AFL COUNCIL FIGHTS MOVE TO MERGE RETIREMENT SETUPS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP57-00384R001200230003-3
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 17, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 5, 2000
• Sequence Number: 3
• Content Type: NSPR

Approved For Release 2000/08/25 : CIA-
AFL. Council Fights M we
To Merg6 Retirement Setups
By Joseph Young
The AFL Government Employes 'Council has informed the
special Congressional-appointed committee studying the Govern-
'ment's retirement system that it strongly opposes any;"move that
would combine or even supplement civil service retirement benefits
with social security.
In a recent meeting with the committee, leaders of the council,
which represents Federal em-
ploye unions with more than ever slight, would give Congress
500,000 members, said that new the excuse to abolish the civil
l l b e i a. I i zerl ;.;., _-- ....,....,,< ;.
' b e n e f i t s
should be en-
acted within
the frame-
Work of the
civil service
retirement
system rather
than aug-
menting it by
social sec u-
rity.
The com-
mittee, which
b y Congress Joseph 'Young.
to study and recommend changes
in the Government's retirement
system, is now hearing the views
of various employe groups in
connection with its project. The
committee has not yet decided
what it will recommend. It will
service retirement system even-
tually. They stress the fact
that for career employes who
work most of their adult life in
the' Government, civil service re-
tirement benefits are far greater
than those provided by social
security.
presided a L1he meeting.
,}fifty
Kaplan is committee chairman.
The other members are the Sec-
retaries of Defense and Treasury,
chairman of the Civil Service
Commission, chairman of the
Board of Governors of the Fed-
eral Reserve System, and dirdo.
for of the Budget Bureau. All of
them were present or had repre-
sentatives at the meeting.
OVERSIGHT - An apparent
oversight in the new veterans
preference law approved by Con-.
gress deprives the wives of dis=
abled veterans and the widows
of those killed in action from
getting top consideration for
civil service jobs. Until now they
have held these rights.
The new law was aimed pri-
marily at requiring veterans to
make a passing grade in civil
service exams before getting 5
and 10 points preference. It
also allows only veterans with
at least 10 per cent compensable
OTHER PROPOSALS - The
disability to go to the top of
emnloye leaders also urged the civil service job registers.
committee to draft proposals However, the way the new, law
that would eventually bring the is written it does not include
800,000 Government indefinite wives and widows among those
workers under civil service re- who can go to the top of civil
tirement. These employes are service job registers, as they
now under social security. could previously. Wives and
The employe officials also pro- widows still receive 10 points
posed that short-term Federal veterans preference, but they
workers be given credit under can no longer be placed ahead
the civil service retirement sys- of other eligibles on civil service
tem for their term of service, so fob lists.
that if they ever return to Gov-
ernment they can continue their Undoubtedly, this is due to'an
consider the views of actuaries civil service retirement coverage.
and financial experts before , The committee was asked to
drafting its proposals that are back increased annuities for re-
due to be submitted to Congress +,,.e, W.A...1 -,,?U- o?A ,.,,
The AFL Federal employe
leaders told tl~e committee that
1 they were fearful that linking
civil service retirement with
social security would eventually
cause the disintegration of the
civil service retirement system.
The employe leaders strongly
urged liberalizing Government
employes' survivorship insurance
benefits, which in most cases are
higher under social security.
They also urged increasing bene-
fits for short-term Federal em-
ployes, the benefits of which are
also greater under social secu-
rity.
But these improvements should
oversight on the part of those
who drafted the law, rather than
any deliberate move to deprive
the women of these rights. The
urge elimination of the cut in i American Legion said it will ask
pension that a retired worker Congress when it convenes in
January to rectify this oversight.
must take if his wife is to re
-
ceive benefits when he dies.
Also, a lower retirement age,
especially for employes hit in
reductions-in-force, was advo-
cated.
H. Eliot Kaplan, New York at-
torney and civil service expert,
Read the Federal Spotlight
column in The Star six days a
week and listen to the radio
edition of the Federal spot-
light every Saturday at 7:30
p.m. over WMAL.
be made within the framework
of the civil service retirement
system, the union leaders de-
clared. The adamant oppos
tion to even supplemental social!
security benefits came as a sur-
prise to some committee mem-
bers. It had always been known
that employe groups are strongly
opposed to merging civil service
retirement with social security.
But it had been thought that
employes . would not object to
supplemental social security
benefits such as survivorship in
s`~'p}i se 00/08/25 : CIA-RDP57-00384R001200230003-3
parently feel tha any con#nec-
tion with social slcurity, how-