Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-04-14

| per cent. This amendment is
sponsored by Representative
Moss, Democrat, of California.
However, the AFL National
Federation of Post-Ofice Clerks
will fight for an amendment that
would substitute the Senate
approved 10 per cent. no-reclas-
sification postal bill for 7.6 per
cent measure.
Complaining the picture still
further is the position of some
groups such as the National
Rural Letter Carriers Associa-
ton in favor of the 7.6 per cent
bill.
However, it is the sharp rift
between the NALC and the
NFPOC that gives serious con-
Germ to Federal employee leaders,
CLASSIFIED and postal. Classified
pay legislation is directly tied up
with the outcome of the postal
\ pay fight.
! At a special meeting of the
Government Employees Council,
AFL, an attempt was made to
bring the two groups together
However, the letter carriers po-
sition was backed by five other
unions. while the postal clerks
were supported by four other
employe groups. Thus, by a
vote of s to 5. the council went
on record in favor of the 80 per
cent Moss amendments.
The postal clerks, however, de-
clared they were not bound by
this decision and will press for
the 10 per cent-no reclassifica-
ton bill. The postal clerks,
through their legislative repre-
sentative Roy C. Hallbeck,
declared reclassificationg would
result in future salary down.
gradings for many of their mem
bers. Mr.. Hallbeck proposed,
instead. that a special congress
sional commission be created to
study possible postal salary re-
classification and report back
next year. Meanwhile, a fiat
pay boost should be voted for
postal workers this year, he de-
clared.
The NALC, led by it's presi-
dent, William D. Doherty, dis
agreed. Mr.. Doherty Iavors sup
port of the 80 per cent reclassi-
f1cation measure. He declared
that the 10 per cent measure
backed by the postal clerks would
certainly be vetoed by President
Eisenhower. And serious doubts
are expressed whether Congress
would override such a veto.
MIR. Doherty and the five other
unions backing this position APP
parently feel that Mr.. Eisen-
hover might be persuaded to
sign an average 80 per cent bill
that contains Redistribution,
even though the White House
has insisted that any boost over
7.6 per cent would be vetoed.
It's agreed by, almost everyone,
however, that a 10 per cent-no
Redistribution bill would Ger
tainly be vetoed, with little
chance that Congress would
override.
The postal clerks contention
is that their membership would
rather have no pay raise than
one which contains the reclassi-
fication features in the 7.6 per
cent bill approved by the House
Civil Service Committee.
ON THE SPOT-Consequently,
House members will really be on
the spot when the postal bill
comes up for a vote. On the one
hand they will be under heavy
pressure by the postal clerks to
approve an amendment that
would provide a fiat 10 per cent
boost. with no Redistribution.
On the other hand, they will be
under equally heavy pressure by
the letter carriers to support the
80 per cent postal reclassifica-
ton amendments.
Meanwhile, classified employe
leaders are more than willing to
settle for 7 per ment increase.
But classified pay will have to
await the outcome of the postal
pay fight.
FOURTH PERFORMANCE
RATING The Civil Service
Commission soor will permit
agencies to use a fourth per-
Torrance rating to rate Federal
employees each year. The fourth
rating would be a designation
between satisfactory" and "out-
standing Something like Every
good" Employees have COM
planned that the present rating
system of unsatisfactory" sat
isfactory' and outstanding" is
virtually meaningless, since more
than SO per cent of employees are
rated satisfactory" A number
of agencies have urged the COM
mission to permit an in-between
very good" rating to recognize
the employee whose work is con-
siderably above average.
POST OFFICE - Andrew j.
johnson, a New York certified
public ccountant, has been APP
pointed assistant controller in
the POST Office Departments
Bureau Of Finance.
ENGINEERS DISPUTE-The
AFL Government Employees
Council has voted its opposition
to a recommendation made to
Congress recently that all Fed
eral employees in the engineering
clasSif1cations be licensed and
registered under the professional
registration laws of the various
States. The proposal was made
by representative of the Ma
tional Society Of Professional
Engineers.
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