The sun., 1919-07-30
$4,000 TO ASK
MORE CITY PAY
All Municipal Employees Will
Make Demand Through Civil
Service Forum.
$6,0OO,000 MORE SOUGHT
Educational Campaign to BE
Launched Before Plea Is
Submitted in the Fall.
S6,OOO,OOO MORE SOUGHT

More than 10000 men and women.
all acting together, will knock at the
door of City Hall this fall and demand
more wages from the biggest employer
In these parts-the City of New York.
All civil service employees. which
means. comparatively speaking. all but
a handful of those on the city's pay
roll, will voice their request through
their central organization, the Civil
Service Forum.
The request already is formulated In
figures; 1t will total, at the least cal
culation. well over $4,000, 900, which. Of
course. would have to be added to the
municipal budget and be reflected in
a raise in the tax rate.
Members of every rank and grade,
excepting only the few holding jobs
exempt from civil service classifica-
tion, will join in the appeal for higher
pay to Offset higher living cost. The
Board Of Estimate will be implored to
grant more money to everybody, from
inspectors Of the Police Department
down to scrubwomen and the lowest
clerk.
The police and fire fighters. STAN
dardized their requests separately.
They amount in the case Of patrol
men and firemen-the privates of the
two departments to $3.50 per year
per man. and in the case Of their off,
GERS to considerably more than that.
The street cleaners. now getting $3.50
a year. want to be put on a per diem
basis Of $3.50; and their assistant Sec
ton foremen, now getting $1,1S0 a
year. have set 1880 as their goal.
Employees fn Two Divisions.
with these and few other exceptions
the city workers are putting their de-
mand on a percentage basis. For those
now receiving less than $4,000 year
they want an advance of 20 per cent. /;
for those receiving $4,000 or more 10 per
cent That Is the schedule for the great
majority OF the men and women em-
ployed by the city. A majority of en-
ployees are getting considerably less than
$4,000.
This explosion of sentiment as to sala-
ries Is. of course, apart from whatever
Is going on among the teachers. The
Legislature attended to the teachers. and
the Board OF Education now is struggling
to apply the salary law while Mayor
Hylan is protesting against the appro-
priation OF teachers of any money not
required by law on the ground that else
where In the city service are thousandA
OF poorly paid beings who deserve first
consideration
There seems to be no disposition at
City Hall to deny that most OF New
York's employees are underpaid. The
Mayor and others frequently have aio
So but also have mentioned the obstacle
of the city's financial condition. Last
year the patrolmen and fremen got a
raise amounting In most grades to $3.50.
Commits issioner Enright in his budget
schedule also recommended advances for
his Officers, but this was rejected. All
other city employees whose pay was less
than $500 a year got an additional
500, but they say that has been con-
sumed by increases of rent for their
homes, leaving the problem of higher
price. for food clothes and everything
else to be tackled on the same old salary
Mayors Qualihed Promise.
The Mayor this year has gone SO far
as to say that there will be increases tc
deserving employees In the departments
under my Jurisdiction" The Civil Ser
vice Forum Is not satisfied with this II
haf a
means by deserving employees: II In
slsts that all are deserving and is pre-
pared 20 make the demand for all. Mayor
Hylan gave his qualified promise In a
letter to George L. Connell. secretary oi
the forum, who had asked for an ap'
pointment with the Mayor for commit
tee OF the forum. The Mayor did not
make an appointment. He wrote Mr.
Connell on July 3
"Your letter with reference to In
creases in salaries received. l have al
ready taken up with the commissioner
under my Jurisdiction the matter of in
creas sing salaries this year. Last year
there was a general increase. This year
there will be increases to deserving EN-
ployees in the departments under my
| jurisdiction. There Is nothing that
could do further than that II your com
mittee called. Very truly yours
JOHN F. HYLAN, Mayor"
The forum Is planning an impressive
campaign to acQuaint the public viii
life in the great city on city pay as tho
employees see It. and also to convinc'
the Board of Estimate that the tax
payers are with them. Mass meetings
are being planned. and, for at least on'
OF them. the biggest hall available will
be hired. Figures are being gathered
! TO show rental increases, every city EN-
ployee being invited to set forth on q
blank how much rent he paid in 1871
and 1918 and how much he Is paying
this year A sample response Is that o'
an assistant foreman of the Stree
Cleaning Department. who says his fia
cost him $21 two years ago, S25 las
year and $50 this year. His wage Il
S1,1S0 year. The 800 boost he go
last year has fallen 80 short OF meeting
this one item Of rent increase In tive
years
From other cities information Is beinI
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