Evening star., 1923-10-18
CLASSIFYING WOES
LAID TO SECTION G
Students of Act AIIege
Jumpy Scale Rather Than
Gradual Increases.

MUCH of the dissatisfaction among
government employees over reclassi-
fication ALLEGATIONS, which are now
being made public by the personnel
classification board, is traceable to
section 6 of the act. The require
ments of that section have created
a. situation which has provoked dis
gruntlement.
Redistribution. by provisions writ
ten into the act, has put the salaries
of government workers on a flight
Of stairs, instead of=on.. an inclined
plane. These steps make the salary
ALLEGATIONS junlpy instead Of grad
ual upgrade as the administrative
officers Of the government have
worked them out during many years
of experience.
The ALLEGATION directions in the
act have created a situation where
the upper and middle grades of work
ers in any class of employment find
themselves carrying along the less
efficient workers at the same salary
They find they have to climb a high
step to better their own salaries and
pull away from the less proficient
and efficient fellow worker In the
same grade.
Change in the law to remedy this
condition and to remove the cause
for much dissatisfaction will be
urged in the incoming Congress by
those who are in closest touch with
the reclassification processes. They
are prepared to argue that the con-
tinuance of such a situation will
break down the morale by killing of
the incentive to win better salaries
by superior work.
Response by Students.
To those who argue that these
people, all having been placed in the
same grade, the intent of reciasst'
fcation requires that their salaries
should be equalized. the response OF
those who have studied the real sit
uatioa most closely and from ais
interested viewpoint looking only tc
doing justice to those who are really
doing the governments work EN-
GENTLY. is:
The act itself provides a range 0,
salaries (say in grade two, from
ss,4o0 to $4,000 so that the act clear
ly contemplates that the employees
shall be distributed over that salary
range; but section prevents pro
portionate advancement of those who
are now at or above the minimum tc
the higher rates in the grade.
Section provides that in determin'
ing the compensation to be establish
ed initially for the several employees
the following rules shall govern:
1. In computing the existing com
pensation of an employe. any bonus
which the employe receives shall be
included.
2. If the employe is receiving com.
pensation less than the minimum rate
of the grade or class thereof in which
his duties fall, the compensation shall
be increased to that minimum rate.
8. If the employe is receiving com.
pensation within the range of salary
prescribed for the appropriate grade
at one of the rates fixed therein, nc
change shall be made in the existing
compensation.
f. If the employe is receiving com.
pensation within the range of salary
prescribed for. the appropriate grade
but not at one of the rates fixed
therein, the compensation shall be in.
creased to the next higher rate.
5. If the employe is not a veteran
of the civil war, or a widow of such
veteran, and is receiving compensa.
tion in excess of the range of salary
prescribed for the appropriate grade
the compensation shall be reduced tc
the rate within the grade nearest the
present compensation.
6. All new appointments shall be
made at the minimum rate of the
appropriate grade or class thereof.
To see how this actually works
out, 1t is necessary to take an illus
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