Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-08
Stewart Tells Council Raises
viii Fail With Hoover
Proposals Left Out.
$4,000 IN DISTRICT
AMONG 100000 AFFECTED
Saturday Half-HOliday for q. S.
Workers to Receive Attention
in Next Two Days.

Forty-five thousand under-ayerage
pay employees of the Federal Govern
ment in the District Of Columbia will
not receive increases in pay to bring
their average up to the classifications
provided in the present day schedules
u the Wood amendment prevails and
II the recommendation of President
Hoover in the appropriation bills now
under consideration by Congress are
not returned to the measures.
President Luther G. Steward of the
National Federation of Federal EN-
ployes told the executive council of the
federation at its opening meeting to-
day that this large percentage of the
approximately II 900 Federal employees
In the National Capital viii fail to get
the raise due them If the federation
ooes not act at once TO defeat the Wood
amendment.
The main fight of the federation DUR
ing the current session of Congress, he
said, must be toward restoration of the
increases proposed by President Hoover
to bring underaverage employees up to
the pay schedule for the average. This
will be the main topic for consideration
during the three-day meeting of the
executive council, which opened today
100000 in All Affected.
Two hundred thousand underaveraQe
employees throughout the United States
are affected, Mr.. Steward said, of whom
about $4,000 are in the Government
service here. President Hoover's pay
revision program, he said, is the first
attempt since the administration of
woodrow Wilson to revise Federal pay
schedules upward, and has been done
simply out of justice to the employees
In all grades who are receiving less than
the average pay for the grade.
The Hoover increases would boost
the Federal pay roll by $4,264, 900 dur
Ing the fiscal year beginning July l
next, and would be carried out on a
comparable scale during the succeed
ing TWO years, with larger proportionate
total increases scheduled. Congress
has stricken out the proposed increases,
Mr.. Steward told the council, while
Representative Woods amendment
would effectually prevent any increases
Tor more than year by its provision
that no advances in pay would be per-
mitted prior to July l, 1882.
Mr.. Steward pointed to the inequities
under the present underaverage scales,
and said that no attempt is being made
to bring underaverage pay up to aver
age even If the total for group of
employees does not reach the lawful
average for that group.
Half Holiday an Objective.
The council plans during the next
two days to give consideration to the
Saturday half holiday for Government
employees, which it already has indorsed
as part of the move which the fedora
ton hopes will eventually result in a
f1ve-day week for Government workers
IF the Government does not hurry"
Mr.. Steward told the council, sit win
be conspicuous as one of the great en-
ployers who do not sponsor the i've
day week."
The council has Just wound I'D a
membership campaign, in which prizes
were given those local unions which
showed the largest increase in member
ship, and special prizes were given the
Washington locals.
The drive was conducted under the
direction Of Miss Gertrude McNally,
secretary of the federation,
and resulted in the addition Of 1886
members scattered over the world. First
prize for the Washington unions was
awarded to Mrs. M. Dorothy Dick of
the Interior Department, member Of
Local Union, No. 2. Second prize went
to Mrs. Jennie A. Thompson Of the
State Department, q member Of the
same union. Third prize was awarded
to Mrs. A. N. Kilmartin of War De-
partment Local, No. 261, and fourth
prize went to Marguerite e. Robbins of
the Treasury Department Local, No. 262.
Council members attended the meet
ing last night at ITO Fourteenth street
of the District Federation Of Federal
Employees Unions.