The Washington times., 1921-10-25
FIGHT
sREOPENED
[9Y ORDER
Federation Head Objects tc
Giving Unlimited Authority to
Il Efficiency Board.

= The old controversy between Her.
kert d. Brown, chief of the Bureau
u Efficiency and the Federation of
Federal Employees has been re-
opened by President Harding's order,
directing the immediate adoption Of
q efficiency rating for the 6S,170
Federal Employees in Washington.
The Federation of Federal EN-
/ ployes do not take kindly to the
irving Of unlimited authority to
The Bureau Of Efficiency. This
10 . result Of Browns opposi-
ton to Government employees being
affiliated with labor organizations.
Steward Issues Statement.
} In a statement issued today. Luther
Steward. president of the Federation
or Federal Employees. declares that
~the employees experience with the
Bureau Of Efficiency during its nine
years existence has not tended to in
spire confidence In any proposal to
give unlimited authority on person Al
matters to that agency.
, y"From our standpoint" said Stew
ard. '''it Ia particularly important to
bear In mind a statement from the
chief OF the bureau, Herbert d. Brown,
made last March in which he states,
4 do not believe that the affiliation
ef Government employees with labor
organizations must of necessity result
In q reduction of efficiency in the de-
Hartments. I am of the opinion that
such an affiliation has an unfortunate
effect on the morale of the service
I'VE are, therefore, not unnaturaLy
doubtful as to the impartiality of any
agency which is on record with an
~ of ind
said Steward. land inasmuch as prob
ably three-fourths of the employees OF
the United States Government are al
filiated with the American Federation
Of Labor through something like fifty
different trade unions, the suitability
Of the Bureau of Efficiency to pro-
scribe efficiency ratings is likely to
be challenged by a large majority of
somployes.
Backs Efficiency Rating.
''The National Federation Of Fed.
eral Employees has always advocated
Q uniform efficiency rating system
for the Government service. We be-
lieve that such system Is neces-
pary accompaniment to the merit
plan of appointment and promotions.
We, therefore, welcome any step that
will give impetus to such an under
taking. There has been statutory au-
thority for number of years for the
installation, of a system Of uniform
efficiency ratings, and we are glad
that the issuance of the executive
order will at least establish. such
system Of ratings" .....
"It is a matter OF regret, however"
said, Steward, that no provision ap-
pears in the order granting to the
employees the right Of access to their
ratings and the right of appeal from
the ratings of the supervisory Off
GER Any system of efficiency ratings
becomes In the last analysis largely
a matter Of the personal equation, and
our advocacy of the efficiency rating
system Is inseparably coupled with
an insistence upon the right of en-
ployes to have access to their ratings
and the right Of appeal from the
ratings of their supervisory officers.
~ Not a Reclassification.
Section Q OF the order which pre-
scribes that the employees in each
branch of the service shall be classi-
fled according to the character of the
work performed is confusing by its
use of the word classified Unques.
tionably the executive order cannot
supersede the acts of Congress. under
which nearly all the District employees
occupy positions whose compensation
81 fixed by statute. Consequently, the
word classified in the executive order
can mean nothing more than a listing
according to present titles or designa-
fions for the purpose of rating. This
should not be confused with the re-
classification on the basis of duties,
titles and compensation which is advo-
Gated by the National Federation of
rederal Employees, and Is provided for
IN the Lehbach- Sterling reclasslfica-
non bills now pending in Congress"