Evening star., 1946-02-27
BowIes Favors
Immediate 20%
u. 5. Pay Raise
Two New Grades
With $4,000 Top
Also Supported
BY Joseph Young

Bowles urged today that Con-
gress enact "as soon as possible"
legislation granting Government
workers a fiat 20 per cent in
crease, and also authorize addi-
ton of two new civil service
grades to bring top Federal
agency positions to an annual
$4,000 maximum.
Mr.. Bowles told a House Civil
Service Subcommittee that a 20
per cent wage increase would tend
to make up the lag between work.
ers in private industry and Gov
|ernment workers in the amount Of
wage increases received since jan
uary /, 1941.
The witness said private industry
employees have received average
wage increases of BAT per cent, while
Federal workers received only a l5.9
per cent pay boost since 1s41.
Won't Close Gap.
"a 20 per cent increase will help
make up this deficiency between
private industry and Federal en-
Iployes, but it still won't close the
gap" Mr. Bowles said. THE Federal
pay bill should call for at least a
20 per cent pay increase"
Not only will more liberal pay In
creases enable Federal workers to
meet the SO per cent increased cost
Of living since 1941 but it will en-
able the Government to operate on
more efficient basis, he told the
committee.
Declaring that the Government
must get and retain men of the
highest ability, Mr.. Bowles said that
to do this the present $4,000 ceiling
on Federal wages must be raised to
$4,000 a year.
ut will vastly improve the eff
cheney of Government and in the
long run will save us money" Mr..
Bowles told the group. The COM
pensatory savings in efficiency will
more than make up the cost of pay
increases, he added.
Mr.. Bowles lauded the average
Government employe as loyal, eff
cient and hard working.
He said they held their own in
any comparison with private indus
try employees.
Asks 80 Per Cent Increase.
Arthur Stein. secretary treasurer
of the CIO United Federal Workers
OF America, urged 80 per cent in
crease for Government employees.
This amount is needed to restore
Federal workers to their prewar
standards of living, he said.
James B. Burns, president of the
AFL American Federation of Gov
eminent Employees, asked a % per
cent boost, saying that many Gov
ernment employees are desperately"
in need of salary adjustments to
keep up with increased costs of iv-
/ ing.
We recognize the need for certain
economies in Government, for less
ened personnel and lowering of the
demand on Government functions
which had expanded with extensive
ness and variety for the purpose of
winning global war;" Mr.. Burns
| said.
I cannot, however, subscribe to
any condition which will in any way
penalize the individual employe, the
man Or woman who is carrying on
the functions of Government in this
trying period of reconversion and
in the days of peace which lie
ahead"
Meanwhile, Chairman jackson
said he hoped to wind up the hear
ings by tomorrow afternoon. The
group has been holding morning
and afternoon sessions to speed the
hearings.
Retroactive Proviso Asked.
The committee yesterday after
noon heard a plea from Luther
Steward, president of the National
Federation of Federal EMPLOYEES,
that any pay raise legislation event.
ually enacted be made retroactive
/ w oOAAAl1y
However, reporters poll of COM
mlttee members after the session
showed that they are opposed to
the suggestion One member, a SUD-
porter of liberal pay increases for
Government workers, said he be-
lleved such a retroactive feature
would endanger House passage.
Another witness, A. F. Hinrichs,
acting commissioner of labor sta
tlstics for the Labor Department,
said wage increases granted Federal
workers during the war and recon-
version period was less than that
granted employees in private indus
try.
Hersh Rabinovitch, director of the
civil service department of the In
ternational Federation of Architects,
Engineers, Chemists and Techni-
clans, asked that Federal workers get
a 80 per cent raise. He based his re-
quest on joint survey of the CIO
and AFL, which reported As per
cent cost of living since 1941,