Evening star., 1954-09-13
By Joseph Young
StuH Sfuff Corresnondent


DALLAS, Tex, Sept. 13.-Re-
lations between top Eisenhower
administration officials and Gov
ernment employees have "deteri-
Grated below any point within
the past 40 years." Luther c.
Steward, president Of the Ma
tional Federation of Federal En-
ployes, charged today.
Addressing the opening session
of the federation's biennial con-
vention here, Mr.. Steward said
cabinet officers and agency heads
have failed to cooperate with
Federal employees and their lead
ers and have held them at "arm's S
length"
Mr.. Steward also charged that,
while there have been no whole
sale evidences" of spoils politics
by the administration, constant
sniping has been going on"
against the merit system.
The NFFE chief also asked
that the new Congress act as
soon as possible after convening
in January to approve a pay
raise for Government employees.
Fringe Aid "No Substitute"
Mr.. Steward said the various
Federal employe fringe benefits
enacted into law this year were
important and constructive ac-
tions." But he emphasized they
are "in no sense substitute for
adequate compensation"
Regarding President Eisen-
hower's veto of the pay raise
legislation, Mr.. Steward said:
1.-THE biggest losers as a result
of this action will be the Gov
ernment and the people of the
United States. because the ex-
cessive and heavily costly per-
sonnel turnover in the Federal
service will continue" Mr.. Stew
ard pledged that the NFFE will
make a vigorous fight next year
to secure a Federal pay raise.
Mr.. Steward also told the dele
gates that the Kaplan commit
tees proposal to Congress to sup
plement Civil Service retirement
benefits with Social Security
poses a basic problem:
"Do Government employees
wish to enter into an indissoluble
partnership with Social Security,
or do they wish to continue the
Federal Civil Service retirement
system as an independent entity
and improve it without any con-
nection with any other system?"
The convention later this week
will determine its position on
the Kaplan proposal.
Cites Feeling of Unsureness." /"
Discussing the administra-
tion's attitude toward Govern
ment workers, Mr.. Steward told
the convention that most. top
Republican officials took office
Every generally imbued with q
low opinion of Federal employees
not only as to competence but
as to integrity. Possibly through
a feeling of unsureness they or
ganized at cabinet level to de-
termine administration policies,
while at the same time insulat-
ing themselves against any ideas
which came from outside their
own group"
The NFFE chief added: "This
top level state of mind has
tended to put employees at arms
length and it Is unquestionably
a fact that relations between
administrators and employees
have deteriorated below any
point within the past 40 years"
MFR. Steward continued: AL
though the present administra-
ton has been widely heralded'
as business administration. few
if any of its top-level representa-
tives seems to have made any
attempt to translate the best en-
ployer-employe relations prac-
tices into the Federal service.
Defamation and suspicion
had done their work too well,
so that the normal getting
acquainted. or discovering by
new political administrators that
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