Evening star., 1942-12-05
Roosevelt Backs
Pay Boost for
i. 5. Employees
20 Per Cent Raise
Would Be Given
For Longer Hours
BY J. A. O'LEARY.

The White House today threw
Its support behind the new war
time pay bill for Government
employees, calling for a straight
20 per cent increase for longer
work week, instead of premium
pay for overtime.
The word that the bill is 'in ac-
cord with the Presidents financial
and administrative program" was
received by Chairman Bulow of the
Senate Civil Service Committee in
letters from Budget Director Harold
d. Smith and Harry B. Mitchell,
president of the Civil Service Com
mission.
Administration officials suggested
only one amendment, the effect of
which would be to suspend during
the war the law that gives postal
employees compensatory time off or
overtime for Saturday work. The
Budget Bureal called this amend
ment essential to bring about uni
form treatment of Government per-
sonnel, since the new pay bill sus-
pends the Saturday half-holiday
law for other employees in order to
establish 48 hours as the work week
during the war.
Those Affected.
The bill would apply to all en-
ployes in the executive, legislative
and judicial branches of Govern
ment, except heads of departments,
elected officials and workers whose
pay is adjusted by wage boards in
accord with prevailing rates in local
tiles. The 20 per cent increase,
however, would only apply to that
part of a salary not in excess of
$4,000.
The Budget Bureau estimated the
cost of the measure at $270,8 1881 900,
after making allowance for savings
resulting from the longer work week
and the discontinuance of existing
overtime pay for thousands of per
annum employees in the War and
Navy Departments.
The Budget Bureau pointed out,
however, that the bill also lengthens
the basic work week by 20 per cent
and will go far toward eliminating
inequalities in Federal pay schedules.
The budget directors report said:
1T is our understanding that this
bill has been introduced in lieu
of any further extension of the au-
thority to pay overtime compensa-
ton to per annum employees in the
War and Navy Departments, and
also as a substitute for S. 1866, the
uniform overtime pay bill, the pro-
visions OF which had previously been
reported on favorably by the Bureau
of the Budget.
Policies Outlined.
IS. 1913, if enacted. would give
expression to the following policies:
Il. Federal employees covered by
the provisions of this act would re-
ceive ad ditional compensation
amounting to 20 per cent on not
more than $4,000 of their earned
basic compensation. This means
that the maximum additional COM
pensation which would be payable
under this provision would be $3.50
per annum.
This increase is to be compared
with the additional compensation
which thousands of employees in the
War and Navy Departments have
been paid under the overtime pay
statutes, which amounts, for a 49,
hour week, to 2l.6 per cent of their
earned basic compensation. 1t should
be noted also that there is no upper
salary limit on the present overtime
authority.
%. Overtime compensation would
be paid only to those Federal en-
ployes whose wages are fixed and
adjusted from time to time in &C
cordance with prevailing rates by
wage boards or similar administra-
tive authority and to those groups
of employees, such as inspectors for
night. Sunday and holiday work.
and postal employees (for work in
excess of eight hours day., for
whom specific legal authority for
payment of overtime compensation
had previously been enacted. Per
annum employees, especially in the
War and Navy Departments, some
Of whom have been eligible for
overtime compensation for work in
excess of 40 hours per week, would
(See PAY RIII. page Ak