Evening star., 1923-11-15
CLASSIFYING RATES
REMAIN THE SAME
S. 900 U. S. and District En-
pIoyes Unaffected by Re-
ported Change.
BY WILL p. KENNEDY.

Nearly $1,000 employees OF the fed
eral and District government in
Washington, who are covered by the
reclassification act, were thrown into
"a stew" today by published reports
to the effect that vote Of the per-
sonnel classified ton board, taken yes
terday. scraps the Sterling-Lehlbach
reclassification act and substitutes the
provisions of the Wood-Smoot bill,
which Congress rejected.
This report was branded today as
erroneous as we'll as an attack on
those In charge Of the administration
of the reclassification act.
The action taken by the personnel
classification board yesterday In send
ing a letter to the heads Of depart
ments and Independent establish
ments having field services has to do
only with the grading of field service
employees. 1t does not affect In the
slightest degree the more than $4,000
federal and District government en-
ployes here in Washington. Their
schedules are contained In the act IT
self.
Interested parties. including gov
ernment officials and leaders in both
branches of Congress. have for
months been endeavoring to have the
field services reclassifed and the ap-
praised salaries carried in the budget
which will go to Congress in cou-
pie of weeks Brig. Gen. Herbert M
Lord. director of the budget. has de-
cided that this shall not be done. so
that the field workers, about 125.0o0
of whom would come under reclassi-
fication, are not going to have reclas-
sified salaries carried in the, budget
this year when 1t is sent to Congress.
Asks Tentative ALLEGATIONS.
In the hurry of those interested to
get the field service classified in time
for the budget, the personnel classi-
fication board some months ago called
upon the administrative officials to
make tentative ALLEGATIONS Of the field
forces for the purposes Of estimates
for salaries. Now that these tenta-
tive-and in many instances incor-
rect and unjust-allocations have
have been cast aside. the personnel
classification board. in the circular
letter to the department heads and
officials .a In I'm independent establish
field forces, using salary schedules
comparable with those used In allo-
eating the more than $4,000 employees
in the District. both federal and
municipal employees, as the act spe-
cifically requires.
These schedules are in reality the
old bureau Of efficiency schedules
worked over in accordance with the
reclassiflcation rates set up in the re-
ella lassification act. The Sterling -Lehl-
than the Wood-Smoot bill was never
enacted into law. The reclassifica-
ton act Is a compromise. and the
rates of compensation it carries were
- ~,
those originally worked out by the
bureau of efficiency. So that the
salary schedules under which govern
ment employees are being reclassified d
are the old bureau of efficiency rates
revised so as to conform with the
rates In the reclassification act, and
on these the administrative officers
are now asked to allocate the field
forces. The law provides that the
bureau of efficiency schedules shall be
Pay Based ON Duties.
These schedules Of job specifications
and rates of pay are based on the du-
ties and responsibilities OF the Job and
the ability of the person employed
contrary to the published statements
With respect to the f1eld services
the personnel classification board is
directed by the act to make a survey
of the field forces and to report with
recommendations to Congress a sched-
ule of grades, comparable, as far as
practicable, with the schedules car
ried in the act for the employees In
the National Capital. 1t is to get In
formation on which to base the draft
ing Of such schedule OF grades and
recommendations to Congress that the
1t- Loo ho fn
departmental officials.
Having been led to believe that the
personnel classification board has
scrapped the reclassification sched-
ules provided in the act, Luther g
Steward, president of the National
once issued a call for a mass meet
ing of government workers. in the
auditorium of Central High School mex
Tuesday evening.
Bailey Refuses Statement.
F. J. Bailey. chairman Of the per.
sonnel classification board, as alter.
nate for Brig. Gen. Lord. director OF
the budget, refused today to make
any statement regarding the misinter'
probation of the circular letter TO the
department officials.
Gen. Lord said he knew nothing te
say about it and that Mr.. Bailey wa.
free to discuss the situation or tc
preserve silence as he might see fit
The facts. as stated above. were con.
armed, however, by officials in close
touch with the work of the personne.
classification board. 80
Having been informed that the per.
sonneI classification board is at
tempting to nullify the reclassifica-
tioIi act" the executive council of the
National Federation of Federal En-
pioyes will meet here beginning Mon.
day to consider the whole problem.