Evening star., 1936-08-31
NON-C|V|L SERVICE
employees UNION
IS URGED BY SHAW
New Organization to Fight
for Retirement and Other
Benefits Asked.
UNCLASSIFIED WORKERS
SEE NO HOPE IN A. F. G. E.
That Unit Never Has Sponsored
Measures for Their Benefit,
Organizer Asserts.

Immediate organization OF a new
protective association of non-civil serv-
ice employees in the Government to
fight for Federal unemployment in
surance and retirement benefits was
called for today by John Arthur Shaw,
organizer and first president of the
American Federation of Government
Employees.
Shaw called on Federal employees in
the unclassified service. and particu-
larly those in the o-called emergency
bureaus" to form a new organization
or union to undertake legislative pro-
gram for presentation to Congress this
Winter. In his appeal, he character
lied the non-civil service employe as
"the forgotten man Of Government
personnel"
While Shaw was calling for the
creation of the new union, Justice
James M. Proctor, in District Court,
postponed until Wednesday a hearing
on an appeal by Justice Department
Lodge of the A. F. G. E. for an in
junction against the Executive Coun-
Gil of the federation to prevent suspen-
sion Of the lodge from the organiza-
ton.
The Justice Lodge was suspended by
the Executive Council after picketing
the Justice Department in protest
against suspension of members Of the
lodge by the Federal Bureau Of Investi-
cation.
Retirement Provision Wanted.
Shaw expressed the opinion nom
civil service employees "are as much
entitled to retirement for disability
and age as are the civil service en-
ployes and the members of the mill
tary forces of the United States" and
called on them to organize to fight for
these privileges.
"I believe" he said, that the man
without civil service protection is en-
titled to the same consideration given
to other Government employees. I do
not, however. believe that he will OBJ
tain it until he has his own organiza-
ton to fight for it. Therefore, my
suggestion is that this organization,
without paid officers, be organized i'm
mediately, in order that 1t may be in
position to petition the next Con-
gress relative to these matters"
Shaw was elected president of the
A. F. G. E. in October, 1892, while
serving as director of the Veterans
Employment Service Of the Labor De-
partment. He also acted as chairman
of the committee which organized the
A. F. G. E. as a union of the Ameri-
can Federation Of Labor.
Sees No Consideration.
In statement today, Shaw said:
1T has long been my opinion that
the needs Of the noncivil service en-
ployes of the United States Govern
ment are so far removed from the
sympathetic attention of the civil
service employees that it would be i'm
possible for the former to expect any
consideration from the latter in pro-
tecting their jobs or obtaining any
other sort of beneficial legislation.
This feeling has been added to by
the fact that, although many thou
sand emergency employees are mem
bers Of the A. F. G. E., not one piece
Of legislation Of special benefit to
these employees has ever been pressed
by that organization. Then, during
the past few months, open animosity
has been shown by the civil service
groups controlling the A. F. G. E. by
their statements, in which they have
indicated that the so-called New Deal
lodges were in league with the Com
munistic party and seeking to sell the
A. F. G. e. down the river to the
Soviet"
Shaw said he did not criticize the
A. F. G. E. for this attitude, but felt
that the time has come when the
non-civil service employees must Or
ganize their own union or association
if their battles are to be fought" at
the Capitol.
Hits Early Civil Examinations.
"In my opinion" Shaw said, "the
non-civil service employees obtained
by the A. A. A., N. r. A., p. w. A.
and other New Deal bureaus are at
least as qualified for their jobs as are
those who obtained civil service status
by passing grammar school (first.
grade) examination during the years
that saw Government jobs seeking
the man and woman
Therefore, I believe that persons
who have served year in q non-civil
service capacity have shown their abil-
ity to a greater extent than those who
passed the aforesaid examinations and
that the former should obtain civil
service status by the passing Of a
non competitive examination"
Non-civil service employees, Shaw
said, subject as they are to sudden
unemployment through no fault Of
their own, should, by law, be entitled
to job insurance of one months pay
for each year Of service, when and n
they are discharged through no fault
of their own"
Shaw withdrew from active partici-
patton in the A. F. G. e. after COM
pleting his organization activities and
serving as president during the period
Of its early growth.
Few Held Active In Politics.
He said he has found that few per-
sons appointed to non-civil service
posts are active in politics and that
he is convinced that they "are Of at
least as high q caliber as those in the
civil service"
"For instance" he said, Gin one
group of eight assistant statistical
clerks in the Public Works Admins
tration, three are graduate engineers,
one is lawyer, one a bachelor of for
eign service, one an A. B. and another
q bachelor of commercial science.
Does any one think that these boys
could not pass first-grade civil serv-
ice examination, which comprises only
grammar school subjects?"
He pointed out that some o3 tbs