal holidays

Up to 30 days' annual leaveFor years, only 12 days' annual leave

Unlimited sick leaveLimited accumulation of sick leave

(Military: 30 days' annualleave and unlimited freesick time)Five-day workweekSix-day workweek until 1965

Paid overtimeNo paid overtime until about 1970

Shift selectionNo choice in hours

Let your correspondent and others of that ilk reimburse me for 36 1/2 years of inequality, and I will pay my share of their claim.

ROBERT W. SMITH

Chesapeake, May 6, 1994

by CNB