It is the hope of the maintenance employees that this committee will take immediate action and vote an adequate salary increase for all employees at the earliest possible date. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, I wish to again thank you for this opportunity to appear before you today. Mr. Chairman, I would like to submit to the record enclosure A, which is a chart showing proposed revision of postal field service schedule levels 6 through 20, H.R. 9531, and I would also like to submit a photostat of H.R. 5981, a bill introduced by Mr. Lesinski. Senator JORDAN. Very well, Mr. Messer. (The documents referred to are as follows:) ENCLOSURE A.-Proposed revision of postal field service schedule levels 6 through 20, H.R. 9531 A BILL Relating to increases in compensation granted to wage board employees Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That whenever, pursuant to a wage survey, an increase in rate of basic compensation is granted to any employee of the Federal Government or of the municipal government of the District of Columbia, whose compensation is fixed and adjusted from time to time as nearly as is consistent with the public interest in accordance with the prevailing rates under authority of section 202(7) of the Classification Act of 1949, as amended, the amount of such increase shall apply to the rates of basic compensation of all employees whose rates of compensation are so fixed and adjusted and whose positions are in the wage board grade and step to which the position of such employee is assigned. Any employee whose rate of basic compensation immediately prior to the effective date of such increase is in excess of the maximum rate of the grade to which the position of such employee is assigned, shall be paid basic compensation at a rate equal to his rate of basic compensation in effect immediately prior to such effective date, increased by an amount equal to the amount of the increase applied to the maximum step rate of his grade in the manner provided by the immediately preceding sentence. Senator JORDAN. This hearing will stand in recess, subject to the call of the Chair. (Whereupon, at 12:30 p.m., the committee recessed.) REFORM IN STATUTORY PAY PROVISIONS TUESDAY, MARCH 20, 1962 U.S. SENATE, COMMITTEE ON POST OFFICE AND CIVIL SERVICE, The committee met, pursuant to recess, at 10:45 a.m., in room 6202, New Senate Office Building, Hon. Olin D. Johnston (chairman of the committee) presiding. Present: Senators Johnston, Yarborough, Clark, Jordan, and Carlson. Also present: J. Don Kerlin, assistant staff director, and Frank A. Paschal, minority clerk. The CHAIRMAN. We will resume the hearing on S. 2712. Our first witness today will be Mr. C. T. Norris, president of the National Association of County Office Employees. Mr. Norris, you may proceed. STATEMENT OF C. T. NORRIS, PRESIDENT, ACCOMPANIED BY WOODROW JONES, VICE PRESIDENT; CLYDE R. PAYNE, SECRETARY-TREASURER, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF ASCS COUNTY OFFICE EMPLOYEES; AND RALPH FARR, PRESIDENT, SOUTH CAROLINA ASSOCIATION Mr. NORRIS. I am C. T. Norris, and I am president of the National Association of ASCS County Office Employees. I have with me today Mr. Jones, from Texas, the vice president; Mr. Payne, from Florida, the secretary-treasurer; and I would like to introduce Mr. Ralph Farr, the president of the South Carolina association. The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Farr is from South Carolina, living in a county adjoining my county. Proceed, Mr. Norris. Mr. NORRIS. Mr. Chairman, I am not going to read the testimony. It is very brief anyway, and I would like to make just a few comments. We constitute the largest working force in the Department of Agriculture on the local field level. Our appearance before you today, of course, is in the interest of the pay raise as proposed, and especially to urge that whatever legislation is enacted carry a statement that employees of the ASC county committees shall have their compensation increased by amounts equal, as nearly as may be practicable, to the increases for classified employees. We think this is necessary in the legislation because we are not recognized as classified employees by the Civil Service Commission, even though Congress did, under Public Law 86-568, 86th Congress, recognize us as Federal workers by placing ASCA employees under the Civil Service Retirement Act, and again last year by making our requirements for paying back time the same as for classified employees. For this reason we felt it was necessary for us to come down before you and ask that we be specifically included under any pay raise legislation that might be eaacted. In addition to the facts compiled by others testifying that the pay scale for Federal employees needs to be raised to compare with that in private industry, we would like to point out that on a survey made by the Department of Agriculture in 1961 there is an indication that the county ASCA employees