Expenses for calendar year 1939, compared with 1948 and 1949—Continued 3 Due in part to increase in family. 59-percent increase shown is for 4 members of family. NOTE.-Number of people in family 1939, 4; 1948, 5. Gentlemen, I do not need to emphasize the desperate need of a pay increase for Federal civil-service employees after presenting this document showing the increased cost of living and the decreasing purchasing power of the dollar. We are willing to rest our case on this very human appeal. I thank you very much for this opportunity to be heard. STATEMENT OF GEORGE J. WACHOWSKI, PRESIDENT, AND WILLIAM FREEMAN, NATIONAL FEDERATION OF POST OFFICE CLERKS, To the Members of the Senate Post Office and Civil Service Committee. GENTLEMFN: In behalf of the Chicago Post Office Clerks' Union, Local No. 1, NFPOC, we the undersigned request that you give careful and favorable consideration to the proposal granting a $650 annual increase for all post-office employees. In spite of the numerous legislative drives and campaigns and grants of pay increases passed by Congress since 1939 the ost-office employees of our great Nation have and are experiencing a decline in their standard of living. During the war years all industrial workers received time and a half for overtime while post-office workers were compensated for overtime on a little better than a straight-time basis. The cost of living continued to skyrocket throughout the war years and the raises were belated and were received months after the high cost of living had done its irreparable damage. All this is related to convey that the post-office workers are losing the battle of maintaining a decent standard of living. Upon the heels of the $450 annual increase passed by the Eightieth Congress, the cost of living leaped 10 points and wiped out all fast-fading and temporary gains. Such, of course, was not the general picture in the population. Farm and industrial earnings reached unprecedented highs, and wages in industries reached levels outdistancing former periods. The only compelling avenue open to Government employees is reason and to awaken a sense of fair play in the minds of the public and their representatives in Congress. Duty to our great Nation and the postal service is uppermost in the thoughts of the men and women who are the mainsprings of mail movement. Now again the postal employees are appealing to the Nation that consideration be given them so they may enjoy the advantages that other Americans do. It is with them not any longer a question of improving their living standards but of maintaining them. The era of low prices is gone forever. Prices may decline somewhat but the lows of yesteryear are gone forever. We are living in the vise of high prices. High basic costs breed high prices. The cost of living resides on a level over and above all the puny efforts we have exerted. Apart from the statistical rise in the cost of living, there exist other hidden and sometime very much in the open high costs. Medical attention and care is costly; education for the children is by no means a small item. It is within the American standard of living provision for cultural development and sociability. These increased costs do not find their way on statistical tables. Overshadowing the whole industrial picture today is the threat of lifting rent controls which will further damage the position of the postal workers. More and more must the head of our families rely on assistance with the family group to make ends meet. More and more must postal employees seek temporary relief by debt encroachment. The post-office workers in consideration for the part they play in the commercial processes of our great Nation request that their claims be considered favorably; that Congress heed their wishes and aspirations; that justice be granted them. Dear Senators, favorable consideration by you of the $650 annual increase for all post-office employees will be deeply appreciated by them, their families, and provide the necessary stimuli and recognition for greater and better performances in the movement of the Nation's mail. Sincerely yours, GEORGE J. WACHOWSKI, President. STATEMENT OF DAVID SILVERGLEID, NATIONAL FEDERATION OF POST OFFICE CLERKS, LOCAL 251, BROOKLYN, N. Y. My name is David Silvergleid. I am president of local 251 of the National Federation of Post Office Clerks of Brooklyn, N. Y., with a membership of more than 2,000 post-office clerks. At the outset, permit me to express my appreciation for your action in holding these hearings on pay raise and reclassification for Federal and postal employees. I also sincerely appreciate this opportunity offered me to submit a statement for your consideration. You have a great many and varied pay-raise proposals under consideration. The one that we feel merits your consideration and approval is S. 558, providing for a $650 per annum increase for all postal employees in the field service. As you know, postal employees have received only two rounds of increases since 1945, while labor generally has received three publicized rounds and is now quietly negotiating for and receiving a fourtn round. As a result, postal employees have never been quite able to catch up with the high cost of living, causing considerable mental anguish and hardship. Last year, when postal employees petitioned Congress for a wage increase, the absolute minimum needed to bring them in harmony with existing conditions, was a 33.6-percent increase. Actually, the $450 per annum increase received, constituted a 14.5-percent increase, leaving them with a 19-percent deficit in their purchasing power. Even if we concede that there has been an over-all drop in the cost of