Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-03-14

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legislation won't be appointed
until at least. next week. This
will not give them much time
to reach agreement on the
many controversial items in the
bill before the start Of the
congressional recess on April 8.
Consequently, final action by
Congress on postal rates-postal
pay legislation probably won't
occur until after the House
and Senate return the middle
Of April. And since the fate
of classified employe pay legis-
lation is directly linked with
the postal measure, 1t now
looks as If final action on the
salary legislation won't occur
until May.
If the last Federal pay raise
enacted into law is any critic
rion. this years raises will be
retroactive to March /. The
1856 Federal classified and pos
tai employee pay raise bills were
signed by President Eisenhower
on June 10, 1855. and were
retroactive to March !.
Thus q pattern for a March
/ date may have been set for
pay raises enacted around the
May-June period. Although
the administration has ex-
pressed itself as opposed to any
retroactivity, its previous action
probably will result - q March
! compromise.
Federal employe union lead
ers are exerting all the pressure
they can to have House-Senate
conferees appointed as soon as
possible next week so there will
be time enough for final action
on the postal pay-postal rate
legislation as well as classified
employee pay raises before the
Easter recess rolls around. In
that way. they see a chance of
preserving the January / re-
troactive date. But all depends
on the speed in which conferees
are appointed and are able to
reach agreement.
WANTS impress IVE
HEARINGS - Representative
Lesinski. Democrat of Michi-
gan, chairman of the House
Civil Service Subcommittee
holding hearings on the Gov
eminent union recognition bill,
declares he wants the hearings
to be as comprehensive and
as impressive as possible.
The hearings were only
scheduled to last two days. But
1t now appears that the hear
ings may take at least several
weeks.
Mr.. Lesinski, who strongly
favors the bill, says he feels
the voluminous testimony being
presented to the subcommittee
will vastly increase support for
the measure.
I'VE viii give Federal employee
union leaders. as well as adj
ministration officials, all the
time they need to state their
case for and against the BILL"
Mr.. Lesinski said. II feel that,
when all the evidence is in,
there will be a clear-cut case in
favor Of such legislation"
At yesterdays session, Roy
Hallbeck, legislative director Of
the National Federation of Post
Office Clerks. urged enactment
Of the bill. He said the measure
would give Federal employees
some of the rights and privi-
leges enjoyed by employees of
private industry"
Mr.. Hallbeck said the bill
would give Federal employee
unions the right to present
grievances in behalf of their
members without restraint, CO.
ercion. interference, intimida-
ton or reprisal," and an oppor-
tunity to present their views
and confer ION matters of poll
icy affecting working condi-
tons, safety, in-serving train
ing, labor-management Coop
Grafton. methods of adjusting
grievances. transfers, appeals,
granting Of leave, promotions,
demotions. rates of pay and
reduction in force"
Also testifying In general IA