Evening star., 1946-03-20
House Unit Ok 5.
|17Pct. Increase
InFederaI Pay
Committee Also Votes
$4,000 Ceiling for
Scientists, Engineers

The House Civil Service Sub
committee today reported favor
ably bill calling for a fiat II
per cent wage increase for Gov
ernment employees and author
lied the raising of the $4,000
Federal salary ceiling to $4,000 q
year to include Government
scientists and engineers who are
engaged in work of national de-
| fenSe.
Following the committees action
Chairman Jackson, Democrat, OF
Washington said the full member
ship of the House Civil Service Com
mittee will meet a week from tomor-
row to consider the recommendation
made by the subcommittee. The full
committees approval of the bill is
regarded as virtually certain.
The bill would affect approximate
ly 100000 classified Government
employees, including those in the
executive, legislative and judicial
branches. Employees in Navy Yards
or Army arsenals whose salaries are
fixed by wage boards do not come
under the measure.
Won't Be Retroactive.
Any pay raise eventually voted
by Congress will not be retroactive,
although some employees groups had
asked that this be done. 1t is not
expected that the bill will become
law for several months.
The subcommittee bill is far
more liberal than the Senate passed
Federal pay bill, which provides
only an overall IL per cent wage
increase for Government employees.
The House measure also differs with
the Senate bill in that it provides
for fiat increase for all employees,
rather than graduated increases.
The Senate measure gave the higher
percentage of the wage increase to
employees in the lower brackets.
Even for employees in the lowest
brackets the House bill would mean
an increase of more than 500 a
year over the Senate version and
would mean wage boosts of from
5000 to $500 for employees in the
$4,000 to 5000 a year class.
Applies to Scientists.
Although the committee raised
the Federal wage ceiling to $4,000
to include scientists and engineers,
it rejected a recommendation by the
administration that other profess
sional men In the Government be
eligible. The committees bill pro-
Vides that the present SIC, ,000-a-year
ceiling cannot be exceeded except
in the case Of scientists and en-
gineers.
Top-fiight Federal agency admin
istrators now receive q maximum Of
$4,000. Under the proposed bill they
cannot 60 above $4,000, even under
the II per cent wage increase ap-
proved by the committee. A 5000
wage boost would be all that these
officials would get.
It Is expected that the House COM
mittee's bill will receive stiff opposi-
ton when Senate and House con-
ferees meet to consider the respec-
tive pay measures. Senator Byrd,
Democrat, OF Virginia, leader of the
economy bloc in Congress and spon-
sor of the II per cent Senate for
mula, has indicated he would oppose
anything above that figure.
Double Holiday Pay.
The House bill, also provides for
liberalization of present holiday
schedule pay. Under present regula-
tions, employees who have to work
on holidays receive an additional
half-day's pay. The bill provides for
a full days additional wage in this
event.
During its recent hearings on the
pay bill, the committee heard testi-