Evening star., 1937-01-07
i. s. PAY BOOST
SOUGHT FOR ALL
PAID UNDER $500
McCarran Would Confine
Legislation to Group in
ML0W" Brackets.
.EMPLOYE SP0KESMEN
AND NEVADAN CONFER
Several Measures May Be Neces.
sary to Accomplish Aims,
Senator Says.
BY J. A. O'LEARY.

Describing the present 81 400 aver
age income of Government employees
as "too low" Senator McCarran, DEM
ocrat, of Nevada, said today his pur-
pose at this session would be to con-
fine pay legislation to those receiving
salaries of less than $4,000 a year.
Following conference this morn
ing with 20 or more spokesmen for
organized groups Of employees, the Ne
vada Senator announced no detailed
plan has been worked out yet, and
that several separate bills probably
will be necessary to bring about equi-
table wage adjustments for various
groups in the government service.
It was agreed. therefore, to have
each group separately to study the
needs of the respective crafts, then
have a general meeting for the pur-
pose Of suggesting the legislation to
be introduced.
1T may require several bills to ac-
complish the result sought" McCar.
ran explained, land the result sought,
so far as am concerned, is to raise
the wage of Federal employees, be-
ginning at the bottom.
Holds Wages Too Low.
"My belief Is that the lowest wage
is too low and out of line with the
American standard of living, and by
raising the lowest, to gradually work
up to the others. the object at this
time being to affect the income of
those receiving less than $780,"
The Senator pointed out that the
bill he introduced late yesterday for
longevity pay increases in the postal
service would accomplish his object
to large extent, in so far as that
branch OF the service is concerned.
However" he added, that does
not accomplish the result Of raising
the lowest salary. which mush be
raised. 1t may be surprising to learn
that the average income in the Gov.
ernment service is sl,400, which Is
not living wage"
Senator McCarran said the prob
lem Of working out the proposed legis-
lation is somewhat complicated be.
cause Of civil service conditions and
classification act requirements, and
that time would be taken to prepare
the proposed bills carefully. He said
he did not believe one bill could be
devised that would adjust the salary
situation equitably for the entire Gov.
eminent service.
Headed by Hussing.
All Of the employe representatives
at today's conference were from or.
ganizations affiliated with the Ameri.
can Federation of Labor They were
headed by William Hussing, chairman
OF joint legislative group Of A. F. Of
L. affiliates Others included John
Fry Of the metal trades group and
Charles I. Stengle, president of the
American Federation of Government
Employees.
Among the hundreds of bills filed in
the Senate late yesterday were the fol-
lowing other measures affecting Gov.
ernment employees: The Logan bill to
extend the civil service law more gen.
orally through the Government serv-
ice; the O'Mahoney bill for extension
OF the civil service to postmasters and
to groups outside the law in permanent
agencies, and the Vandenberg plan for
placing the postal service on a career
basis, by making postal employees eli-
gible for promotion to postmasterships.
The McCarran longevity plan for
postal employees provides for a 500
increase after 10 years of service, and
another s100 raise each fifth year
thereafter until 80 years of service
have been rendered. The measure
would apply to supervisory employees.
special clerks, clerks, laborers, watch
men and messengers in first and sec
and class offices; to the motor
vehicle service; to letter carriers in
the city and village delivery services;
to the railway mail service, rural let
ter carriers and clerks at division
headquarters of post office inspectors.