Evening star., 1941-12-12
$1,000 Minimum
U. 5. Pay Bill
Offered House
21,500 Here Would
Get Increases
Under Proposal
By WILL p. KENNEDY.

APPROXIMATELY lSS,oou Touoioi
employees, including about 2l,5OO
in Washington, would be affected
bv a bill introduced in the House
TODAY to provide minimum salary
of 81 200 per year for full-time adult
EMPLOYMENT in the Federal service
and making corresponding increases
in the subprofessional and custodial
services.
The bill, offered by Chairman
Ramspeck of the House Civil Serv-
ice Committee, also would change
the number of grades for top ad-
ministrative and technical positions.
The measure is offered as an
amendment to the Classification
Act.
Chairman Ramspeck explained
the bill had been drafted to correct
a number of serious claSslhcatlon
and pay inequities which nave De-
come acute because of labor short
ages resulting from the defense
program. In general, he SAID tile
rates of pay for the type OF WORK
covered by positions in the CUSTODIAN
service have been relatively lower
than the paw scales for clerical and
professional work.
Under Prevailing Rates.
The paw rates for journeyman me-
chanics have become seriously Out
of line with prevailing wage rates
for similar work in private industry
and Government manufacturing eS-
tablishments.
He emphasized that one reason
for introducing the bill at this time
is the difficulty in recruiting and
retaining qualified guards for oe-
fense establishments. The Navy
Department is reported to be vltaily
interested in the establishment OF
$1,000 minimum rate for guards.
Chairman Ramspeck explained
that this bill is not offered as gen.
eral wage increase bill made neces-
sary by changes in the cost OF nVlng.
There have been repeated previous
attempts to correct the pay IN
equities of specific groups OF en-
ployes, he pointed out, but such
attempts have either usually failed
of passage or have been disapproved
by the President because they would
have resulted in further lnequltles
in the pay rates for various occu-
pational groups.
Today's bill is to be considered,
he said, as consistent revision OF the
basic pay rates of the classification
act. 1t has the approval OF the
Civil Service Commission and the
Bureau of the Budget.
Permanent Adjustment.
Mr.. Ramspeck insisted that this
measure is not to give Federal en-
ployes a temporary cost of living |
bonus but as permanent adjust
ment In classification and basic pay
rates.
Chairman Ramspeck disclosed
that the Budget Bureau is studying
changes in the cost of living and
the effect upon Federal salaries.
However. no decision will be reached
until after Congress has determined
the national policy regarding price
control.
Hearings on this measure will be
held at an early date before the
House Civil Service Committee.
For crafts, protective and custo-
dial services, the rates of pay are
increased from minimumS of $500
and S840 to $720 and $3.50, or an in
crease of $l20. The proposed in
ereases in these services range from
Sl2O to 5000. The 5000 increases are
for those now receiving from $4,000
to $4,000 An increase OF $3.50 is
provided for those now having sal
aries from 81 300 to $4,000.
For professional service, those
now receiving $1,000 to $l,3S0 could
have a step-up of $50, while those
now receiving 1850 to 81 500 would
receive an increase of $50.
In the professional and scientific
and clerical, administrative and
fiscal services those now between
$500 and $6,400 would receive a
5000 increase, and those graded be-
tween s6,500 and $500 would receive
a $500 increase.
Service Renamed.
Mr.. RamSpeck explained that the
bill provides for changing the name
of the custodial service to the
crafts, protective and custodial
service" as indicating more accur-
ately the type of positions. This
places proper emphasis on the large
number of positions for skilled
tradesmen and mechanics and for
guards and other protective types
of positions heretofore designated as
part of the custodial service.
The bill redef1nes the grades at
the top of the professional and of
services and alters pay rates of
these grades so that there will be
five levels of positions between the
salary rates of $5, 400 and $4,000.
The Civil Service Commission
would be given authority in this bill
to allocate the most administrative
positions to the SO, 9,000-S 900 grade
in accordance with the same pro-
cedure as controls ALLEGATION of all
other positions under the Classifica-
tion Act.
The increase from four to five in
the number of grades above SIS 400
closes the gaps between the salary
ranges for those grades under the
present pay scales and permits a
more accurate recognition of the
different levels of responsibility