Evening star., 1955-04-28
Labor Urges
Higher.Job|ess
Benefits Here
Senate Group Gets
Plea for z Bills, With
Bon on $50 Limit
By DON S. WARREN

Spokesman for labor today ap-
pealed to the Welfare subcom-
mittee of the Senate District
Committee for approval of a bill
that would greatly liberalize the
Districts unemployment insur-
ance law.
Under the most liberal of two
bills under consideration the
present maximum of $50 week
in jobless benefit payments
would be eliminated and there
would be substituted formula
under which the claimant could
be paid up to 81 per cent of his
former wages.
With the average wage here,
including those of Federal work.
ers, reported to be $50 a week,
the maximum jobless benefit
payments would be up to $50 to
S55 a week.
Two Bills Favored.
This bill, introduced by seven
members of the Senate, was sup
ported today in testimony from
representatives of the American
Federation of Labor and its
Washington central labor union
and of the District of Columbia
Industrial Union Council, CIO.
Strong support also was given
to an earlier bill. proposing lib
eral amendments to the present
law but not including the higher
maximum benefit provision, by
a number of witnesses including
Arthur Larson, Undersecretary
of Labor, and Senator Beall, Re-
publican, of Maryland.
Both measures would soften
provisions for disqualification of
jobiess benefit claimants and
would knock out the variable
four -to-nine weeks of waiting
time for those disqualified for
quitting a job, refusing to take a
job offer or being fired for mis-
conduct.
Seek to HumaniZe Program
Mr.. Larson said the admins
tration wanted to humanize the
jobless insurance program and
to make the District law a model
for the States. In urging a fiat
six weeks waiting time for dis
qualification instead of the pres
ent four -to-nine weeks, Mr.. Lar
son said the present law lays
down no standards to be fol-
lowed by the Unemployment
Compensation Board. He added !:
After all, an unemployment
insurance law is not set up to
reward the good and punish the
wicked. but rather to meet the
problem of job loss"
Speaking for the CIO Council
Francis O'Connell said his group
strongly supported the proposal
for a 26-week duration for all
eligible jobless and for elimina-
ton of the punitive disqualifi-
cation provisions" and for an in
crease in the benefit ceiling to
two-thirds of the average weekly
wage.
Calling Washington one of the
most expensive cities in the
country. he said the cost of a
modest but adequate budget fol-
family Of four, as prepared
some years ago by the Bureau OF
Labor Statistics, is about S85 a
week.
Andrew J. Biemiller, legislative
representative of the AFL prais-
ing the broader of the two bills.
presented quotations from Pfesi-
dent Eisenhower. Labor Secre-
tary Mitchell and the Federal
Advisory Council to show that
the measure was in line with the
Presidents policy
Clem Preller, president of the
Central Labor Union, who is the
employe representative on the
District Unemployment Compen-
sation Board. praised the bill as
being a great step forward.
c. A. Wharton. director of the
Compensation Board, said his
agency approved the smaller of
the two bills but had not had
time to act on the later bill.
Opponents of the bills will be
heard at another hearing at 10
m. next Wednesday.