Evening star., 1949-08-05

acted on by >< '
Congress this Joseph fo"ns'
year before it goes home, and it's
still touch-and-go as to whether
1t wilk have time to take up and
enact pay-raise legislation before
adjournment.
SENATE SIDE-Pay sponsors
in the Senate are hoping to bring
up the top-bracket and genera.
Redistribution measures for &C.
ton within the next few weeks.
The bills, although they are
separate measures, for all intents
and purposes will be considered
at the same time by the Senate
This is because the two measures
overlap between the $10,330 and
$3.50 levels and because the re-
classification proposals in the gen.
eral measure 60 right on up into
the top-bracket bill.
All this will be a break for the
Irank-and- file reclassification bill,
which otherwise might be shunted
around. The measure approved
by the Senate Civil Service Com
mittee would give average raises
Of $125 to the Governments clas-
sified workers and lift the Fed
eral pay ceiling from the present
$40, $3.50 to $4,000 a year.
HOUSE SIDE-Chairman Muir
rays announcement that he will
sponsor an average $120 pay re-
classification bill came as a
pleasant surprise to employe
leaders. Previously. Mr.. Murray
had advocated only an average $50
boost.
The Murray bill would give a
fat $100 increase to employees in
the first eight CAT grades. All
CPC (crafts, custodial and pro-
tective) employees also would re-
ceive nat 500 pay boost. CLASH
fled employees above the grade of
CATS, in most instances, would
receive more than $100-some of
the boosts ranging up to 5000 or
more.
The House Civil Service Com
mittee is expected to approve the
$120 reclassification measure early
next week, although some men,
bers want lower-salaried workers
to get more than 500.
While the overall average pay
raise of the Murray proposal is
nearly similar in amount to the
Senate groups $125 measure, the
individual increases in the two
bills vary considerably. Employees
in the CALL and CAF-2 groups
would. in most instances, get more
under the Murray bill. Generally
speaking, employees in the middle
and upper bracket grades would
get as much or more in raises
from the Senate bill.
However, both House and Sem
ate members say the differences
between the two bills are not very
important. They say the i'm
portant thing is to get the House
and Senate to pass the respective
bills of their civil service units.
Then, they explain, it would be
relatively simple for House-Senate
conferees to iron out the differ
ences in conference.
Incidentally, Mr.. Murray's new
proposal is patterned after the
recommendation made to his COM
mittee by James G. Yaden. the
president Of the AFL American
Federation of Government EN-
ployes.
POSTAL WORKERS - The
House Civil Service Committee
tentatively agreed to provide $50
pay increases for postal employees
abolish the first two salary grades
increase their present Is days an
nuaI leave to 20 days. and provide
an allowance for uniforms. How
ever. in view Of Speaker Rayburn's
feeling on the matter. the increase
may be pared down to $120. The
other provisions will be retained.
LEGISLATIVE EMPLOYEES -
The Senate Civil Service Commit
tee now has decided to sponsor
bill giving legislative employees a
fiat S per cent salary increase. In
addition, the bill would pave the
way for raising the salaries OF ad-
ministrative assistants and pro-
lfessional staff members on Capitol
Hill from $40, $3.50 to $4,000 a year
and secretaries from $500 to
50 900. Also, the salary OF Secre-
tary OF the Senate Leslie Bif1le
would be increased from $4,000
to SIS. 900 a year.
Judicial employees are not in
cluded in the bill, which presages
a spirited drive by these workers
to get included in the measure.
And, as reported here several
days ago, you can look for move
on the House and Senate floors to
raise the salaries of members OF