living of approximately 3 percent, there would still remain an outstanding deficit of approximately 16 percent in the purchasing value of their dollar. When President Truman signed the Federal employees pay-increase bills last year, he stated that in his opinion the adjustments made were inadequate. In his annual budget message to the Eighty-first Congress this year, he asked for "more realistic salaries" for Government career employees. Your postal employee is merely asking for a wage that will do no more than put him on an economic parity with his neighbors who are employed in private industry. On the basis of actual cost-of-living figures, he is requesting your approval of S. 558, granting him a salary increase of $650 per annum. We are also interested in your approval of S. 1772, cosponsored by a number of distinguished Members of the Senate. This proposal would merely seek to correct some of the outstanding inequities in the last Postal Reclassification Act, Public Law 134, enacted July 6, 1945. Among them are a uniform sick leave and vacation law for all Federal employees. It seems rather incredible that, in this day and age, postal employees in the field service are the only Federal employees who do not enjoy the privilege of 26 days annual and 15 days sick leave. Likewise, the older employees in the service are entitled to immediate credit for their past service toward the longevity grades provided for in Public Law 134. We feel that the granting of such credits was the original intention of Congress, and that it is now long overdue. Public Law 134 also gave credit for four additional grades to postal employees in the service prior to July 1, 1945, a benefit which has never accrued to employees entering the service subsequent to that date. We submit that section 3 of S. 1772 should be approved with an amendment that will give four grades credit to all employees including classified substitutes. I need hardly stress that relief is urgently needed by postal employees, and at once. The vast majority of postal employees in metropolitan New York are either forced to seek supplementary employment, or their wives are compelled to work. This is particularly true in the case of the new employees, most of whom are ex-GI's, and are just starting to raise families. In view of the lateness of the hour, we are hoping that this committee will give these matters speedy consideration. In closing, permit me to again express my sincere appreciation for this opportunity, and also express the hope that our requests will receive your speedy approval. STATEMENT OF A. P. DudicCH, PRESIDENT, AND YALE Schwartz, SECRETARY, LOCAL NO. 81, NATIONAL FEDERATION OF POST OFFICE CLERKS, PITtsburgh, PA., MAY 14, 1949 The salaries of postal employees have consistently lagged behind the living costs, making it extremely difficult for them to maintain a standard of living in keeping with the American tradition. Many of them have had to seek additional employment or their wives obtained jobs, in order to supplement their inadequate salaries. In 1945, postal employees were given a $400 annual pay increase, their first in 20 years. In 1946, they received another increase of $400. Even with these increases, postal employees' wages in 1948 were 33 percent behind the cost of living. The enactment of Public Law 900 by the Eightieth Congress granted postal employees a $450 annual pay increase, or 14.5 percent of difference between their wages and living costs. The cost of living, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics has been reduced approximately 2.5 percent. Therefore, the purchasing power of the postal employees now shows a deficit of approximately 16 percent. We, therefore, urge this subcommittee to recommend immediate consideration and favorable action on S. 558, introduced by Senators Johnston of South Carolina, O'Conor of Maryland, Langer of North Dakota, and Baldwin of Connecticut. The bill provides for a $650 annual salary increase for all postal employees. We feel that this request is modest and justifiable as $650 would merely put the purchasing power of postal employees on a par with that of 1939. It would still leave them with nothing to show for all the years between then and now when savings were dissipated and their standard of living steadily reduced. The Postal Reclassification Act of 1945, Public Law 134, since its enactment has disclosed many inequities that definitely need correction. S. 1772, introduced by Senators McKellar, of Tennessee, Frear, of Delaware. Humphrey, of Minnesota, Kefauver, of Tennessee. Langer, of North Dakota, Baldwin, of Connecticut, Ecton, of Montana, and Hendrickson, of New Jersey, will correct many of these inequities. Section 1 of S. 1772 grants 26 days' annual and 15 days' sick leave, cumulative, for all postal employees. This provision would give the postal employees the same amount of leave as other Federal employees, thus correcting an unjust discrimination. Section 2 grants credit for past service in determining salary grades and, in addition, establishes four additional longevity grades-$100 being awarded after the tenth, thirteenth, seventeenth, and twenty-second years of service. This section would provide a just reward for long and meritorious service and would provide a real incentive to make the postal service a career. Section 3 of the bill provides for the elimination of the four lower grades and gives to all employees entering the service since July 1, 1945, an increase of four grades. We believe this provision will eliminate a huge turn-over in postal employees, which has been costly to the Government because of losses of trained personnel and administrative costs. Most of the men in