Evening star., 1934-09-09
FEDERAL FORCES
PLAN LEGISLATION
New York Session to Have
First Lady as Guest
Speaker Tuesday.
BY JOSEPH A. FOX,
DL JOOL1 III n Il O1k5
STAFF CORRESPONDENT of The Star.

Staf Correspondent of The Star.
NEW YORK, September 8.-Pre-
pared to decide on legislation to be
pushed at the next session of Con-
gress, members of the American Fed
Grafton of Government Employees be-
gan gathering here today for the an
nual convention opening Monday at
the Pennsylvania Hotel.
The session, first to be held outside
of Washington. will be marked by the
appearance of Mrs. Franklin D. Roose-
velt, who will speak at pm. Tues
day. The Presidents wife this after
noon accepted the invitation to be the
guest of the federation.
The program which the convention
is to be asked to adopt, as outlined
in some 80 resolutions already in
hand, includes principally the issues
for which the organized workers have
fought since the passage of the first
economy act, topped by restoration OF
pay and 30-day leave.
Protest Action Desired.
At the same time the federation will
the administration in the past year,
which are viewed as having dealt
blows to merit-systen principles, no
tably:
The "unblanketing" of employees by
executive order, such as has been
done in three groups, and the passage
of legislation requiring several hun
dred former Prohibition Bureau work.
ers with competitive civil service sta
tus to take new examinations to hold
places to which they were named in
the Internal Revenue Bureau on the
ground they were chosen politically u
The resolution of "unblanketing, u
which comes from the Veterans Ad-
)ninistration Lodge in Washington,
mentions no specific cases-the most
recent was at the Veterans Hospital
in Johnson City, Tenn.-but points
out that the practice hits employees
with competitive civil service status
as well as those without in agencies
affected. The lodge also criticizes
blanketing in of political appointeeS.
For Stronger Merit System.
Several collateral resolutions for
strengthening the merit system also
will come up, one urging civil service
for all Government positions that are
not of policy forming nature. A
number of resolutions are in on re-
tirement, including optional retire
ment at 80 years service, mandatory
retirement at "a, unemployment insur-
ance for workers dismissed for other
than disciplinary grounds, who are not
eligible for retirement benefits; mini
mum annuity of 500 monthly, and
permitting employees to make larger
contributions to the retirement fund
to purchase increased annuities.
Repeal of the marital status Law
governing dismissals, and extensions
of the classification act to field en-
ployes other than those in the skilled
trades, are proposals of long stand
ing on which the convention probably
will again take Affirmative action.
Mayor La Guardia of New York
vigorous opponent of economy legiS-
lation while in the House, will greet
the convention Monday. Severa
leaders from the American Fedora
ton of Labor, of which the A. F. G. E
is an affiliate, also are expected. Or
Tuesday a guest with Mrs. Roosevelt
will be Miss Mary Anderson, CHIEF
of the Labor Department Women;
Bureau. The executive council, headed
by E. Claude Babcock, president, met
today. The bulk of the delegates
come tomorrow, when the Washington
group arrives.