Evening star., 1935-11-17
LEAVE MEASURES
FOCUS ATTENTION
IN NEXT SESSION
Bills Passed by House Were
on Senate Calendar
at Adjournment.
ONE WOULD RESTORE
U. S. VACATION PERIOD
Other Permits Accumulation OF
Sick Leave Up to 100 Days.
Other Legislation.
BY ]. A. O'LEARY.

Renewed efforts to pass the annual
and sick leave bills in the Senate this
Winter will feature discussion of Gov
ernment employe legislation at the
coming session Of Congress.
Spokesman for Government workers
have a number of other important
questions to bring to the attention OF
the lawmakers, but at the start of
the session, interest will center chief
" in the leave bills because OF the
progress these measures already have
made toward enactment.
The leave bills have passed the
House and were on the Senate calen-
dar when Congress adjourned. One
restores the annual vacation period
from Is to 80 days, as it existed for
many years prior to the economy legis-
lation of few years ago. The other
reduces sick leave from 80 to is days,
with the privilege of accumulating un-
used sick leave up to total OF 120
days. The present law places no
limitation on the accumulation of un-
used annual leave, but the pending bill
limits the accumulation of this leave
to 100 days also.
Both the National Federation OF
Federal Employees and the American
Federation of Government Employees
place the leave measures high on the
list of subjects affecting Government
personnel to be advocated at the ap-
proachinp session
Other Essential Objectives.
Extension of the merit system to
make it as nearly universal as possible,
and liberalization of the retirement
law to give employees the option OF re-
tiring after 80 years Of service, at
lower age limits than is permitted at
present, are other essential objectives
on which various groups Of Govern
ment workers are expected to unite.
In connection with the retirement
law, Robert H. Alcorn, chairman OF
the Joint Conference on Retirement
Of Civil Service Employees, has called
q meeting for November 26 of the
Executive Committee to consider plans
for the coming session. This COM
mittee meeting will be followed early
in December by meeting of the entire
conference.
At present, the age limits for auto
matte retirement are: For clerical and
other departmental employees gener-
ally, 10 years; for lettercarriers and
postal clerks, 65, and for those In
hazardous employment, 62. Existing
law gives each of these groups the
option of retiring two years earlier
than the compulsory age, or at 68, 63
and so.
In prior years bills have been con-
sidered to permit optional retirement
after 80 years service. 1t is possible
some age limit may be coupled with
the 30-year option clause, although
definite plans have not been worked
out. One suggestion being discussed
informally is that after 80 years serv-
ice optional retirement be permitted
at IS for those who go out automatic
ally at 81; at So for those in the o.
year automatic group and at 81 for
those in the 70-year automatic group.
Benefit to Government.
Without discussing what detailed
provisions may be urged, Alcorn ex-
pressed the view yesterday that some
liberalization of the optional feature
of the retirement law would benefit
the Government as well as the en-
ployes.
Other subjects on which bills will
be pending at the coming session are:
To extend to the field service the clas-
sification system by which positions
and salary schedules in the depart
ments in Washington have been gov
erned for number of years and the
bill to establish civil service board
of appeals to adjust disputes affecting
individual employees.
All of these various proposals still
require action by both branches of
Congress except the annual and sick
leave bills. Senator McKellar, DEM
ocrat, of Tennessee took the lead in
preventing Senate action on the leave
bills in the closing days of the last
session, contending they should be
given further study. One Of his OBJ
jections was to the inclusion of GER
tain groups of employees who are on
the five-day week. Since the coming
session will be a part of the same
Congress, the leave bills retain their
place on the Senate calendar. Def
mite plans for resuming their consid-
Grafton in January are awaiting re-
turn early next month of Chairman
Bulow and other members of the
Senate Civil Service Committee.
Merit System Measure.
On the question of extending the
merit system, Senator Logan, Demo-
crat, of Kentucky, had bill reported
favorably to the Senate last Sum-
mer. This measure also met with
opposition dn the floor and was left
on the calendar. The bill sought to
make all positions in the executive
branch Of the Government subject to
the civil service, except such groups
as the President may exempt for a
period of not to exceed four years.
Incumbents of positions that were
filled outside of civil service could ac-
quire q classified status by taking a
non-competitive civil service test. Sen
ator Logan said yesterday he will re-
new his efforts to obtain considera-
ton of the bill, although he indicated
he expects further opposition in the
Senate. In the House, Chairman
sRamspeck of the Civil Service Com
mittee had bill on the same subject,
although differing in details.