Evening star., 1939-03-10
$1,000 Minimum Paw
Outlook Hopeful,
U.F. ". A. Is Told
Romspeck and Mead
Speak at Legislative
Mass Meeting

Chairman Robert RamSpeck o1
the House Civil Service Committee
last night told legislative mass
meeting of the United Federal
Workers of America that the out
look is hopeful" for passage at this
session of bills for the extension OF
civil service and classification and
establishment Of a $1,000 minimum
wage for Federal workers.
The Georgia Representative, how
ever, warned several hundred en-
ployes, gathered in the Depart
mental Auditorium, not to expect
Congress to appropriate more money
for the retirement plan and not to
be too optimistic about legislation
for the flve-day week and automatic
salary increases.
Regarding the question of mini
mum hours, Senator James M. Mead
of New York. chairman of the Sen
ate Post Office Committee, laugh
ingly told the employees he would
help them to picket the Senate If
that would bring about reduction
of the hours he and his Office assist
ants must put in every week to serve
his millions of constituents in New
York State.
Hopes to Extend System.
Discussing legislation to better the
lot of the Federal worker, Mr.
Ramspeck said, I'VE Democrats
don't know exactly what to expect
of the new members recently sent
to the House. But for my part I
am hopeful that Congress at this
session will approve the bill to ex-
tend the merit system and classifl-
cation. My committee will seek to
make this legislation the first order
Of business"
Mr.. Ramspeck said he would like
to see all Federal employees brought
under the retirement plan and that
the present act should be liberalized
On the other hand, he warned that
the Government is paying some
$86,000,000 annually toward the
most liberal retirement plan in the
world"
The speaker warned his listeners
to "go slow" if they planned to press
for more money for the plan, as this
might force comparison between
its benefits and those of the Social
Security Act for workers in private
employment.
Mr.. Ramspeck agreed that some
legislative provision should be made
to permit Federal employees to appeal
from dismissal orders or other griev-
ances. This is part of the legislative
program urged by the U. F. w. A.
The speaker said that while he
would like to see provision for
automatic pay increases" he
doubted If the legislation could be
passed at this time, in view of the
fact that the Federal pay roll is now
about billion dollars, and Federal
salaries average we'll above those In
private employment.
Shorter Hours Changes Dim.
The employees were told that the
present 39-hour week in Washington
Is not enough work to hurt any
body" and that there is little imme-
date prospect of shortening the
hours.
Senator Mead sketched the history
OF the labor movement and gave
some of his early experiences while
q member Of railroad union In a
day when neither women or office
workers were welcomed into men,
bership.
A protest against balancing the
Federal budget at the cost of cutting
q million citizens from relief rolls
was made by James B. Carey, Sec
retary of the c. I. o.
I'VE read a lot about the hunger
strike Of Gandhi," he said, but in a
Few weeks we may have million of
them on our own doorstep. They tell
us that business confidence will be
restored by balancing the budget in
this way.
Possibly the people who recon-
mend this way of balancing the
budget can tell us how many men a
businessman will have to see starve
to death before his confidence is
restored"
Regarding the Wagner Labor
Relations Act, Mr.. Carey said it is
argued that the law is one sided
since 1t protects only the worker.
WELL he said, there are other
one-slded laws-the game conserva-
ton laws, for example.
Those laws protect only the rab-
bits and birds, and not the hunters.
Have you ever seen a hunter who
needed protection from a rabbit?
Have you ever heard of an employe
firing his boss for joining an organ
tzation of industrialists?"
Other speakers were Eleanor
Nelson, secretary-treasure of the
U. F. w. A., and Jacob Baker, presi-
dent, who presided The audience
which turned out last night COM
fortably filled the big Government
au6iforj,,ro