Evening star., 1920-04-03
M|SSTA7ED FACTS
CHARGED TO CLERK
S. E. BIassingham to An.
swer Allegations in P. o.
Redistribution Testimony.

S. E. Biassingham. law clerk of the
Post Omce Department. has been
served with notice by Inspector w. r.
Spilman to show cause why he should
not be removed from the service or
otherwise disciplined because he
caused to be prepared or prepared"
statements which were presented to
the reclassificat ton commission last
December "a at the hearing of en-
ployes of the mail bag repair shop.
Copies of the charges. and of Mr..
Blassingham's reply to Postmaster
General Burleson. were made public
today by the National Federation Of
Federal Employees. Mr.. Blassingham
Is president of the Post Office Branch
Of Federal Employees Union. No. 2.
The charges have reference to the
hearing. when Mr. Blassingham. as
employees representative on a COM
mittee set up by the commit ission. in
troduced one of the woman employees,
VINO read the written statement which
postmaster General Burleson objects.
Misstnted Facts Charged.
The charges are that Mr.. Blasting
stated certain facts" in that the brief
sbmitted on behalf OF the woman en-
ployes contained the following state
ments
Il. Formerly the women worked
upon the leather bottom bags also.
but this work was taken away from
them and given to the men about the
time the reclassification commission
lQuestionnaries were distributed in the
shop"
- They work in an atmosphere
saturated with dust"
The point at issue with reference to
work upon the leather-bottom bags,
the union officials state, is that for
the leather work men receive higher
pay than the women receive for can
vas work. but when the leather work
or other heavy work. such as the air
mail bags. is done by women, the lat
ter do not receive the mems rate Of
pay.
With reference to this citation in
the charges, Inspector Spilman, states:
The fact is that work upon leather
bottom bags was taken away from
them (the women) eight years ago.
for the reason ii was believed such
work was too heavy for women. and
since that time women have been per-
mftted to work on leather-bottom
bags at infreQuent intervals when
work regularly assigned to them was
low. and the only work of this kind
done by women recently was assigned
TO one of the employees at her own re-
quest"
On the second citation in the
charges that they work in an at
mosphere saturated with DUST" the in
spector says:
Dust cannot be seen floating in
the air. as would be the case If the
dust and while mail pouches and
sacks being repaired become more or
less filled with dust. which Is released
incident to their handling in being
repaired. but not to such an extent
as to saturate the atmosphere in
which the women who repair them
are working"
Complete Statement.
The complete statement in the
women's brief is: ~
They work in an atmosphere sat
urated with dust. the shop being
without fans or ventilators to remove
the dust. The sacks which the wom-
en- handle are full of the dust ac-
cumulated in travel and handling on
the trains and at terminals. and they
are not cleaned in any manner before
coming to the hands of the repairers.
This is true notwithstanding the fact
that the department purchased two
tumbling machines. at $1,000 apiece.
to use In cleaning the bags before
handling. The tumbling machines
have never been used since the pres
ent building has been occupied. The
condition of the bags and the dust
in the air of the shop are a constant
menace to the health OF the workers"
Mr.. Blassingham's reply to Post
master General Burieson Is. in part.
as follows:
MY connection with it (the brieD
was merely that of the representative
of the employees. I understood 1T tc
be my duty Gas employees representa-
tive On the committee acting with
the reclassihcation commission) to
was presented as they saw 1t. Con-
sequently. when employees of the
equipment shop requested a hearing
before the commission / arranged for
It: had them gather together in
meetings and discussed working condi-
tions in the shop with individuals.
both men and women. The brief was
founded upon material obtained in
the manner indicated, and / can
truthfully say that to the best of my
knowledge and belief the facts con-
tanned in the brief we're as accurate
as 1t was humanity possible to have
them.
Dust In Large Quantities.
Concerning the truth Of the state
ments contained in the brief. I refer
you to the transcript of the hearings,
from which you will discover that the
superintendent Of the mail bag repair
shop admitted. practically in it's en-
tirety, the content of the document so
far as the presence Of dust in large
quantities is concerned"
Mr.. Blassingham then quoted from
the hearings statements by Supt. ]. B.
Cady. showing that no bags had been
cleaned In any manner since the pres
ent shop was occupied. a period of
eighteen months. and that when you
repair any bag that has been in the
postal service where 1t is dragged over
ground and filled with CRIME. why no
doubt there Is dust. and the only way
you can correct that would be TO es-
tablish some vacuum system attached
to each machine to carry dust away"