have received since 1950, 16 percent less salary increase than have classified Government workers and steelworkers. Since that time there has been some upgrading within our organization which has reduced this to about 14 percent. We had an overall increase of about 2 percent last fall. The CHAIRMAN. May I ask in what manner was that increase brought about last year? Mr. NORRIS. The upgrading of the county office jobs by the Department of Agriculture. We upgraded a good many counties across the country. It resulted in about a 2-percent overall increase in county office salaries. The CHAIRMAN. Do you know whether or not that included other offices except yours, that is, not ASCS? Mr. NORRIS. Just within ASCS, within the Department. They upgraded the classification of a good many counties across the country. The CHAIRMAN. Why was your increase only 2 percent when there a 16-percent differential between your group and classified employees. Mr. NORRIS. This was, as I understand it, just a step that the Department took to relieve some inequities by upgrading certain counties that met certain standards that they had established for grading counties, and they determined that counties with workloads falling within certain ranges should meet certain employment standards for grades. The CHAIRMAN. Did all ASCS employees get this raise, or part? Mr. NORRIS. Just part, those counties that were affected by the upgrading, and it varied by States. Some States were upgraded more than others. The CHAIRMAN. So some counties got no increase? Mr. NORRIS. Got no increase whatsoever. I happen to be in one. of those counties that did not get any increase, but a good many counties in my home State did get the increase. We do not know of any specific bill being considered by this committee. There is one that was introduced in the House, H.R. 9935, that carries a statement that would cover the needs of this group, and all we ask is that we just have a special wording in the bill that we would be included in whatever pay raise legislation. The CHAIRMAN. Hearing no objection, I shall also incorporate that bill into the record. I think we ought to have it since you have mentioned it, so we will know just what that bill says in regard to the matter. Mr. NORRIS. Thank you, sir. (H.R. 9935 is as follows:) [H.R. 9935, 87th Cong., 2d sess.] A BILL To adjust the rates of basic compensation of certain officers and employees fo the Federal Government, and for other purposes Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That this Act may be cited as the "Federal Employees Salary Adjustment Act of 1962". SEC. 2. (a) Section 603 (b) of the Classification Act of 1949, as amended (74 Stat. 298; 5 U.S.C. 1131(b)), is amended to read as follows: "(b) The compensation schedule for the General Schedule shall be as follows: (b) The rates of basic compensation of officers and employees to whom this section applies shall be adjusted as follows: (1) If the officer or employee is receiving basic compensation immediately prior to the effective date of this section at one of the scheduled or longevity rates of a grade in the General Schedule of the Classification Act of 1949, as amended, he shall receive a rate of basic compensation at the corresponding scheduled or longevity rate in effect on and after such date. (2) If the officer or employee is receiving basic compensation immediately prior to the effective date of this section at a rate between two scheduled or two longevity rates, or between a scheduled and a longevity rate, of a grade in the General Schedule, he shall receive a rate of basic compensation at the higher of the two corresponding rates in effect on and after such date. (3) If the officer or employee (other than an officer or employee subject to paragraph (4) of this subsection), immediately prior to the effective date of this section, is receiving basic compensation at a rate in excess of the maximum longevity of his grade, or in excess of the maximum scheduled rate of his grade if there is no longevity rate for his grade, he shall receive basic compensation at a rate equal to the rate which he received immediately prior to such effective date, increased by an amount equal to the amount of the increase made by this section in the maximum longevity rate, or the maximum scheduled rate, as the case may be, of his grade until (A) he leaves such position, or (B) he is entitled to receive basic compensation at a higher rate by reason of the operation of the Classification Act of 1949, as amended; but, when his position becomes vacant, the rate of basic compensation of any subsequent appointee thereto shall be fixed in accordance with such Act, as amended. (4) If the officer or employee, immediately prior to the effective date of this section, is receiving, pursuant to paragraph (4) of section 2(b) of the Federal Employees Salary Increase Act of 1955, an existing aggregate rate of compensation determined under section 208(b) of the Act of September 1, 1954 (68 