The Washington times., 1929-01-08
CUT.
BIGGER
RAISES

Several hundred hig h r
paid Government employees
would get salary reductions
under the terms of bill in
troduced in the House this
afternoon by Chairman Lehl-
bach, Of the House Civil Ser
vice Committee, to amend the
Welch salary act.
The bill is designed to cut off
some of the very large increases
given to the higher paid employees
III the professional and clerical
services under the Welch act
Some of the salary reductions
would amount to several hundred
dollars a year.
The bill would also increase the
salary increases of a small portion
of clerks in the lower grades.
Purpose of Bill
The purpose of the Lehlbach
measure is to nullify the decisions
of Comptroller General McCarl,
interpreting the WEIGH law. 1t
would place the higher paid EN-.
ployes back into the grade in which
the Personnel Classification Board
contended they should be placed
under the Welch Act.
Reviews Promotions
The bill authorizes the Personnel
Classification Board to review all
promotions under the Welch Act
of positions which on June 80,
1928, were allocated to grades 4,
5, 6 and Z of the professional and
scientific service, and grades IL,
12, 13 and IA of the clerical, ad.
ministrative and fiscal service.
1t then authorizes the board to
reallocate these employees into the
grades into which it thought they
should have gone under the WEIGH
Act.
This means that many employees
now in grades 5 and II will go
back into grades 4 and IL If the
Lehlbach bill is enacted
1t also means that employees in
the higher grades of these two
services who received promotions
of more than one grade under the
Welch act, would he denoted a
grade. The bill makes it mandatory
upon the board to put these en-
ployees back.
Cut For Some
TIE practical effect of all this
will be that many employees who
were in grade 4, for instance. be-
fore the Welch bill was enacted at
salary of $500 and were pro.
noted to $4,000 will now go back
into grade at $4,000.
These employees would not go
back under the, Lehlbach bill to
their original salary level. because
the bill provides that if the board
reallocates positions downward 1t
shall place them in the maximum
salary level of the lower grade.
The Lehlbach bill would provide
new formula to substitute for
Comptroller General McCarls to
fix the relative positions under the
Welch act of employees in the
lower grades where there are less
salary levels under the Welch Act
than there were before.
For instance, where there were
seven pay levels, under the old law,
and six in the Welch act, McCarl
decided that those in the lower
three should get two increases and
those in the upper four should get
one.
Two Increases
Under Lehlbach's theory, those
in the lower four would get two
increases and only those in the
upper three would get one.
Therefore. employees who were in
the middle level of the seven-salary
rate would get two increases under
the Lehlbach bill, whereas they
only got one under McCarl's ruling.
The Lehlbach bill specifically
provides for the retroactive pay
ment of salary increases from July
l to those employees of the Govern.
ment who did not get their salary
Increases under the Welch law
until August, September, or
october. This provision particularly
applies to employees in the Navy
Department and the Veterans Bu-
reau.
Another section of the Lehlbach
Dill provides that field service en-
pioyes who did not get salary in
creases under the Welch act shall
get them now whether their COM
pehsat1on Is by year. by month. by
aay' oy hour. or on a piece.work