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About 2 out of 5 agreements liberalized vacations. Most frequently they added a half-week's paid vacation for workers with 10 but less than 15 years of service. In addition to this change, the steel settlement also added a halfweek of vacation for those with 3 or 4 years' service and for those with 25 or more years' service. The next most common changes were the reduction in eligibility requirements for a third week of vacation, generally from 15 to 10 or 12 years of service, or the addition of a fourth week after 25 years' employment. Holiday provisions were liberalized in 1 out of 3 agreements affecting the same proportion of workers (numbering 1.9 million); typically, the change involved an additional paid holiday, often Good Friday. In 173 settlements, the new holiday brought the total number of days off to 7; in 55 settlements, an eighth holiday was added.

Pensions were established or increased in a fourth of the contracts; these agreements accounted for 1,6 million workers. In many instances, the entire benefit structure was liberalized, but in other cases only minimum benefits were changed. A notable development was provision for the vesting of pension rights in the steel and related agreements.

Supplemental unemployment benefit plans continued to spread, notably to the steel, aluminum, and rubber industries. Such provisions were incorporated in 96, or 8 percent of the major settlements summarized. Altogether these agreements covered more than 857,000 workers, most of whom were represented by the United Steelworkers of America and were employed in basic steel and related industries. These plans brought the total number of workers covered by supplemental unemployement benefit provisions to more than 2 million by the end of 1956.

Mr. RILEY. The Cordiner report, as I stated, on fringe benefits was just quoted.

This is the report the Budget Bureau tried hard to keep under wraps and failed.

In line with this reference, Government finds it impossible in some instances to induce persons to apply for employment. This is notably true in the postal service. But it also is true in the clerical and administrative classes, the so-called general services.

The Civil Service Commission's own solution to this problem, in part, has been to increase starting salaries. In the categories where the skills are such that the response to induce applicants to come into Government is insufficient to get them in. When no scarcity of applicants is seen, the Commission is standpat, even to fighting legislation. But again, we turn to the Cordiner report for some golden words:

Employees must receive sufficient compensation to enable them to establish and maintain a standard of living which will allow them to discharge their responsibilities to their families and to their employers.

The productivity factor which so many have still to learn to recognize and the highest Consumer Price Index highlight the eloquence of the Cordiner report.

Attempting to sit on the lid to hold down salaries in Government, cannot possibly hold down wages in industry as a few in influentiaĺ positions wish to believe.

Those with favorable opportunity to retire will do so, others will remain "stuck." Yet job vacancies which still cannot be usurped by automation will cry for replacements who will not come forth. Necessary services will remain unrendered and salaries will lapse. The economizers will view their handiwork as "economy."

But what has happened? Just this: There has been no legislation in this field recently, so that the following table as of August 3, 1956, in the U. S. News & World Report probably has moved upward except for Federal Government employees and veterans.

92764-57--10

(The document referred to is as follows:)

People who really have prospered in 17 boom years
THESE GROUPS ARE GETTING BIGGER "REAL" INCOMES

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Retired Federal Government workers____

1 Average return on securities bought in 1939 and held to date. 2 Married veteran with no dependents.

NOTE.

After allowing for taxes and for changes in the value of the dollar.

The same survey continues by saying:

down 49 down 13

People living on pensions are in trouble, unless their pensions are increased as the cost of living rises. This rarely happens. Payments to retired Federal workers, for example, are adjusted by Congress only occasionally. Last year, these payments were increased an average of 10 percent. But this still left such retired workers worse off than in 1939.

Government employees, including schoolteachers, frequently must adjust to a lower standard of living while waiting for salaries to be raised. In the long run, they have managed to stay ahead of inflation, but their gains have been sporadic.

What is indicated in the premise? The best answers seem to be derived from the September 1956 report of the Heller committee for research on social economics, University of California, based upon a

budget for a family of 4-father, mother, a boy 13, and a girl 8. As good as the Heller report is it is not realistic when the children are beyond 13 and 8. In the last few years the cost of education at least in the higher levels has increased more than double. So that I do not know how a youngster getting into college can go to school for $6.33 a year-this is for 2 youngsters-this is education, school dues, supplies, and so forth, and I do not see any other place where a teen-age fellow can get into school and have the competence to back him to get through his curriculum and to get his degree.

The Heller budget was compiled on consumer prices in the San Francisco Bay area. It calls for a minimum income for a homeowner of $5,849.67. For a family who rent their home, the minimum must be $5,592.59. That budget for a family who occupy a rented home is:

(The information referred to above is as follows:)

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Household operation (utilities, laundry, supplies, etc.).

House furnishings (furniture, appliances, etc.).

Clothing and upkeep__

54. 39 702.00

216. 06

213. 27

464. 74

Man__.

Woman.

Boy of 13

Girl of 8-‒‒‒‒

Transportation

Automobile_

Carfare

Medical and dental care

Personal insurance_.

Commercial life insurance_

Federal old-age and survivors insurance_.
California disability insurance__

Personal care (barber and beauty service, supplies).

Recreation (paid admissions, TV, vacation, etc.).

Tobacco_.

Reading__

Education (school dues, supplies, etc.)

