Evening star., 1933-05-03
|MANY us. WORKERS
MEETING PAY CUT
|0F e IS PER CENT
Reduction Exists Despite As
surances of IS Per Cent
Limitation.
SITUATION BROUGHT ON
BY M'CARL RULING
Appears Only Act of Congress Can
Straighten the Matter
Out.

Many employees Of the Federal Gov
eminent, under a ruling Of Controller
General McCarl, are today meeting what
amounts to 1913 per cent cut in pay
for the last quarter of the fiscal year
1893.
They are meeting this cut despite the
fact that leaders in Congress. including
Senator Harrison Of Mississippi. gave
assurance during the consideration Of
the new economy act. that no Govern
ment salary was to be cut more than
10 per cent. Budget Director Douglas
gave the same assurance The situa-
ton has been brought about through
a decision of the controller general, and
IL appears that only an act of Congress
can straighten out the matter.
Furloughed Last Year.
Under the economy act of last wear
Government employees were furloughed
without pay to total of "a days. This
was done so as to cut salaries total
OF o7s per cent for the year. Whether
the employees. took leave or not. their
pay was cut under this law two days
month.
A considerable number of Govern
ment employees took the full "a days
1urlough without pay during last Sum-
mer, when work was slack They were
compelled to take a deduction from
their pay at that time of the full "A
days pay, or that part of it which had
not been deducted in earlier months.
They had, therefore, met the entire re-
duction for the fiscal year ending next
June 80 Of 1-3 per cent.
When the new economy act went into
effect April l, as it relates to the pay
OF the Government employees, under a
ruling of the Comptroller General.
had deducted from their pay the fun
"a days, or 8 1-3 per cent, for the
months April, May and June, were
compelled also to take the full Is per
cent new cut in pay Either in the
earlier months these employees had
taken cut in excess of the provision
in the economy act of 1882, or they
are taking cut of % 1-3 per cent
during the last quarter Of the present
fiscal year. There is no other answer
to the question If wages and pay are
the real consideration.
Reply Of McCarl.
The controller general. replying under
date of April IL, 1888, to letter from
the Federal Trade Commission raising
the question, said, in part:
The alleged injustice to employees
who have taken all Of their legislative
furlough prior to April !, 1893, is not
real, such employees having had the ad-
vantage Of the time of while other en-
ployes have worked. To make any such
adjustment as is now contended for
would be tantamount to paying the
employe for period between June 80,
1882, and April /, 1888. during which
ne was ahse-it from duty and rendering
no service to the Government Clearly,
that IS not authorized under the law.
THE act of March 20, 1898; discon-
tinued the legislative furlough and pro-
vided for percentage reduction eff
ftctive April /, 1888, applicable alike to
all without reference to the time absent
on legislative furlough or otherwise
prior thereto
/ Employees who are suffering the cut
of 8ls per cent due to the legislative
furlough and have added to it the Is
per cent cut under the new economy
act during the present quarter of the
fiscal year contend that Mr.. McCarl's
argument relating to absence from work
is entirely beyond the mark-since the
furlough was intended strictly as a pay
cut.
Furthermore, Mr.. McCarl has by his
rulings permitted to those Government
employees who had had deducted from
their pay in excess of 18 days, although
they had not actually taken the addi-
tional days Of furlough, refunds so that
they are not to meet the 23Es per cent
cut.
Confusion Arises.
Attention is called to the fact that
when the economy act of 1882 went
into effect last July / a situation of
considerable confusion arose. Under the
heretofore existing law employees had
been allowed 80 days annual leave
with pay, and under uniform rules of
procedure adopted by all departments
they had been allowed to take it in any
way that would suit the convenience Of
their department and Of themselves.
Many OF such employees had taken 80
days annual leave without pay during
the six months of the calendar year
1882 ending June 80, 1882. Others had
taken no leave whatever and Others
had taken part Of their 80 days annual
leave. The controller general ruled as
to those employees that it made no diff
ference whether they had taken all or
part Of their 80 days and, in view of
the procedure and uniform practice of
the several departments, 1t is held that
his decision was correct. His present
decision. on the other hand, is held en-
tirely at variance with that decision. It
ignores the fact that the purpose and
intent Of the economy act was to re-
duce the pay OF employees 81, per cent
regardless of whether thew had opv