Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-07-28
Engineers Pay Status

U9SsssS Se0e0S
Now that all the excite
ment generated by the recent
general pay raise for civil
service employees has sub
sided somewhat, we think
that IL would be enlighten-
ing to review the present SAL
airy status of engineers and
scientists. 1t may surprise
the general public to learn
that engineers and scientists,
although finally included in
the recent 10 per cent raise,
in effect stand to lose most
Of 1t when promoted to a
higher grade. In order to
understand this paradox, 1t
is first necessary to review
the happenings Of the past
several years leading up to
the present situation.
On several occasions during
the last few years, various
grades Of engineers and other
technical personnel have re-
ceived within-grade raises, on
the basis that they possessed
critical hard-to-obtain quail
f1cations. Finally, at the
height Of the sputnik panic
in December, 1857. all engi-
neers and scientists filling
certain critical" positions as
defined by the Civil Service
Commission were raised to
the top Of their grades. It
should be clearly understood
that none Of the raises of
this type was meant to be
q cost-of-living type raise,
but rather they were de-
signed, rightly or wrongly, to
help rectify the engineer
shortage" commonly thought
to exist In certain so-called
critical areas and to decrease
the salary diferential be-
tween private industry and
Government service for
equivalent jobs.
In January Of this year,
the administration presented
q plan for a general pay raise.
which would have omitted
engineers and scientists, who
had been raised to the top
Of their grades, the stated
reason being that such per-
sonnet had already in effect
received o salary increase.
After q long period Of con-
fusion when the status Of
technical personnel in the
general pay raise was unclear,
engineers and scientists were
finally included in the general
10 per cent increase. and
everybody was happy-for
awhile.
It now develops that en-
gineers hired or promoted to
higher grades after June 20.
1858, do not automatically
receive top-of-th e-grade SAL
aries as they had thought.
According to Civil Service
Commission regulations. the
rate at the new grade will
automatically become the step
Of the new scale nearest the
top step Of the old scale that
does not result in a decrease.
For example, q GS-11 en-
gineer, top step, on promotion
is not raised to the top step
of q GS-12 as he would have
been prior to June 20. but
instead is raised to the third
step, which is $720 per year
below the top. Likewise. a
GS-l2, top step. on promo
ton to GS-13 is raised to the
second step, which is $500
below the top step. In this
way technical personnel re-
ceiving a promotion effec-
lively lose their 10 per cent
raise. Thus, we have the
unfair and demoralizing
situation wherein employees
with comparable qualifica-
tons are working at the same
jobs at vastly different
salaries. In other words, the
criteria for salary differential
evidently has become an
arbitrary civil service ruling
and q date, rather than
merit and longevity.
It has become abundantly
clear that the entire civil
service pay structure is
archaic and infiexible and is
in urgent need Of complete re-
vision, II highly qualified per-
sonnet are to be attracted To
and retained in Government
service.
II adequate reforms are not
made-and soon-the entire
Government service will be in
danger Of sinking into q mire
Of incompetence and medioc-
rity from which It may be
impossible to extricate itself.
Patrick r. McCurdy,
Chemical Engineer
DeImaR L. Craft,