Comment Number: 05-02582-EREG-48-d7391-c31984
Received: 2/25/2005 8:00:00 AM
Subject: Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, Request for Comment
Title: National Security Personnel System
CFR Citation: 5 CFR Chapter XCIX and Part 9901
No Attachments

Comments:

I'd like to comment on the NSPS;
I've worked for DOD for 22 years as both a military
payroll clerk and civillian computer specialist. During this time I have worked for several supervisors and managers achieving 22 fully successful ratings. On occasion I've had to go to a union represenative for clarification of an assignment or to represent my view to management. This has been a valuable "check" to the system and helped "balance" the needs of the service to my personal needs. Our whole system
of government is based on these checks and
balances. The NSPS will weaken the protection from abuse that the union provides by making the empoyees position meaningless compared to DOD's. Without meaningful union representation
workers will be at a much higher risk for abuse. If the NSPS system is truly about rewarding high performers then it should lay out the criteria for what
a high and low performer is. To leave this up to management means making it subjective to the many weaknesses of man, assumptions;
You like people that think like you do, those that don't think like you are held in less regard.
We treat our friends better than those we don't
know.
This has nothing to do with performance per se
but it molds a persons viewpoint. These viewpoints are whats going to effect the performance review.
Knowing that the union is there to enforce the objectivity of the Civil Service Act over the subjectivity of NSPS is our check to balance this system. Under todays system high performers can be rewarded with bonuses, time off, medals,
certificates and promotions among a host of others.
If management chooses to use these they have rewarded high performers. To take money from the pool of workers that are average as NSPS would is to penalize most of us. It will not drive us all to be
high performers because we are all uniquely different. The Civil Service system has protected all of us equally and established a system to deal
with the low performers. Today, management can remove people for incompetence but only after giving a last chance for improvement. Under NSPS its the bosses view against yours which refers back to we'll all be friends and think alike or "I" will
have you removed, this has nothing to do with performance but politics and how to get rewarded.
The Civil Service Act has done a very good job in getting people equal treatment regardless of viewpoint and maintained a high level of objectivity.
NSPS will propegate an atmosphere of favoritism,
racism, cronyism and destroy the 50 years progress in workers rights provided by union representation guaranteed by the Civil Service Act.
Im happy to say that Im close to retirement and will take my high performing self elsewhere. In God we trust never the NSPS.