Evening star., 1943-02-28
SENATE Passage Seen
Tomorrow on Police,
Firemen Pay Boosts
Committees Due to Act
On Other Wage Bills
Some Time This Week
BY ]. A. OLEARY.

BY ]. A. OLEARY.
The Senate is slated to PASS nav
increase bills toKorrow for District
pohcefneh, nremen and school teach
ers as the first step in a week Of
varied activity affecting Govern
,nent personnel.
49, Other developments in SIGHT for
the week include:
> /. Ihe Senate Judiciary Commit
tee probably will report out tomor-
row in some form the McKellar bill
to require Senate confirmation of
many Government employees who
receive $4,000 or more a year.
z. The Senate Civil Service Com
rittee will try to complete hearings
Tuesday on bill to liberaliZe the
overtime and fiat percentage pay in
creases granted to most Federal and
District employees in a temporary
law which expires April 30.
3. Chairman McKellar of the
Senate Post Office Committee pre-
dlcted that committee will report
out a separate bill granting fat
$500 wartime pay increase to field
employees Of the Postal service who
are not IN the general pay bill.
Two Plans Are Pending.
Two different plans for adjusting
the salaries of policemen fremen
and teachers here are pending, and
there was no certainty last night
which Will be adopted These three
groups OF municipal employees were
lett out of the general pay bill in
December because they always have
had separate salary laws
Chairman McCarran OF the Dis
trlct Committee will make de-
termined plea for his proposal to
give all policemen. flremen and
teachers fat $3.50 raise for the
duration Of the war and six months
thereafter.
.. Senator Burton, Republican. of
Ohio. who filed minority report on
the McCarran plan. will offer two
substitutes. One covers policemen
and flremen and follows the pay
scale in the bill President Roose-
welt vetoed in December.
Under present law policemen and
hremen enter the service at $1,000
a year and advance 500 annually
until the maximum of S2.40O for
prlvates is reached.
The Burton bill raises the en-
trance rate to $4,000 and makes the
annual increase Sl4O until a new
maximum Of s2,7o0 is reached. Prl-
Yates with more than five years OF
service would get a 5000 raise i'm
medlately as would officers up to
and including captains.
10 Per Cent for Teachers.
For the teachers, the Burton sub
stitute merely gives them until
April 80 the 10 per cent raise al
ready granted other Government
employees not subjected to overtime
pay. Senator Burtons theory is
that between now and April 80
further study be given the wartime
pay needs OF teachers. as is being
done by the Civil Service Commit
tee for all other civilian employees. |
The Ohio Senator believes his !
police fire substitute oyercomes the |
objections that caused the President |
to veto similar pay rates two
months ago. The original bill made /
the increases permanent and was /
retroactive to February 1912 The |
substitute goes back only to Decem-
Der l and is limited to the war
period
Senator McCarran contends his
fiat $3.50 raise would give the great
est percentage of increase where it
is most needed, in the lower brack-
cts
The exact scope of the McKellar
bill to require Senate confirmation
OF hlgh-bracket Government en-
ployes depends on what action the !
Judiciary Committee takes on va
llous suggested amendments. A sub
committee already has recommended .
exemption of all incumbents ap- /
pointed prior to January /, 1886. and /
Senator OMahoney. Democrat, of |
wyoming, will propose a substitute .
designed to limit the power Of con-
frmation to policy making officials. |
such as bureau heads. regional and !
State directors of various agencies.
Early Action Promised.
With regard to the new general
pay bill, Senator Mead. Democrat, of
New York, subcommittee chairman,
promised early action after the
hearings close Tuesday or Wednes-
day. The temporary law In effect
until April 80 gives most employees a
20 per cent raise for 46-hour week,
in the form of time-and "a a-quarter
for all over 40 hours. Those not sub
iect to overtime get fiat 10 per
cent.
The Mead bill. as it stands would
allow time e-and-a-haf after April
80, which would mean 80 instead
of 20 pc rcent raise for 4o hours.
For those not subject 10 overtime,
the fat increase would be raised
from 10 to Is per cent.
There were indications yesterday.
however, that some members OF
Congress may seek to adhere for
sthe duration Of the war to the rates
scf increase contained in the tenn
srorarv law passed in December.
4 House Civil Service subCom-
nltree which conducted hearings
aon the general pay bill this past
week may hold one more session
this week before deciding on the
form Of legislation to be reported.