Evening star., 1951-07-18
u. 5. JobIess Pa,
Setup Urged al
House Hearinq
Must Equol Program
For Privote Industry
Labor OfficioI Says

CCuCIdI eEup1Oy6S SuOulQ nave
unemployment com p ensatio IN
benefits similar to those extended
to workers in private industry. a
Labor Department official told a
House Ways and Means Subcom-
mittee today.
The need for unemployment
compensation was pointed out by
Robert c. Goodwin. director of
the Labor Departments Bureau
of Employment Security. He was
the first witness called as the
subcommittee opened public hear
1ngs on a bill to extend pobless
insurance to Federal workers.
Mr.. Goodwin said the absence
OF unemployment insurance pro-
lection has forced Federal work.
ers to rely on accrued annual
leave and retirement fund with
drawals to tide them over if they
lose their jobs. He added:
Reliance on leave is a E..suse
OF a leave system which was de-
signed for recreation purposes"
Must Use Leave in Year.
He pointed out tina trecent legis-
lation has eliminated the possibil-
ity of annual leave accruals for
Federal employees since they must
utilize all annual leave earned in
a year during that year or lose it.
He said that contrary to popular
belief the turnover in Federal en-
ployment is as great as in many
areas OF private employment.
During 1850, Mr.. Goodwin con-
tinued, about 100000 separations
from the Federal service took
place. This represented about
one-fourth of all Federal civilian
employment, (which is a substan-
tial turnover rate" he added.
The subcommittee, headed by
Representative Forand, Democrat.
OF Rhode Island, is considering a
DILL introduced by Mr.. Forand to
give the Federal workers the same
unemployment benefits given toI
private industry workers in the
State in which they are employed.
Government employees in Wash
1ngton, under the bill, would re-
celve unemployment benefits based
on the prevailing compensation
Tor private workers here.
Administration by States.
The bill would leave the ad-
ministration of the unemployment
benefits in the hands of the pres
ent State setups.
MIR. Goodwin said the Labor
Department was in favor of ad-
ministering the proposed benefits
through the State agencies. "This
approach avoids setting up a new
Federal agency to administer the
system" he declared.
The Witness.
However. Mr.. Goodwin said he
felt the bill should provide uni
form protection for Federal en-
ployes. He said that the unem-
ployment benefits varied widely
in various states and that the
bill should include language toI
set standards for Federal en-
ployes unemployment compensa-
ton regardless of what a partic-
ular state.
Mr.. Goodwin estimated that
the cost of the program, includ-
ing the standards be proposed,
would range from about $40
million to $45 million a year. He
said this would amount to about
six tenths of one per cent of the
Federal payroll which during fis-
cal year 1850 was about $6.9 bill
lion. The program as provided in
the bill under consideration would
raun somewhere around $50 mil
lion year.
Also supporting unemployment
insurance for Federal workers was
Rear Admiral w. McClaran Hague,
who testified for the Defense De-
partment. He is chief of the Office
of Industrial Relations in the Navy
Department.
He did not agree with MIR.
Goodwin that the Federal workers
should have uniform standards.
He said it was his opinion that
unless the unemployment insur-
ance is keyed to conditions in the
locality in which the workers are
employed, there would be endless
complications.