Union dues___

Gifts and contributions___

Miscellaneous___

122.79

137.36

109. 01

95.58

530.73

513. 80

16. 93

436. 34

233. 08

119. 08

84.00

30.00

103.85

202.24

94. 12 32. 30

6. 33

54. 84

82.57 14. 75

If I have helped our affiliated unions, their members and the members of this committee better to understand the necessity of this legislation is real as well as apparent, then I am thankful.

Getting into S. 1326, Mr. Chairman, pages 19 and 20 of that bill contain a classification list of Civil Service Commission series codes and series titles. Series Code GS-803-0, series title safety engineer series, should be included in this classification list for the following

reasons:

Safety engineers in Federal Government are required to have a high degree of technical competence and a skilled professional ability in order effectively to carry out their responsibilities. Saving of human lives and reduction of human suffering are the benefits from good safety programs—not counting the economic benefits obtained.

For example, a Federal safety engineer may be called on at any moment to evaluate exposure of a hazardous chemical or material used in a research, manufacturing, military or office activity in Government. He must be able to work with design engineers in preventing chemical hazards from arising in new installations, or must be able to detect, evaluate and propose effective control measures in existing installations. Hazardous chemicals include gases, liquids, solids, mists, vapors, dusts and combinations of these states of matter. The safety engineer must have an understanding of how these dangerous substances may affect the body, the allowable tolerances, and the types of methods most effective to keep the exposures within safely usable bounds. He must be able to work effectively with the scientific and professional staffs using these hazardous chemicals and materials.

A Federal safety engineer may be called upon short notice to evaluate exposure of hazardous machines and equipment. He must be able to work with design and mechanical engineers in the development of safe machines and equipment, but must be able to detect and evaluate existing hazardous exposures to personnel due to unsafe design, improper use, or improper maintenance. Detailed inspections, investigations of injuries, and analysis and studies of methods are used for these purposes. He has many other qualifications and duties.

The Sixth President's Conference on Occupational Safety will be held in 1958, when thousands of representatives from all segments of the Nation's economy will meet in Washington to discuss ways to stimulate national interest in safety in the occupational fields. Presidential prestige behind such a movement emphasizes the high regard for the Nation's safety needs, and provides a leadership and incentive which could not be obtained in any other way. This Presidential leadership should also be carried over into the recognition of Federal safety engineers as scientific or professional personnel within the purview of Senate bill S. 1326.

The above discussion covers a few of the reasons for including the GS-803-0 series, which is the safety engineer series of the Civil Service Commission, in S. 1326, an act cited as the "Scientific and Professional Classification Act.""

The Board of Registration for Professional Engineers for the District of Columbia and for the several States where such boards exist have recognized the professional status of safety engineering by accepting them for registration as safety engineers.

We ask that safety engineers be not excluded from S. 1326. Mr. Chairman, these remarks are intended to be in full support in line with President Meany's direction for the three bills that are on the table. I have not particularized greatly in any one field, classified or scientific or postal. Those subjects have been well handled by the unions affiliated with the AFL-CIO themselves.

Senator NEUBERGER. Thank you very much, Mr. Riley.
Senator Morton, do you have any questions?

Senator MORTON. No questions.

Senator NEUBERGER. Mr. Kerlin?
Mr. KERLIN. No questions.

Senator NEUBERGER. Mr. Paschal?

Mr. PASCHAL. No questions.

Senator NEUBERGER. Mr. Riley, we appreciate your coming. We are aware of your long-time interest in this very urgent and critical situation. We are very glad to have your valuable knowledge and information.

The next witness will be Mr. John W. MacKay, president of local 64, National Federation of Post Office Clerks. Mr. MacKay is from Los Angeles.

STATEMENT OF JOHN W. MacKAY, PRESIDENT, LOCAL 64, NATIONAL FEDERATION OF POST OFFICE CLERKS, LOS ANGELES, CALIF.

Mr. MACKAY. Mr. Chairman, my name is John W. MacKay. I am president of Los Angeles Local No. 64, National Federation of Post Office Clerks. Our organization represents approximately 2,000 post office clerks employed in the Los Angeles, Calif., post office.

Our purpose here is to place ourselves emphatically on record in support of S. 27, a bill to provide urgently needed salary advances for all postal employees.

We wish to thank you, Senator Neuberger, as chairman of the Senate subcommittee, for the privilege of appearing and participating in these important hearings on this postal salary measure. We also express our grateful appreciation to the distinguished chairman of the Senate Post Office and Civil Service Committee, Senator Olin D. Johnston, and the other members and staff of the committee.

Mr. Chairman, while there may be many ramifications on the question of postal pay there are three specific problems we consider to be most significant in the campaign to enact S. 27 into law. Finding the correct solution to these problems is essential to the successful operation of the Los Angeles post office as well as many others throughout the Nation. We believe the passage and approval of S. 27 is the right solution.

As we see it these three problems are:

1. Turnover of postal personnel: There is perhaps no more serious aspect of postal employment prevalent today than the abnormal turnover of personnel. This became highly evident 2 months ago when we concluded a detailed study of personnel changes in Los Angeles during the year 1956. The results of this survey indicated an approximate 31 percent turnover of clerical personnel, most of whom quit for more lucrative employment elsewhere. Our study also revealed the turnover rate was higher in the clerical category. A similar review by the postmaster at Los Angeles revealed an office

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