Statement About Pay Adjustments for Federal Blue-Collar Employees

I HAVE taken two actions today which directly affect all blue-collar employees of the Federal Government:

--First, I have authorized an immediate resumption of wage surveys for blue-collar workers, which will lead to pay increases for those workers where the surveys indicate that adjustments are needed. This action is consistent with the pay hikes granted to white-collar workers this month under provisions of the Economic Stabilization Act Amendments of 1971.

--Secondly, I have signed an Executive order [11639] directing the Civil Service Commission to issue instructions to executive agencies on fixing the rates of basic pay for blue-collar employees. These instructions will limit pay adjustments for these workers to guidelines established by the Pay Board in the same way that adjustments are now circumscribed for Federal white-collar workers.

Together, these measures are designed to insure that Federal workers--white and blue-collar--receive similar treatment with regard to pay adjustments, and that this is consistent with Pay Board policies.