Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-05-13
DISTRICT TO RAISE
PAY OF 1000 PER
DIEM EMPLOYEES
Classification of 5000 Work.
ers In Preparation for In.
crease Is Started.
is CENTS MORE DAILY TO
GO TO UNDER $6.40 CLASS
Scale to Become Effective July 1
Is Comparable With That Fol-
lowed at Navy Yard.

Classification of the Districts 5000
per diem workers was started today in
preparation for a higher salary scale
to be put into effect July l, the be-
| ginning Of the new fiscal year. Nearly
1000 of the 5000 employees will receive
increases under the new scale.
The increase will amount to Is cents
a day for workers now receiving less
than $6.40 day and "a cents for those
paid more than $6.40.
Forms to be used for the wage in
creases have been distributed to all de-
partment heads having per diem work.
ers on their pay rolls by Roland M.
Brennan, chief clerk and personnel cffl-
Ger of the engineering department. The
department heads are instructed to re-
turn these forms, properly filled, by
June !.
Employees Are Classified.
The increase. under an order Of a
wage board, which drew up the new
scale, will be given to the per diem
workers, who at the beginning Of the
new fiscal year have served continuously
for a year or more and whose efficiency
warrants an advance to the next rate OF
their grade.
The per diem employees have been d.
vided into four general classification
mechanic group, labor group, auto driver
group and aide group. Trade foremen,
and mechanics are included in the me-
chanic group. The labor group Is COM
posed of labor foremen, skilled laborers.
watchmen and laborers. In the auto
driver group are heavy and light truck
drivers and passenger car drivers. The
aide group consists Of field and engi-
neering aides.
Since the adoption Of the new wage
venience station employees have been
added to the labor group. As a result
they will be given an increase July ]
from $2.85 to $500 a day.
A board made up Of officials Of the
engineering department Of the District
drew up the new wage scale last Fall
after an exhaustive study Of the whole
wage situation, which involved a COM
parison Of the salary scale Of per diem
workers In the municipal government
with those in force at the Navy Yard
and other Federal Government depart
ments, and a survey of industrial con-
ditions around Washington. The scale
finally adopted, it was said, Is compar-
able to the Navy Yard pay scale.
The last salary increase given the
Districts per diem workers became ef-
fective August /, 1928. theoretically,
this new scale gave the employees a
raise of about per cent. AS mat
ter Of fact, however, the increase did
not work out that way, because the
wage scale adopted at that time fixed
a maximum and minimum salary for
employees Of different classes Of en-
ployes. Departments that were short
of money had a tendency to keep their
employees at the minimum, while the
departments that were a little better
of financially, or were able to adjust
their employment to meet the situation
did more In the way of an increase.
Although the 1881 appropriation bill
as 1t passed the Senate and House does
not carry an item for the salary in
creases, Col. William B. Ladue, Engi-
neer Commissioner, told the House SUBJ
committee on appropriations that most
Of the departments employing per diem
workers would be able to complete the
coming fiscal year without additional
appropriations.
Col. Ladue Explains Action.
Before the Commissioners acted on
secured reports from all departments
as to whether they would be able to
handle 1t with the appropriations they
had, and all Of the departments replied
and they are mostly In the engineer
department Of the Board Of Public We'll
fare-that they would be able to handle
the increases during the fiscal year
1891 without additional appropriations
except the city refuse and water depart
ment, both Of which stated that they
would need additional funds.
THE report Of the wage board was
approved and adopted by the Commits
sioners, subject, Of course, to the de-
partments being able to take care of
the increase. If they are not able to
take care of the increase, either we
must get additional money one way or
another or the force must be reduced
IN order to pay fewer men higher rates,
or the amount Of work done must be
somewhat reduced. which would amount
to the same thing"