Evening star., 1954-03-30
3.5% Cei|inq
SET on Federal
Pay Increase
Can't Afford Higher
Average, Young
Tells House Group
By Joseph Young

The Government can't auofd
to give its one million classified
employees anything more than an
average 31a per cent pay in
crease, Civil Service Commission
Chairman Philip Young told
the House today.
Testifying before the Civil
Service Committee as it opened
hearings on the classified en-
ployes' phase of its Federal pay
raise hearings. MI. Young de-
clared:
The proposed revision of the
pay schedules has been made
within the limitations of the
additional expenditures which
the administration believes can
be borne by the overall budget.
'It is recognized that this limi-
tation will not allow complete
adjustment of present pay scales.
but it will improve the existing
situation.
No Flat Boost Favored.
"We are not in favor of any
flat across-the-board increases
which would only increase the
inequities now prevalent in the
pay structure"
Mr.. Young also indorsed the
$l00 average postal pay reclassi-
fication plan submitted to Con-
gress by Postmaster General
Summerfield.
! Meanwhile, the Senate Civil
| Service Committee announced
today that it would hold Federal
pay raise hearings starting April
%. The committee also set
April 19 and 20 as hearing dates
for postal rate increase legiSla-
ton. The group also will meet
Thursday in executive session to
/ vote on the bill liberalizing Gov
eminent employe fringe benefits.
The administrations pay re-
classification plan for Federal
classified employees was unveiled
before the Senate Civil Service
Committee last month. Under
it, employees in the first two
grades would receive no pay in
creaSeS, and more than rs per
cent of classified employees would
get less than 5000. Some en-
ployes in the middle and upper
grades would receive increases
ranging from $400 to $500 a
year. The pay plan would cost
about $3.50 million year.
Seeks to Correct Inequities.
In his testimony today, Mr..
Young said the Redistribution
plan was mot intended to repre-
sent a cost-of- living adjustment"
but to correct some of the in.
equities existing within the pres
ent classified pay structure.
The commission chief said the
salaries of lower-grade Federal
employees have kept reasonably
close" to rising living costs.
However. Mr.. Young declared,
middle and upper bracket Fed
eral salaries have Jagged far be-
hind lower salaried pay in pro-
portionate wage adjustments
over the years.
The ratio between the top
salary rate Of Grade Is and the
lowest rate paid Classification
Act employees has been decreas-
ing steadily because of fat
acrosS-the-board increases and
other pay increases that have
distorted the internal grade
alignment" Mr.. Young de-
clared. I'm 1899. an employe in
Grade. Is received almost nine
times as much pay as an en-
ploye IN the lowest grade classi-
fication job. In recent years, this
ratio has dropped from nine to
less than five.
This means that an employe
in Grade Is. doing high-level
administrative work, receives less
than five times as much salary
as an employe entering on duty
in the lowest paid adult classifl-
cation act grade"
Mr.. Young said the adminstra-
ton pay reclassification plan
would remove some of the pres
ent inequities in the classified
pay structure.
when the difference in pay
between the supervisor and those
he supervises becomes too small.
then a true career service is
threatened" he said. THE pro-
posed revision will helm