Speech #890083672

I am today introducing legislation to provide for a uniform pay system with respect to overtime. night and holiday work. for the Federal agencies involved in border inspection work. This bill will provide that Agriculture Research Service employees in the Department of Agriculture and Public Health Service employees in the Department of Health. Education. and Welfare who perform border inspection services are compensated in like manner as Bureau of Customs employees in the Department of the Treasury and Immigration and Naturalization Service employees in the Department of Justice. who also perform such inspection services. The civil servants in all these categories perform comparable duties at our ports of entry and border stations. At this time. however. the Agriculture and Public Health Service employees receive regular pay for Sunday work. this day being considered as a part of the regular 40hour work week. Customs and Immigration employees. however. are compensated for comparable work on a reimbursable doubletime basis. My bill provides that whatever the basis for compensation for the Customs and Immigration officials. this basis shall apply also to Agriculture and Public Health Service employees. Such standardization is in keeping with the spirit and intent of the civil service systema system of merit where equal compensation is given for equal work performed.