Retirement Act*^the eornplainS abovg
are only a part of what might be com
plained about.
Some I comp tain that age 65 is too
young for retirement. This Complaining
arises from the crying need for more
able people in service. Some complain
•that the pensions are too low. This is
mainly because those who retire in the
early years of The Act’s existence do not
| B H chance to build up the pension
amountflthrough their current service
contributions,
There would be little complaint about
Ilffe5 being too young fo rg tirc m cn t
if the retiring employee received what
he felt was an adequate pension. There
would be no shortage , of experienced
help if s'tate^wage schedules and working
conditions were what they ought to be.
PensibrOfor those whoShaVe retired
and for those who will retire in the next
few years" J|j|k '¡.small, too small. Even
the maximum pension afters 3 0 years of
current service, since July 1,M 946,
amounts to approximately $100 per
month E S a worker who contributes on
the maximum amount matched by the
State. That is not too largest The OSEA
believes it can sponsor and/or success;?,
fullyisupport measures which will cor-
rect present'deficiencies in this A ct. We
encourage cooperation to this end; not
destruction!
★
Curing By Killing?
If every progressive movement were
to be done away with because of some
defect therein» it is doubtful if we
would be beyond the stone age in pro
gress. Opponents of Civil Service have
always been preserit, but Civil Service
has grown and steadily improved. When
cutting tools dull, should they be
thrown away? A little sharpening
would seem in order! Energy expended
in destiOepiVe criticism is wasted; ener^-
gy directed towards betterment is wise
ly used. To determine the worth of Ci
vil Service, for good or evil, we as State
employees can Well efford to give it a
chance to operate more fullyis Scoffers
are a dime H dozen—not so long :ago
they ridiculed the "h o rsek ^ carriage.”
SimilarTreasoning applies to the Re
tirem ent'A ct. Thousands of employees
are now methodically and regularly lay
ing away a part of their earnings against
the "rainy day/’ When has such thrift
becomeda I vice? No contributing em
ployee can purchase a life pension at
less cost than under our Retirement
•System. Why should a few discontents
try to scuttle the ship which can and
will carry the many to a safe harbor
in their later years. To cure the ail-
ments by helpful treatment seems more
sensible than by killing the patient!
★
★
Civil Service Commission Active
In Discharge of Its Duties;
A Report of Accomplishments, Aims
The establishment of the Civil Ser
vice
has -meant that for
the first time employees have a specific
agency to which they may jgo ■ in pre
senting grievanc^pr S u rin g informa
tion on personnel practices in the state
service. Countless employees have visit
ed the CivilbServiceSSice since its es
tablishment to secure information re
garding vacations, sick leave, salary in
creases,,. reclassification, leave without
pay, etc. Never before had definite poli
cies been established on these important
phases of employment which treated all
employees in an equal manner. Some de
partments had developed well devised