Organizational pride and teamwork was stressed today by the Unions to DOD. As the presentation went though its paces it was interrupted by questions due to a continuing lack of content, detail and intent. It’s clear that the different DoD component’s policies for hiring and setting pay salaries, along with to what extent that will be delegated down to at the individual Agencies, Organizations, Units and maybe Supervisor still needs to be clarified. Implementing Issuances is not the answer we want to hear.

Inducement tools and relocation benefits will remain and be flexible. Employees must be able to know this system is going to be fair in order for them to buy into it or apply for any vacancies.

This question was overlooked by DoD: While being capped under Federal Law, the fact that Federal Wage Grade employees have proven through wage surveys that their pay lags behind the so called Local Area Market (Prevailing Wage), will NSPS level the field and provide them the competitive wages they’ve sought for years?

Union Quote of the day "This is going to be a Budget-Based Pay System as opposed to Pay for Performance!" "This system needs some predictability."

Soft Skills Training

Some agencies and installations are conducting so called "soft skills training" as a precursor to the implementation of NSPS. One of the union’s concerns with this type of training is how it is presented to the bargaining unit. Depending upon how well prepared and qualified the instructor is, some employees could interpret the training as meaning that NSPS is in effect now. IT IS NOT!

Union officials and stewards should be on the alert with respect to how the training is being presented and how the employees are interpreting the material being presented. Before, during, or after the class ask the instructor open-ended questions such as:

• Are these rules in effect now?
• When will the Meet and Confer meetings conclude?
• Has the union and DoD come to an agreement yet?

Tell your stewards and members before the class to ask these important and revealing questions. Inform them the union is still meeting with DoD officials regarding the NSPS, which is required by Federal law, "before" it can be implemented.

DEFCON depends on you, the Locals, to keep management from trying to implement NSPS before the law allows it. You have every right to attend the NSPS training and to question the officials conducting it.

Stay informed with the Union Blog columnist Donald Hands: Don is a Chief Steward from local 2024 from Kittery Maine. For those of you who use the AFGE.ORG web page follow Don’s story for the rest of Meet and Confer, you can link from the http://www.afge.org/Index.cfm?Page=UnionBlog&Hit=286 icon on the left side of the Home page.

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