Evening star., 1920-06-19
PENS|0NDE:DUCT|ON
TO HIT EMPLOYEES
Contribution of21-2 Per Cent
Will Mean Cut in
Pay.

Deduction of 21a per cent of the
salary OF federal employees to meet the
provisions Of the retirement law Ia
held up as another argument for re-
classification of government workers
BY the joint conference on reclassin-
cation.
Deductions of. sum equal to 2k
per cent of each employees basic sal
airy, pay or compensation. who com es
within the provisions Of the civil serv-
DAY Of the third month following the
passage of the act. which was May
~ last, it was pointed out. at meet
ing of the conference last night.
Rrings Home Need.
At that time the Withholding OF
more than 2 per cent of each federal
employees salary will begin to be felt
and will bring home to the workers
of Uncle Sam the real necessity for re-
classification of positions and equi-
table readjustments of salaries to
meet the increased cost of living, il
was declared
THE general interest in the retire
ment law has been such that this ef-
feet of it has been entirely overlook
ed in the public mind" declared Rob
ert J. Quinn of the adjutant general s
office.
But it must be reckoned with even
if the annual sum to be deducted IS
not great. Nevertheless. 212 per cent
is az per cent and in the cases OF
! hundreds of government employees its
withdrawal will be severely felt.
"All government employees are hap
lpy because of the enactment of the
retirement law and will gladly pay
their annual 2s per cent to insure
themselves against penury in their
p,yf n wi n
that to take even that comparatively
small amount out of the salary OF
many of the already too poorly paid
workers will work a great hardship.
This opinion was upheld by other
speakers, the general consensus OF
the conference being that the begin
ming of the monthly retirement de-
ductions from the salaries of the mass
of federal workers here will sharply
accentuate the necessity for proper
reclassification of positions and re-
sultant increases of salaries.
Plans to carry banners urging re-
classification in the Labor day parade
were discussed, and the circulation of
petitions in the departments was
urged. 1t is declared that there would
be no difficulty in securing the sig
natures of practically every one in
tition to Congress urging the imme-
date necessity of reclassification leg
islation.
Blassfngham "key Person.,
key persons" who will act as rep
resentatiyes of the reclassification
conference in the Post Office Depart
ment, War Department and State De-
partment were selected. A feature of
the selections was the choosing of
Stewart E. Blassingham as key
person" in the Post Office Department.
although Mr.. Blassingham was dis
charged recently by the Postmaster
General following the hearing before
the reclassification commission last
December. when Mr.. Blassingham
acted in behalf of workers of the mail
bag repair ship.
Key persons" were elected as fol-
lows: War Department.. NJ. Ken
nedy, H. Wiener, w. T. Pollen, kath-
crime M. Donovan, D. r. Glass r. G.
Boode, Owen Killian, Miss Elizabeth
Edes, S. N. Bernhard and ]. W. Starr.
Post Office Departmental. z. Lind
say. ". D. Br9wn' stswart Ste sse, p, s1ate slas.
V. Coffee and
John T. Coughlin.