Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-10-21
The FEDERAL SPOTLIGHT
Pay Low Questions Answered
BY Civil Service Commission

by OIVIl :
By JOSEPH YOUNG
Star Staff Writer
Here are the Civil Service
Commissions answers to the
most frequent queries from
Federal employees regarding the
new Government pay reform
law.
Question. Will there be an
annual review made of Govern
ment pay?
Answer. Yes.
Q. Will the yearly review be
based on the system of COM
pairing Government pay with
comparable industry salaries for
the same level of work in
business?
A. Yes. The basis will be a
Bureau Of Labor Statistics sur
vey, which will be made yearly.
The yearly review of statutory
pay scales is considered to be
an important reform. First, it
places the review of salaries on
a regular, systematic basis. Also,
up to now no adequate national
salary surveys have been avail
able, and the revision of these
pay scales has had to be done
with very little fact-finding.
@. Will revisions of the pro-
posed pay scales take place au-
tomatically as a result of the
BIS findings?
A. No. The results of future
annual surveys will be reported
to the President. who (after OBJ
tanning views Of employee or
ganizations0 will thereupon
make recommendations for any
changes he considers necessary
and submit them to the Con-
gress. Putting these recon-
mendations into effect will re-
quire legislation.
Corresponding Rate
@. In converting a general
schedule employe to the new
pay scale. how will it be de-
termined what rate he will be
In?
A. He will 60 in the CORE
spending rate. For instance, If
he was in the fourth rate Of
GS-5. he will go in the fourth
rate of the new GS-5.
@. What If he was in a lon
gevity rate?
A. The longevity rates, which
followed the regular seven rates
in most grades, may be num-
bered s. 8, and 10 for con-
venience. In those grades, a
person formerly in the first
longevity step will go to rate
8, a person in the second will
go to rate 9, etc.
@. What is the time inter-
val between within-grade in
creases2
A. Instead Of the former l.
year or 18-month waiting peri
cd, the increases will take eff
feet as follows: Once a year
for the first three increases,
once every two years for the
next three increases, and once |
every three years for the next
three increases.
@. What is the size Of the
Within-grade increases?
A. They range from sos per
year in grades GS-1 and 2 toI
$5l5 in grade GS-15 in 1864.
Quality Recognized
: @. Does the pay reform law
make any provision for within
grade raises because Of high
quality performance?
A. Yes, the law allows givingl
such increases not oftener than
once q year in order to reward
and encourage high quality per-
formance. The Civil Service
Commission will develop regu-
lations, in consultation with
agencies and employee organi-
nations. for guidance in this
area. Agencies may not grant
quality increases until the COM
missions regulations are issued.
Q. Is a minimum raise pro-
Uded for an employee who is
promoted from one grade to an
other?
A. Yes. His salary will be in
creased an amount that is at
east the equivalent Of two
within-grade increases in the
grade from which he is pro-
NOTED. For example, an en-
ploye in the 9th rate of GS-6,
whose salary is $685. and
whose within-grade increases
are $170, would be promoted to
a rate in GS-7 that is at least
$340 (twice the $170 Within
grade increase) more than his
$685. salary. In this case, the
employe would be promoted to
the 9th rate in GS-7, $685..
@. The new law provides that
an employe will receive on pro-
motion an increase equivalent
to at least two within grade
increases in the grade from
which he is promoted. What
size increase would an employee
receive when promoted from
Grade 3, where the Within
grade rates are not all equal?
A. To meet this special situa-
ton, employees in Grade 3 at
the time of promotion receive
a minimum of two within
grade increases in the follow
ing way: Cd employees in rates
! through +$210; co en-
ployes in rate 5-$215; 90 en-
ployes in rate 6-$235; "a en-
ployes in rate 7 or above-$250.
@, Does the pay reform law
continue to provide longevity
rates?
A. In effect, yes, although
they are not so named. In
stead of seven rates to the top
of. the grade in GS-1 through
oslo and then three longevity
rates. for examine the new law