Stat. 1111; Public Law 763, Eighty-third Congress), plus the amount of the increase provided by section 2 of the Federal Employees Salary Increase Act of 1955, by section 2 of the Federal Employees Salary Increase Act of 1958, and by section 112 of the Federal Employees Salary Increase Act of 1960, he shall receive an aggregate rate of compensation equal to the sum of (A) his existing aggregate rate of compensation determined under such 79631-62-13 section 208(b) of the Act of September 1, 1954, (B) the amount of the increase provided by section 2 of the Federal Employees Salary Increase Act of 1955, (C) the amount of the increase provided by section 2 of the Federal Employees Salary Increase Act of 1958, (D) the amount of the increase provided by section 112 of the Federal Employees Salary Increase Act of 1960, and (E) the amount of the increase made by this section in the maximum longevity rate of his grade, until (i) he leaves his position, or (ii) he is entitled to receive aggregate compensation at a higher rate by reason of the operation of this Act or any other provision of law; but, when such position becomes vacant, the aggregate rate of compensation of any subsequent appointee thereto shall be fixed in accordance with applicable provisions of law. Subject to clauses (i) and (ii) of the immediately preceding sentence of this paragraph, the amount of the increase provided by this section shall be held and considered for the purpose of section 208(b) of such Act of September 1, 1954, to constitute a part of the existing rate of compensation of such employee. (5) If the officer or employee, at any time during the period beginning on the effective date of this section and ending on the date of enactment of this Act, was promoted from one grade under the Classification Act of 1949, as amended, to another such grade at a rate which is above the minimum rate thereof, his rate of basic compensation shall be adjusted retroactively from the effective date of this section to the date on which he was so promoted, on the basis of the rate which he was receiving during the period from such effective date to the date of such promotion and, from the date of such promotion, on the basis of the rate for that step of the appropriate grade of the General Schedule contained in this section which corresponds numerically to the step of the grade of the General Schedule for such officer or employee which was in effect (without regard to this Act) at the time of such promotion. (6) If the officer or employee on the rolls has had his rate of basic compensation established, under authority of section 803 of the Classification Act of 1949, as amended (68 Stat. 1106; 5 U.S.C. 1133), at any time during the period beginning on September 1, 1954, and ending on the date of enactment of this Act, his rate of basic compensation shall be adjusted retroactively in accordance with one or more of the following provisions of this paragraph (6) as applicable (A) if his rate of basic compensation was established under authority of such section 803 after September 1, 1954, and prior to the effective date of this section such rate shall be adjusted retroactively, for the period of time served by him in a pay status under the Classification Act of 1949 in the position concerned on and after such effective date and prior to the date of enactment of this Act, on the basis of the rate for that step of the appropriate grade of the General Schedule contained in this section which corresponds numerically to the step of the grade of the General Schedule which was in effect for such officer or employee, without regard to this Act, as a result of such adjustment under such section 803; and (B) if his rate of basic compensation was established under authority of such section 803 on or after the effective date of this section and prior to the date of enactment of this Act, such rate shall be adjusted retroactively for the period of time served by him in a pay status under the Classification Act of 1949 in the position concerned on and after such effective date and prior to such date of enactment, as follows (i) for the period of time prior to the effective date of the establishment of his rate of basic compensation under such section 803, on the basis of the rate of basic compensation which he was receiving during such period, and (ii) for the period of time on and after the effective date of the establishment of his rate of basic compensation under such section 803, on the basis of the rate for that step of the appropriate grade of the General Schedule contained in this section which corresponds numerically to the step of the grade of the General Schedule which was in effect for such officer or employee, without regard to this Act, as a result of such adjustment under such section 803, and such basic compensation adjusted under subparagraphs (A) and (B) (ii) of this paragraph (6) shall be paid in accordance with such subparagraphs until (a) he leaves such position, or |