Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-18
Petition Says No Promotions
Are Provided and Employees
Would Have No Redress.
DISAPPOINTMENT SEEN
OVER LACK OF RELIEF
Six Hundred Signatures Obtained
by Noon to Protests to Be
Sent to Congress.

A concerted attack against passage of
the Lehlbach bill is under way in the
Navy Department today with the cir
culation Of petition among the 1900
civilian employees. The petition will be
laid before the civil service committees
of the Senate and House.
Basing their opposition to the meas
ure on the ground that it docs not pro-
mote a single employe, while it places
all employees at the mercy of the Per-
sonnet Classification Board, with no op-
portunity for redress against unjust and
arbitrary action by that board" the
Navy Department employees at noon to-
day had secured the signatures of some
600 employees to the petition, with as
would sign before the petition Is sent to
Congress. Enactment of the Brookhart
bill is advocated.
Disappointment Of Employees.
Clyde Reed, special assistant to Rear
Admiral G. Morris, paymaSter general
OF the Navy, in commenting on the pc
tition today. said:
THE civilian employees of the Navy
Department are bitterly disappointed
over the failure of the House civil serv-
ice committee to report out legislation
correcting the inequalities resulting
from the provisions of the WEIGH bill.
It Is pointed out by these employees that
the bill as reported out by the commit
tee does not promote single employe,
while 1t puts all employees at the mercy
Of the Personnel Classification Board,
with no opportunity for redress against
unjust and arbitrary action by that
board.
These employees are, therefore, cir
culating petition to the civil service
committees of the House and Senate
protesting against enactment of the
Lehlbach bill as reported by the House
civil service committee and urging aboli-
ton of the Personnel Classification
Board, with the transfer of its duties
to the Civil Service Commission and a
board of civil service appeals. as well
as the enactment of a law that will
provide for an adjustment of the COM
pensation of the employees in the lower
grades, SO that all employees in any one
grade VIII have received equal pro-
motions
Wishes Of Rank and File
Employees of the department made
the charge that the officers of the Ma
tional Federation of Federal Employees
are running counter to the wishes of
the rank and file of its members and
to prove their point, asserted that the
petition is being signed by members
OF the federation. They declared that
the federation's program as officially
adopted and used in campaign litera-
ture to secure additional members cd
vocateS the abolition of the Personnel
Classification Board. The Lehlbach bill,
they declared, accomplishes exactly TIE
opposite to this, giving to the board
even more power.
The Brookhart bill provides for I'M
mediate promotion of 1859 persons in
the District of Columbia at an annual
cost OF 1851 300 and total estimated
number OF 1881 at an annual cost of
$2,873,000 in the Federal service as a
whole, Navy Department employees said.
while the Lehlbach bill provides for i'm
mediate demotion for some and holds
out possible promotion for others in
the future.
Chief clerks and technicians, as well
as the rank and file in the Navy De-
partment, are signing the petition its
sponsors asserted. There is a move
afoot to have a similar petition circu-
lated among employees of the Shipping
Board, it was said, employees adding that
workers in the Veterans Bureau some
months ago circulated petition oppos-
ing the Lehlbach bill.
Wording Of Petition.
The Navy Department petition, which
was started last Thursday afternoon,
reads as follows:
Whereas: The employees of the Navy
Department do not feel that the best
interests of the Federal Government
and OF its civilian employees would be
served by giving to the Personnel
Classification Board as now established
the powers attempted to be granted by
the pending Lehlbach bill III. r.
No. 16643);
Whereas: 1t is believed such inter-
ests would be better served by the
transfer OF the duties of the Personnel
ClaSSlf1cation Board to the Civil Serv-
ice Commission if coupled with the
establishment of an independent board
to be appointed by the President, by
and with the advice and consent of the
Senate to which all matters in dispute
may be appealed by the head of any
executive department or independent
establishment by the classifying agency,
or by the employe; and,
whereas: House bill, No l6643, does
not include the foregoing suggested pro-
lection OF the interests of the Govern
ment and of the employees. nor re-
quired any increase of compensation
for any employees;
THE undersigned employees of the
Navy Department through the Secre-
tary of the Navy respectfully petition
the committees on civil service In the
United States and the House of Repre-
Sentatives to recommend to the Congress
the enactment of legislation which will
not only embody the provisions herein
before stated. but will provide for an
adjustment of compensation Of the
employees in the lower grades, so that
all employees in any one grade will have