Evening star., 1937-02-16
'CARRAN SEEKS .
EARLY YHEAR|NCON
REVISED PAY BILL
Changes Measure to Make
Efficiency Rating System
More Specific.
OBJECTS TO REQUEST
ACTION BE DEFERRED
Does Not Believe Committee Work
Would Interfere With
Federal Survey. =.
BY ]. A. OLEARY.

Having revised his Government
pay increase bill to make the proposed
new system of efficiency rating more
specific and to iron out rough spots in
the first draft, Senator McCarran
Democrat. of Nevada plans to confer
today with Chairman Bulow of the
Civil Service Committee on the possi-
bility of holding hearings at an early
date.
Although the Budget Bureau rec
commended last week that action be
deferred pending an administration
survey of Government personnel prob
lens, Senator McCarran does not;
believe it would interfere with such
survey if the Senate committee
began taking testimony on the details
Of his measure.
Meanwhile, the Senator began work.
ing on the details of a companion
measure to determine the efficiency
of Government appointees by a test
or examination at the end of the first
few years of service.
The details of this bill have not
been completed, and it has not been
decided whether the plan should ap-
ply to experienced employees already
in the service.
AS in the original measure, the re-
viSed bill abolisheS the uniform sys-
tenn of efficiency rating in the classi-
fication act OF 1923 and gives the
Civil Service Commission power to
determine, subject to presidential sp-
proval, the extent to which it is prac-
tical to keep records of individual
efficiency.
Pay Adjustments.
The amended bill Celebrates on this
plan by stipulating that if the COM
| mission decides to establish efficiency
records for positions in which the
work is fairly measurable on quanti-
ty and quality basis, it would DO
mandatory to adjust the pay of such
employees semi-annually in accordance
with the work records. This part Of
the system would be limited, how
ever. to work that is readily measur.
able and not dependent on the opin.
ion of a rating officer
The bill further provides that
where the commission finds it i'm
practicable to maintain service rec
ordS, or to make such records the
sole basis for determining the salary
rate, it would be mandatory to ad-
vance such employees one salary step
within the grade annually until the
maximum of the grade is reached, If
| the head of the department certif1es
the service of the employees warrants
/ the promotion. Senator McCarran
believes this will repeal the so-called
average provision"
Action on Classification Act.
The original classification act con-
! templated systematic promotions
within grades on the basis of eff
cheney ratings. but Congress later
adopted a provision which seeks to
prevent salaries in the classified serv-
ice from going above the average of
the respective grades.
Where it is found practical to use
efficiency records as the basis of pay
/ adjustment the new McCarran bill
would permit reductions when the
efficiency rating goes down as we'll
as increases when it goes up. 1t also
would authorize dismiSSalS if for six
consecutive months an employe fell
below the minimum standard of eff
cheney.
Under the original classification act
efficiency ratings could be made the
basis for decrease or dismissal as we'll
as increase. but the average provi-
sion" subsequently adopted has had
the effect of putting the brakes on
promotions
| Opinion OF Steward.
Luther C. Steward, president Of the
National Federation of Federal En-
ployes, said last night he regarded
the new McCarran bill as an improve
ment over the present law in respect
to promotions on the basis Of eff
cheney ratings.
The only changes made in the sal
ary rates in the revised bill were to
make sure that all employees receiving
not more than $500 a year would
| get some increase. 1t retains the basic
principle of s1.5O0 as a minimum wage
for full-time employment.
|