Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-07-28
FEDERAL WORKERS
ARE DIVIDED AS To
RECLASS|F|CAT|0N
Joint Conference Publication
Not to Be Bound by
"VieWpoints."

Organized government employees
split today on the question OF how
best to work for reclaSsification OF
government salaries when the publi-
cation of the joint conference on re-
which it refused to be bound by the
views of any person or number Of
persons
The statement was called forth by
The announcement of the National
tederation of Federal Employees that
IT has decided to conduct campaign
Tor Redistribution on the basis of the
budget bill. which is expected to be-
come law next fall.
Immediately the officers of the re-
ciaSSlhcation paper, composed of
members of Federal Employees Union
NO. 2. a subsidiary local union of the
national federation, issued the state
ment, and expect to get the joint con-
ference on reclassification to unani-
mousiy back the stand at the meeting
Friday night.
Not Bound by Viewpoints.
The Reclassificat zionist is not bound
py the views of any persons or num-
DER OF persons who may publicly ex-
press their opinions concerning what
shouid or should not be done with
respect to reclassifica ton, nor as to
how and when anything should be
done. whether these opinions are ex
pressed in it's columns or otherwise"
declared the statement.
The eclaSsficationist recognizes
the difficulties of the great problem
of betterment of civil service that
all forward-looking officials and en-
ployes are desirous of solving, and
where the problem is so great there
must inevitably be differences of
opinion as to its solution" continues
has no thought that it's opinions
should prevail as against those of
other persons or papers. And. on the
other hand, it has no thought what
ever of being aligned on either side
of any question by any other voice
or choice than it's own"
The split in the ranks over reclaSs-
lfication. which thus seems to have
come to a head today, has arisen
mainly over the inclusion of the
budget bill in the reclassification pro-
gram. as drawn up by the National
through the conference of experts.
Workers on the publication believe
that the reclaSsifcation of government
employees is a matter which ought to
stand on its own merits. and that the
reorganization of the departments. as
called for in the budget bill. would be
a task of years, and that reclassifcation
would have to wait all that time.
National Federation Proposal.
A reshaping of the Legislative work of
the National Federation of Federal En-
plOyeS, to conform to an expected modi-
fcation of the reclassification bill as
it now stands in view of the provisions
of the budget bill, is the proposal of
the national federation
The need for reshaping the plan of
the legislative work, President Steward
pointed out, is due to the fact that the
budget bin, as passed by both houses
of Congress and sent to the President
for signature, contains the following
section (209), with vital bearing upon
the administration of the reclassifica-
ton system:
The bureau (of the budget) shall
make detailed study Of the depart
ments and establishments for the pur-
pose of enabling the President to de-
termine what changes with a view
of securing greater economy and ef-
ficiency in the conduct of the public
service) should be made in % the
existing organization, activities and
methods of business of such depart
mentS or establishments, (2) the ap-
propriatiors therefor, (3J the assign
ments of particular activities to par
ticular services or (I the regroup-
ing of services. The results of such
study shall be embodied in a report
or reports to the President. who may
transmit to Congress such report or
reports on any part thereof with his
recommendations on the matters COW
cred thereby"
This section of the budget bill, it is
thought, would make it necessary to
reassign the functions of the Civil
Service Commission with respect to
reclaSSificatiOn. the commission shar-
ing responsibilities with the budget
bureau upon a plan which requires
very careful working out.
Step Toward Reclassificatfon.
'In this section of the budget bill
Congress would seem to have taken
an important step toward the accept
ance Of reclassification," President
Steward declared. This means en-
couragement for US who are urging
reclassification. but it also means that
the work of the reclassi ification com
mission should be made current. and
that we ourselves should know lust
exactly what is best to propose when
we approach Congress in December.
The best thing for us to do is to call
in disintereSted experts on salary
standardization, who from an inde
pendent standpoint will work out the
necessary concrete changes in the
legislation which should be proposed
and be prepared to give their expert
testimony to the committees of House
and Senate"