Evening star., 1942-12-02
Details Of Bill
Raising U. S.Pay
20% Revealed
All Efforts PIonned
For Passage Before
End of Session
BY ]. A. O'LEARY,

BY J. A. OLEARY.
The text of the compromise war
time pay bill to give Government
employees straight 20 per cent raise
for possible 48-hour week, in
stead of time and a half for work
in excess of 40 hours, was made pub
lie today by Senate leaders.
The measure was Introduced by
Majority Leader Barkley for Sena-
tor Mead, Democrat, of New York,
who is out of the city, and brings the
Senate program into line with the
views of Chairman Ramspeck of
the House Civil Service Committee.
The bill is made retroactive to
December l, and every effort will be
made to get it through before the
old Congress expires January 3.
Highlights of Bill.
Highlights of the measure are:
1t applies to all Government en-
ployes, but the 20 per cent increase
will be calculated only on that part
of salary not in excess of $4,000.
1t applies to all employees of the
District Government covered by the
Classification Act, but this leaves
out policemen, firemen and school
teachers. A separate bill giving
policemen and firemen a wage in
crease of $500 a year has passed
the House and is pending in the
Senate.
Local school teachers would have
been given an increase by the orig
inal general overtime bill, but that
has been sidetracked, presumably
because of fear it would encounter
opposition from members of Con-
gress who believe the present wage
and hour standards for industry,
involving premium pay above 40
hours, should be set aside during
the war
Department Heads Excluded.
Heads of departments, elected Of
f1cials and those groups whose pay
is fixed from time to time by wage
boards in accordance with prevail
ing rates would be excluded from the
20 per cent straight pay increase.
The bill contains a clause per-
mitting adjustments to remove in
equities in any agency where wage
board and per annum employees are
found to be receiving different pay
for similar work.
The Senate Civil Service Com
mittee probably will meet early next
week to act on the bill, and Repre-
sentative Ramspeck said he would
wait to let the Senate act first.
Text of Measure.
The way is cleared for a 48-hour
week by repeating the Saturday
half-holiday law as long as this
measure is in effect. The text of
the bill follows:
That this act shall apply to all
civilian officers and employees of the
United States Government. includ-
ing Gevernment-ow and con-
trolled corporations, and to those
employees of the District of Columbia
municipal government who occupy
positions subject to the Classification
Act of 1928, as amended: Provided,
that it shall not apply to (a) those
whose wages are fixed and adjusted
from time to time in accordance with
prevailing rates by wage boards or
. similar administrative authority
serving the same purpose, (b) elected
officials and Co heads of depart
ments, independent establishments
and agencies.
Section 2. Employees subject to
this act shall be paid additional COM
pensation amounting to 20 per
centum of so much of their earned
basic compensation as does not ex-
ceed q rate equivalent to $4,000 per
annum
Section 3. The provisions of the
Saturday half-holiday law of March
3, 1881 (46 Stat. 1882 u. S. c. title
5. Section 26 (A) are hereby sus-
pended for the period dring which
this act is in effect.
Section 4. Whenever the Civil
Service Commission shall find that
within the same Government organ
ization and at the same location
gross inequities exist, to such extent
as to interfere with the prosecution
of the war, between basic per annum
rates of pay fixed for any class of
positions under the Classification
Act of 1923, as amended and the
compensation of employees whose
basic rates of pay are fixed by wage
boards or similar administrative au-
thority serving the same purpose,
the commission is hereby empoW-
cred, in order to correct or reduce
such inequitieS, to establish as the
minimum rate Of pay for such class
of positions any rate within the
range of pay fixed by the Classifca-
ton Act of 1923, as amended. for the
grade to which such class of posi-
tions is allocated under such act.
Section 5. The act approved
February 10, 1912 public law num-
bered $50, Seventy-seventh Con-
greSs) and section of the act ap-
proved May 2, 1941 public law num-
bered 46, Seventy ty-seventh Congress-,
as amended, are hereby repealed.
Section g. This act shall take
effect as of December I, 1942. and
shall terminate June 30. 1945, or
such earlier date as Congress by
concurrent resolution shall pre-
scribe"