Evening star., 1943-02-14
R-Hour Week Aids
Overtime Pay Bill,
Senator Mead Says
Subcommittee to Be
Ready for Hearings
EorIy in March
By ]. A. OIEARY

Senator Mead, Democrat. of New
York, said last night the new over
time pay bill for Federal and Dis
trict employees has been strength
ened by the executive order placing
essential industry on 48-hour week
In labor shortage areas.
When the President put essen
tial industry on a 48-hour week
he said the time-and-a-half law
would be respected, and that is
all we are asking for the Govern
ment employees" said Senator
Mead. 80 the position of the bill
is stronger"
AS chairman of the subcommittee
appointed to study the Government
pay measure, Senator Mead also
said it probably would be ready for
public hearings early in March. The
subcommittee expects to hold pre-
liminary conferences during the
final week of February in prepara-
ton for the hearings.
Majority on 4S-Hour Week.
The great majority of Federal
Employees now are on a 43-hour
week, but under the temporary pay
act of December. the overtime above
40 hours is at the rate of time and a
quarter, which makes the increase
about 81 per cent.
For any workers still on a 44-hour
week such as District classified en-
ployes, the temporary overtime rate
is equivalent to about 10 per cent.
Employees whose hours cannot be
measured, including those in the
legislature and judicial establish
ments, are getting fiat 10 per cent.
The new Mead bill, intended to
replace the present law on April 80,
is based on time-and- half for
overtime instead of time -and-a-
quarter, which is accomplished by
using 260-day instead of 360-
day work year to compute the over
time on annual salaries.
80 Per Cent Increase for 4S Hours.
The result will be an increase of
80 per cent instead of q per cent
for a 48-hour week; an increase of
IS instead of 10 per cent for A
hours, and a fiat increase of Is
instead of 10 per cent for the legis-
lative, judicial or other employees
not subject to overtime.
All increases, whether overtime
or fat. will continue to be COM
puted only on the first $1,000 of
salaries that go above that figure,
but the provision of the temporary
law forbiddsag any increases that
would run asalary above $4,000 has
been eliminated.
The bill specifically provides,
however, that no increases be
granted elected officials, heads of
departments, or field workers in the
Postal Service. These postal groups
are to be dealt with in a separate
bill, because many of them are
paid on the basis of mileage or local
post office receipts.
Urges Increase for Policemen.
Senator Mead said he hoped Con-
gress would act on pending bills to
increase the pay of District police
men, flremen and school teachers,
without waiting for the general pay
measure. These three groups were
not covered by the temporary De-
cember law, so they have received
no increase to date.
Mno r-ryt,f1o
Subcommittee may act within a
week or 10 days on another bill af-
fecting thousands of Government
employes-the McKellar plan to re-
Quire Senate confirmation of all
Government appointees receiving
$4,000 or more year. AS originally
drafted, the bill would have re-
quired all those at or above S4,500
to be confirmed every four years.
In lowering the salary limit. Sena-
tor Mcclellan also struck out the
four-year tenure. All incumbents
still would have to be confirmed
once, in July of this year.
Disagrees With Civil Service.
Senator McKellar yesterday dis
oelCCu Will ItlS view Oh C1Vll Sery-
ice Commission officials that any
Office made subject to confirmation
no longer would be in the classified
civil service, The Senator said.
however, that if their contention
Is correct he would agree to an
amendment to protect the continued
civil service status of those con-
firmed
Senator Tydings, Democrat, of
Maryland, made known yesterday
that he is for 'the philosophy of the
bill" believing that appointive policy
making officers ought to be account
able to Congress through the process
of confirmation. The Maryland
Senator added, however, that he
would support amendments to safe
guard the civil service.
Opponents of the McKellar bill
contend there are many employees in
the affected salary brackets who are
not policy-makers.