15
B when
the Retirement Board w ith-
■ drew its request to discontinue the
■ excess contribution privilege.
4. We supported the Civil Service
B Commission proposal to blanket in
■ present employees after learning th a t
B Veteran Organizations felt this
would bejtter aid, the veterans than
B would the requiring of examinations,
ft ; We did not present a bill to estab-
lish the 5 day 40 hour week or one
relative to overtime 5 for State em-
ployees on the advice of our Legal
Council, our Executive Secretary
B a n d others, all of whom told us the
request would be denied and we
would find ourselves in a worse B B
uation than we are in at present.
This advice has proved to be cor
rect so fa r in the m atter of the 5
day 40 hour week.
6. The A. F. S. & M. E. presented sev-
eral bills which were not on our
legislative program and which cov-
ered I administrative matters, that
■ sh o u ld ' have been presented to the
■ C iv il Service Commission. We were
unjustly assailed as "opposing the
interests of the employees” when
we maintained a neutral positions
7. The A. F. S. & M. E. also proposed
to remove the "open back door”
clause in the. Civil Service A cf. The
Association pledged itself to sup
port the "open back door” policy in
1945 and we reaffirmed the position
S in, this instance. . ■
8; Much of the Legislative Committees’
and the Legal Counsel’s time was
taken up in defense of our present
personnel legislation. A m ultitude of
amendments were introduced, some
harmful, some not harm ful b u t few
beneficiaL This phase of our legis
lative work will increase in im port
ance as time goes on.
9. The necessity for the constant at
tendance of, our legal counsel at the
session was proven at this session.
Mr. F. Leo Smith, as our Legal
Counsel, was invaluable and 1 wish
to commend , him to you most high
ly. I attach hereto a copy of his
report.
11 Fraternally,
I. A. D e FRANCE
Counsel Tells of Difficulties in Pressing
Legislative Program
Bo the Board of Directors
®regon Stâte Employées Association
A t Salem,,Oregon on April 20, 1947< î Ç'
Gentlemen:
The following is my report to you re-
garding matters effecting your interest
as i state employees, which were under
consideration bÿ the 44th Legislative
Assembly. I was confronted w ith the
task , of working in support of some
Wvil' service bills, resisting other civil
service bills, likewise supporting and
resisting retirement bills, and support
ing and resisting wage and hour legis-
lation. There was a total of 22 ¡bills and
in addition, several other issues, which
did not ripen into bills, which required
work and attention. In commenting
upon the specific bills, I will divide
them into four categories; Civil Ser
vice, Retirement, Wages and Hours,
and Miscellaneous.
CIVIL SERVICE I
,S. B. 127, a bill to amend the Civil
Service A.ct, Was prepared by the Civil
Service Commission. The State Em
ployees Association assisted the Com
mission in presenting the bill. The bill
as adopted, provided:
First, that the Commission may,
when it appears clearly 9to the best in
terest of the state, require that certain
professionàl, technical or administrative
positions be opened to Competitive ex
aminations rather than permitting them
being filled by promotion.
Second, that in filling vacancies, the
number of names to be certified shall
be three in case of ’one vacancy, four
in case of twç> vacancies, and for more