The Washington times., 1935-11-08
SPEED-UP PLAN
EHITBY POSTAL
EMPLOYEES
By ]. EARLE MOSER

Association have announced q |
drive for elimination OF the
"unit" system in the Post Office
Department, said by them to be
merely a "speed-up" device and
totally unfair.
The unit system is explained as
an arbitrary m ct hod whereby |
workers must handle so many |
units per day or suffer demeritS
for falling below. A package Of
letters counts as one unit, for
instance, q sack Of newspapers
counts as three, and so on. The
specific unfairness, it is said, re-
suits from the fact that there Is
no way to decide the size Of
units. q pack Of 10 fat letters
perhaps counting as much as
one Of Is paper-thin ones.
Numbering 10000 m m b e r S,
about 1000 Of them stationed |
here. the association presented its |
argument recently before postal |
officials attending their conven. |
tion, who replied that 1t was
their understanding that they |
were mot to discuss the subject"
UNLESS something is done
about it before the end Of the
year, we plan to carry it directly |
to Congress" q representative OF |
President w. M. Collins said to- |
day.
The organization also plans to |
continue backing H. r. 1888, q |
bill which would provide sick and
annual leave for substitutes and |
advance them q grade after one |
year Of service. In addition,
legislation to place mail clerks in |
buses used for short haul"
work Is to be advocated. When
buses replace branch line trains, |
it is said, mail clerks formerly
employed on the trains will be- |
come surplus" and thrown out |
OF work unless mail buses are
put in service. Also, mail work |
is held UP until bags reach |
branch post offices, it is claimed. |
Like the National Federation |
Of Post Office Clerks and the |
National Association Of Letter |
Carriers, the mail group has
levied on members to form q |
memorial fund for former Repre-
sentative M. clyde Kelly, sponsor
Of much beneficial postal legiSla- |
ton, who died some months ago
in an accident. The fund, total |
ing $25, 900, is to be invested in
securities and will provide 500
monthly to Mrs. Kelly.
Following q series of confer |
enceS with Major George Berry, |
NRA industrial coordinator, and |
L x Martin. administrator, over
the recent NRA wholesale dis
miSSalS and downward salary re- |
visions, the Blue Eagle lodge of |
the A. F. q. E. has issued q |
statement declaring that Off |
cialS Of the agency did not live |
up to pre-cut promises.
The union asserts that Major |
Berry accepted responsibility for |
having held up NRA pay in
creaSes in the so-called "reclaSSi.
fication." having held that since |
so many employees were being |
dismissed 1t would not be exactly |
fair to grant increases at the |
same time.
Administrator Martin, it is as
serted, declared Civil Service |
standards were used for cutting |
pay of guards, Stenographers,
clerks and messengers, yet ad-
mitted that under the actual |
reclaSsification arrived at during |
one stage in the negotiations |
prior to the event at least 70 |
per cent Of the adjustments up
ward would have been made in |
the salary branches below $2,500.
This, the union holds, shows the |
reclaSsification was merely Sc.
we're pay slash"
Control Officer Morris Creditor,
the union report reveals, virtually |
admitted that many pay cuts were |
unjustified and stated that ap- |
proximately 100 of them had been |
rescinded. He stated furthermore |
that appeals of dismissals would |
be considered until the last day |
dismissed employees are officially |
on the pay roll, and that he would |
again notify division chiefs Of |
their obligation in seeing all en-
ployes desiring to appeal their |
dismiSSalS."
Last night the union held its |
second anniversary meeting, with |
beer, coffee, doughnuts and other |
refreshments, and reports Of dele
gates were heard.