Evening star., 1946-01-21

SusaNtu sNSI1S"S ] hSO
For u. 5. Pay Boost
In Asking Benefits
A renewed and stronger plea t.
Congress for substantial salary in.
creases for Government employe.
was made today by President Tru.
man as he outlined a four-point
program for the welfare of Fedora
workers.
Mr.. Truman asked Congress te
enact legislation granting Fedora
employees unemployment compensa
ton benefits, fare to their homes
when they are separated from theil
wartime service jobs, and an ade-
quate health and safety protection
program ip Government agencies.
Concerning his plea for higher
wages for Federal employees, Mr.
Truman was more explicit than ht
was in his message to Congress last
September.
Inequities Are Cited.
At that time he said there were
some inequities in the Federal pay
scale and urged Congress to correct
these injustices, placing special en-
phaSis on the jobs in the top brack.
cts. In today's message, however
President Truman specifically asked
Congress for general upward re.
vision of Federal salary scales at al
levels in all branches-legislative
judicial and executive"
II hope the Congress will expedite
acuon on salary legislation for al
Federal employees in all branches o1
the Government" Mr.. Truman
added.
TOO many in Government have
had to sacrifice too much in eco.
nomic advantage to serve the Ma.
tion," Mr.. Truman declared. HI
added that adequate salaries viii
result in economies and improved
efficiency in the conduct of Gov.
ernment businesS-"gains that viii
far outweigh the immediate costs
The President pointed out that
the elimination last September Of
overtime work for Federal workers
meant a sharp drop in their in
comes. The blow was somewhat
softened by the Federal pay raise
last July. but further wage increases
are needed to compensate for in
creased living costs. President Tru.
man said.
Bill Passed by Senate.
The Senate has passed a Fedora.
pay bill calling for an overall II
per cent wage increase for Govern.
ment workers and the measure has
been sent to the House. However
Government employees groups are
dissatisfied with the II per cent fig.
ure and seek House passage of O
more liberal pay bill than was
passed by the Senate.
Mr.. Truman excepted one grour
of Federal workers from his recon-
mendation for general wage
boost for Government employees.
"The only exception would make
is in the case of workers whose pay
rates are established by wage
boards; blanket adjustment
would destroy the system by which
their wages are kept alined with
prevailing rates in particular To-
calties." Mr.. Truman said, how.
ever, that the wage boards should be
sensitive to changes in local pre-
vailing wage rates and should make
adjustments accordingly.
Few Under Boards Here.
The overwhelming majority Of
Federal employees employed here
come under the Classification Act
and are not affected by wage boards
Most workers whose wages are fixec
by these boards are employed ir
Army arsenals and Navy yards
throughout the country.
Federal employees unions have long
sought legislation which woulc
give Government workers unem.
ployment compensation protection
and fare to their homes when they
are dismissed from their war-serv.
ice jobs. A bill which would have
extended unemployment compensa.
ton to Federal workers was shelvec
by the House Ways and Means
Committee at the last session wher
members objected to the overall
provisions of the measure which
would have iberalized unemploy.
ment compensation payments tx
workers in the various States.
President Truman's interest ir
health and safety programs fol
Government workers stems from
statistics showing absenteeisn
greater among Federal employees
than among workers in many pri-
vate industries. Federal officials
feel that both Government efficiency
and economy could be improved by
adequate health and safety pre-.