Evening star., 1939-04-05
SupportGrow
For Separate
Appeals Board
Geological Survey
Witnesses to Tell Of
Pay Discrimination

Pay Discrimination
Increasing support for an indie
pendent board of appeals to hea"
Government employe grievances wa
evident today as the special Senau
committee investigating employ
ment practices in the Federal bu~
reaus continued its opening hear
ings.
Still to be heard in the presen'
phase of the inquiry are witnesse.
from the Geological Survey to tes-
tify concerning salary discrimina-
tions and spokesmen for the Gov,
ernment employe unions.
Specific Endorsement for such =
board as has been suggested b.
Chairman Ellender, Democrat, o.
Louisiana, was voiced before tn,
committee yesterday afternoon b,
R. j. Abbaticho, attorney at tn,
Veterans Bureau, during two hour
of testimony in which he complaine,
of harassment and lack of apprecia
ton for his work at the bureau.
Under the present setup any on
who complains against his superio
officsr in Government bureau
should have his head examined.
Mr.. Abbaticho said. Hes only cut.
ting his own throat. He only hurt
himself whether he is right o.
wrong"
Critiziced for a Good Job.
The attorney said his first grie
at the bureau came in 1880 or 193
when he was removed from tryin'
insurance cases for the agency be
cause somebody else, "a lady" want
ed his job. And in 1888, he con
tinued, he was detached from tn
Insurance Claims Council and as
signed to the Pension Bureau to d.
clerical work although he was draw.
ing a salary of $4,000. The china.
OF this latter experience came in tn,
spring of 1884. he said, when he was
! assigned with others to job of re-
vising the filing system.
Il decided that was too much ant
| just walked out" he told the COM
mittee, explaining that he protested
I to the personnel Office as he left
He was soon recalled, he added. anc
| returned to the Insurance Claim
Council.
/ Shortly afterward, he continued
he was assigned to special hear
/ ing by Brig Gen. Frank T. Hines
| head Of the Bureau, spending nine
months on this task and receiving
the written commentator of Gen.
Hines at its conclusion. Despite
this, he said, he was given a rating
OF only good by his immediate
superiors and was criticized verbally
by them for leaving his regular
work to do the special task.
My impression was that every
body was sore at me because I had
done job successfully" he told the
committee.
II Women Tell of Discrimination.
Earlier in the afternoon the COM
nittee received testimony from II
/ women employees at the Securities
/ and Exchange Commission, several
complaining Of discrimination and
! inability to gain recognition despite
long and satisfactory records in
Government service and with the
/ S. E. G.
Francis P. Brassor, personnel di-
rector, told the committee that one
of the complainants, Miss Flora O..
Faulkner, once had rejected a pro-
ferred salary increase and on an
other occasion had slapped the face
of her supervisor. Although Miss
Faulkner insisted these incidents
were irrelevant to her complaint
OF non-recognition, the personnel
chief contended they were the rea-
sons why she had not received in
creases on at least two occasions.
Catherine c. Bruckner and Amor
cite w. Bledsoe were others charging
that they had been passed over when
promotions and raises were given
out. Miss Bruckner's record shows
her salary to have moved from 81 ,44O
in 1881 to S1.740 at present, while
that of Miss Bledsoe has advanced
from s1,440 IN 1885 to ST 920 at pres
ent.
Chairman ElIender cited by con-
trast the record of Miss Margaret
M. Gertt, who started with the COM
mission in October, 1885, at 81 LAO
and is now drawing $4,000 as secre-
tary to Commissioner Eicher, and
the record of Miss Margaret L. Bur-
ton. who started in April, 1885. at
ST, ,440 and is now receiving 50 400 as
an administrative assistant.
Seniority Held Small Factor.
Among those who insisted they
had no complaint as personnel pol
lcies of the Government were Mrs.
Beatrice C. Stringham, Miss Jean
McKinnon, Miss Grace G. Clawson.
Miss Hilda B. Darnall, Miss Alice E.
Getty and Miss Agnes r. Hill, all of
whom are at the S. E. c.
Miss Darnall, for instance, now
receiving S1,740 yearly after 16 years
in Government service, told the COM
mittee:
Il wouldn't be willing for the sake
of a higher grade to feel I couldn't
leave the office before 6 o'clock every
night. like the people I am work.
ing for and I am perfectly satis-
fed"
Mr.. Brassor had reminded the COM
mittee that girls serving in the
higher pay brackets usually had to
work under greater pressure and
longer hours than those now COM
planning. AS he explained that
seniority is only one of many ele-
ments considered in the promotion
of employees, Senator Ellender re-
marked:
"Yes, and it is an element that
apparently stands far down the
ladder. That is a condition that is
bound to break the hearts of many
and destroy the morale of the civil
| service"