Comments:

February 18, 2005

  DoD NSPS Comments

   DoD NSPS Comments:

  I am a 30% disable veteran and a 25 year DOD employee and I am concerned. Labor-Management Relations I Congress reconizes DOD's need for enhanced flexibility. They implement the requirements of 5 USC 9902 by ensuring the right of employees to organize. This just doesn't seem to me that is what they are doing at all. DoD has

taken away collective bargaining and replaced with something that they want Congress to believe is the same thing. Consult was added as a distinct method of removing any and all input from the labor market. Changing from bargaining to consulting and adding issuances will change everything about the way government works and not likely to be for the good of the War Fighter. Any contract that is conflict with DOD policy will void. A new labor relations board will be established by DOD and the Secretrary will hand pick the board and he will make what he thinks the laws should be for them to preform their job.  This country is and has been a larg scale conflict in many countries around the world and it has been done using the work force in DOD organizations. As always the unselfish federal employee has responded no only with hard work and dedication, but with pride because we are what make the war effort here at home something to be proud of. Now after all these years the Secretary has taken upon himself to change everything inside DOD that has made the world a safe place. This attact on DOD workers seems to be a ploy to chase the workforce into retirement so everything can be contracted out to privite business. You will find that a privite company will not care about the people and the work the way our DOD employees have done for the last 100 years. We are the veterans and our children are the war fighters and there is knowone that cares like we do. 

  Annual Pay Raises

  Under the General Schedule, employee pay was clear.  It was funded by Congress and could not be taken away.  However, NSPS will take away this certainty.  Salaries and bonuses are funded by DoD.  In the past – as recently as just last year – DoD did not fund its awards program.  Given the agency’s miserable record on this issue, how can employees feel confident that our salaries and bonuses will be funded in the future? 

  “Friend of the Supervisor” Pay System

  With the new patronage pay system, which DoD calls “pay for performance,”  the amount of a worker's salary will depend almost completely on the personal judgment of his or her manager.  This system will force workers to compete with one another for pay raises, which will destroy teamwork, increase conflict among employees, and reward short-term outcomes. There is no guarantee that even the best workers will receive a pay raise or that the pay offered will be fair or competitive.  This system will create a situation in which workers are in conflict with one another and afraid to speak out about harassment, violations of the law, and workplace safety problems.  Furthermore, there will be no impartial appeal system to assure that everyone is treated fairly. 

  Schedules and Overtime

  NSPS will allow managers to schedule employees to work without sufficient advance notice of schedule changes.  This will make it extremely difficult for working parents to care for their children and family. It will also mean that abusive managers could harass employees with bad schedules or short notice.  Overtime rotations can be canceled, which means that employees may not be able to plan adequately for childcare and other important responsibilities.

  Civilian Deployment

  Federal employees could be assigned anywhere in the world, even into a war zone, with little or no notice.  I am proud to serve my country but I am also responsible for caring for my family and my personal obligations at home.  We signed up for a civilian job.  We did not enlist in th military. Today’s volunteer system works well. 

America is at war.  We are fighting for democracy abroad.  But the regulations are an attack on workers’ basic rights.  Furthermore, NSPS will divert the attention of defense workers from the soldiers’ welfare to protecting themselves from abuse on the job.  I urge you to force DoD to rethink this proposal.  We need work rules that preserve fairness, serve the American people, and respect the rights of Defense Department workers.

  Sincerely,