Thanks family, relatives, friends and community

‘Ya’ at’ eeh’ doo Ahehee’Shi ke Shi dine’’

I would like to send out a special thanks to my mom (Alma Nez ), dad (Donald Nez Sr.), brothers and sisters. Also, to my very special children Rachel, Clayton, Chance, and their mother, Suzanne.

Thank you to the Yei-Bi- Chei coordinator Otto Tso, medicine man Norris Nez Sr., his wife, his helpers Henry Yazzie, Leonard Manygoats, Rueben Richards, Adair Klopfenstein, John Nez, Frank Nez, and many others. Thank you to the Western Navajo Fair Board and to all my relatives, my Nalis, my grandmas, uncles, aunties from all four directions, “Ahe’ hee’.”

My family knows what I’ve been through and the hardships I went through in life. With all the prayers and singing, May I Walk in Beauty and in Harmony.

“Nitsahakees, Nahata’, Ilna, Siih Hasin” (Use your inner thoughts and inner strength to plan for life.)

Thank you, President Joe Shirley Jr., for your speech and encouragement. Ahe’ hee’. I will always remember my family that was there for me to get me well. All the cooking and hard labor it took throughout the 10 days of the ceremony.

All summer, I’ve been helping my relatives and here at the ceremony that’s all that was there to help my grandma, Mary Hatahlie and me out. So hitting all those ceremonies over the summer did pay off.

We as the Nez family accomplished our goal, by the way we received help from our relatives. Thank you mom and dad for the good teachings.

Now I walk on this path of life with my prayers and songs to keep me strong for my kids and the people I care for and hold dearly to my heart. You will always be in my thoughts and prayers.

My lucky number is still 15.

“Ahe’hee’ Shi Ke Shi Dine” (Love and respect always)

Chuck Nez

Tuba City, Ariz.

Have we forgotten why we do/did have overtime?

Let’s remember that overtime was not made into law as a way to earn more money, but was based on the idea that employees should not be worked to death, and be paid a fair wage for an eight-hour workday and a five, or no more than six, day work week. This allowed employees time to rest, improve and educate themselves, spend time with their family and loved ones, study, do sports to improve their health, and for recreation.

In civilized Western nations, vacation time was added to this. It was considered that all this would result in a more efficient and more motivated work force, and so it did. If employers needed more work time, they should employ more workers for additional shifts, which would employ more and reduce unemployment.

If sudden work emergencies, weather or project delays required the unforeseen need of over-time because of sloppy planning and/or the inability to rapidly acquire additional qualified, trained, experienced workers (for instance, firefighters or police in an emergency situation), then employers could ask for overtime to help them out in this particular case. Employers paid the worker for this overtime on a—previously agreed upon—higher pay scale, which increased along with the increasing amount of needed over-time.

This was meant as a penalty for the employer to protect the worker from being exploited, overworked, pressured or threatened by the employer and losing his/her right to rest and to have personal time off. It was never meant as a way to earn more by becoming—or being forced to become—an overworked, stressed-out workaholic slave worker who could only survive financially through overtime.

Tony van Renterghem

Flagstaff, Ariz.

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