Evening star., 1938-07-20
RAMSPECK MOVES I
FOR L|bERAL|zED
RET|REMENTPLAN
House Civil Service Group
Head Seeks Passage in
Next Congress.
DRAFT OF LEGISLATION
IS NOW BEING PREPARED
Bill Sponsored in Last Session to
Be Changed to Meet
Arguments.
BY WILL p. KENNEDY,

BY WILL p. KENNEDY.
LiberaliSed civil service retirement
legislation that at the same time will
be equitable is being drafted by Chair.
man Ramspeck of the House Civil
Service Committee with the hope Of
getting it passed early in the next ses-
sion Of Congress. He is making his
own survey of the field and is holding
many conferences with representatives
OF various groups of Government en-
ployes and with others who for many
years have been in the Federal service
and among the pioneer advocates Of
the retirement system.
Chairman Ramspeck expects to make
several important changes in his own
bill which he sponsored in the last
session. The principal change is ex-
pected to meet the argument of this
Civil Service Commission during hear
ings on his bill that any retirement
legislation which provides benefits for
one class of employees and which cam
not be enjoyed by all others is not
equitable
Equal Retirement Right Claimed.
Another point. emphasized by John
s. Beach, veteran former chief of the
retirement subdivision, and which the
Civil Snryyina
stressed at the hearings. is that the
Government should have an equal
right with the employees in optional
retirement. Those who have worked
consistently for civil service reform
legislation and the retirement system
for more than quarter of a century
point out that the foundation on which
civil service retirement legislation il
based is that it will benefit the Cow
ernment service generally. Under the
present law the Government pays
more than rs per cent of the cost of
the system and thereby. Mr.. Beach
argues, should have an inaliena ble
right to determine the conditions un-
der which employees may retire. Mr..
Beach. in the campaign for the origi-
nal retirement act, and in its admin
lstration, co-operated with the Joint
Conference on Retirement, of which
Robert H. Alcorn has been legislative
executive for many years.
However. Mr. Beach and other long.
time workers for liberalized retire.
ment law contend that the bill spon-
sored by Senator M M. Neely of West
Virginia, which failed of passage to-
ward the close of the last session.
would have perpetuated rather than
corrected inequities in the present law.
Its primary object was to make re-
tirement optional for certain groups
at an earlier date than provided in
the present law. The law allows re-
tirement of railway mail clerks and
certain groups of mechanics at so
years, for city and rural carriers and
postal clerks at SO, and for depart
mental clerks generally at 68 if they
have had 80 years service. The Neely
bill would have reduced those ages to
So, so and 81 years.
He and Others representing some
workers who have been conferring
with Chairman Ramspeck consider
that the major inequity is the arbi-
trary division of the employees into age
groups. The original act of May %,
1920. divided the employees into three
groups, fixing eligibility for SUPER
annuation retirement at 81, IS and 10
years for the respective groups after
is years service. Chairman Rams
peck's advisers contend that the Neely
bill reducing the age for optional re-
tirement would have emphasized the
inequity.
Some Seek Preferential Rights.
ut is hardly to be expected that a
truly equitable retirement law will
be enacted so long as certain groups
of organized Government employees
seek to secure for themselves prefer.
ential rights and BENEFITS" says Mr..
Beach.
Among the other inequities cited in
the Nicely bill. which the new Rams
peck bill will seek to correct, is a pro-
vision that employees under certain re-
stricted conditions may purchase addi-
tpnal annuities. It is argued that
such provision would inevitably
work to the advantage of certain high
salaried employees. while low-salaried
employees would not be able to take
advantage Of the option for the simple
reason that they cannot afford out
OF their salaries to purchase additional
annuities. This would be especially
true If the rate of contribution is in
creased to 4 per cent.
During the first six months OF the
present year civil service has gained
rapidly in Federal. State and local
| governments. In addition to approxi-
mately 100000 Federal positions that
could be placed in the classified civil
service by President Roosevelt's execu-
tive order, several States provided
merit systems In their welfare and
social security departments and eight
cities installed civil service provisions.
Among the States which have made
a start by setting up partial trial
| systems are Montana, Minnesota and
Louisiana. The eight cities are Lincoln,
Nebr.; Grand Forks and Minot, N. d. !:
Maimi Beach, Fla; Alameda, Hunt
ington Park and Taft. Calf, and
Cheyenne. Wyo. This brings the total
of local governments employing civil
| service up to 85l.