Evening star., 1933-08-23
FEDERAL WORKERS
HIT U.S.FURL0UGHS
Federation Head Protests
Saturday System in Let
ter to Roosevelt.

A protest against furloughing of
Government employees on Saturday. a
legal half-holiday, and deducting full
days pay therefor, has been made by
Luther c. Steward, president of the
National Federation of Federal En-
ployes, in an open letter to President
Roosevelt.
Steward declared this practice. af-
fecting a large number of employees
here is unfair and contrary to the spirit
of the N. R. A. His letter follows:
We desire respectfully to call to your
attention a direct, specific violation
within the Federal Government. OF the
spirit and principles of the N. R. A.
The presence of this situation not
only works a great hardship upon Fed
eral employees, but places the Federal
Government in wholly anomalous sit
uation with respect to the very program
of economic reconstruction which the
Administration is endeavoring to carry
through to a successful CONCLUSION.
Full Pay Deducted.
Large groups of employees in the
War Department, Navy Department..
Department of Justice. Department OF
Commerce, and elsewhere are being
furlOughed on saturdays anu
dav's pay is being deducted.
N"S 3Tbe injustice of taking away from
en,nloves a full days pay for legally
DESIGNATED four-hour day is obviously
Unfair and equally as OBVIOUSLY is COM
nletelv out of harmony with the "iole
program for economic recovery.
"The highest legal officer IN tile
executive branch. the Attorney General
of the United States. in letter TO tne
controller general on this subject, maoe
the following statement:
Saturday is the most conVenlen'
dav to close our factories. ms, hom
ever. may work harosnlp oh ~
civilian foremen, inspectors anu otii.t i.,s
employees if they must lose d luii o"'
pay. ~ soor, N violate. the
s,irit of the recovery act to limit Work,
ipo hours if the employees we're required
to forfeit a full days pay, When, as q
MATTER of fact, the shops are closeu
only four hours. rocooni- :
zion than this of the manifest unfair
ness of the present policy and its anso,
1llte contravention CT the fundamental
PRINCIPLES underlying the recovery pro-
gram. oo,;oo,
standpoint. Monday would De equaiiy
es convenient for the closing OF estao-
lishments as Saturday. proVloeo suSn
closing is regarded as essential III tne
interest of economy.
"Federal employees have been SUD-
iected to pay cuts ranging from 10 per
cent to 81 per cent including furlougns'
To pile upon this drastic slash a conol-
tion wherein large numbers OF WORKERS
IN addition, are penalized full day
nav when furloughed for a four-hour
dav simply cannot be justified on any
ground save that of legal technlcallty.
Cooperation Seen.
1.-The civilian employees Of the Federal
Government are cooperating whole
heartedly and unselfishly in the recov-
erv program. 1t is highly inconsistent
that the Federal Government itself
should be placed in the position OF
thwarting the sound principles under
which it is working for the common
welfare.
I'VE respectfully request that you dl-
rect the various administrative otf1cerS
of the Government to bring their gen
eral policies into harmony with the
N.R. A. program Specifically, We urge
that YOU request administrative officers
not to impose furloughs on Saturdays.
We are convinced that this action
would have most salutary effect not
only within the Federal service, but in
private business and industry as well.
To the latter, We believe. 1t would
be plain indication of the determina-
ton of the Federal Government to set
its own personnel program in order"