the lower grades are veterans who certainly deserve a salary commensurate with the cost of living. The $150 increase provided for in section 4 is totally inadequate and should . be amended to provide for the $650 annual increase contained in S. 558. The fifth section provides for the granting of compensatory time at the rate of time and one-half, for all service performed on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. This section would give the postal employees the same consideration as workers in American industry with respect to the 40-hour 5-day week. Section 7 of S. 1772 eliminates the present efficiency rating system. The present method does not truly evaluate the ability or efficiency of the employee. The elimination of this system would remove many employee grievances and improve the morale of the postal personnel. The Post Office Department could save large amounts of money in administrative costs by elimination of the present rating system. The postal employees are looking to the Eighty-first Congress for the proper adjustment of their salaries so that they can provide for their families according to the present American standards. We urge this subcommittee to recommend immediate and favorable action by the Senate on S. 558 and S. 1772. Senator LONG. This committee will recess until 2 o'clock this afternoon, assuming that we obtain the consent of the Senate for the committee to meet. (Whereupon, at 11:55 a. m., the hearing was recessed to reconvene at 2 p. m. this same day.) AFTERNOON SESSION Senator LONG. Shall we begin? Mr. Burke, we will call on you next. STATEMENT OF HON. THOMAS H. BURKE, REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE NINTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT OF THE STATE OF OHIO Mr. BURKE. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My name is Thomas Burke. I am a Member of Congress from the Ninth District of Ohio. I will not take a great deal of the committee's time. I just want to make a general statement. I introduced in the House H. R. 4023, which is the companion bill to Senator Downey's bill, S. 1518, here in the Senate. I just want to register with the committee my endorsement of the general principle of a good classification act, along with substantial pay increases for Government employees generally. I believe that is all. If there are any questions, Mr. Chairman, I would be very happy to answer them. Senator LONG. Thank you. We certainly appreciate your coming, Mr. Burke. I would like to invite you to sit up here for the rest of the hearing, if you have time. Mr. BURKE. I would not have time. I have to get back to the office. Senator LONG. Thank you. Mr. BURKE. Thank you, sir. Senator LONG. Mr. Robert Rice? Mr. RICE. Yes, sir. Senator LONG. Please come forward and make your statement to the committee. STATEMENT OF R. A. RICE, PRESIDENT, RAILWAY MAIL ASSOCIATION Mr. RICE. Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee, my name is R. A. Rice. I am president of the Railway Mail Association, an organization affiliated with the American Federation of Labor, with a membership of over 28,000 railway postal clerks, all employees of the Post Office Department under the direct jurisdiction of the Second Assistant Postmaster General. The duties of a railway postal clerk are hazardous, arduous, and exacting. In their normal occupation of distributing mail en route on fast-moving trains or on highway post offices, they must work long hours without rest, and must continually and rapidly work against time in the proper distribution and dispatch of the mails. In addition to road service, railway postal clerks are also employed in terminal. railway post offices, air-mail fields, and transfer points in railroad stations. All of these employees must be possessed with unusual stamina, alert minds, and healthy bodies to meet the rigors of their work in seeing that the mails are transported to destination without unnecessary delay. As the elected representative of these employees, I am pleased to have the opportunity of appearing before this subcommittee today in support of S. 558, which provides for a $650 increase in the salaries of postal employees; S. 1772, which amends the Reclassification Act of July 6, 1945; and other bills assigned for your consideration affecting railway postal clerks. Senator LONG. May I ask you a question at this point? Senator LONG. You refer to S. 558, which provides for a $650 increase in the salaries of postal employees. Do you know how much in additional appropriations would be necessary to pay that $650 increase to postal employees? Mr. RICE. I didn't figure that out, Mr. Chairman, but it wouldn't be too difficult to figure. If there are about 450,000 employees involved, and if there were a flat increase of $650 each, it would run about what-$300,000,000? Senator LONG. It looks to me as though it would run about $300,000,000. Mr. RICE. I think that is about right. To continue with my statement: The Postal Reclassification Act of 1925 established a starting salary for new employees in the railway mail service of $1,850 per year. This was increased by only $50 on July 1, 1945, making the entrance salary $1,900 per year, and this entrance salary has been increased by only 45 percent up to the present time. Prior to July 1, 1945, the maximum successive grade for railway postal clerks assigned to duty in organizations other than terminal railway post offices and class A road organizations provided a salary of $2,450 per year, and has been increased by only 52 percent up to the present time. In 1934 the maximum salaries of employees in terminal railway post offices were reduced one grade, by act of Congress, from $2,450 |