Comments:

February 16, 2005

  DoD NSPS Comments

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   DoD NSPS Comments:

  I write to express my concerns about changes to work rules in the Department of Defense (DoD).  The proposed regulations, known as the National Security Personnel System (NSPS), were printed in the Federal Register on February 14, 2005.  This message will be sent to both DoD and my representatives in Congress. 

  I have worked for DoD for 28 years.  I am angry that these proposals seem to treat the employees who help defend our country as the enemy.  Most DoD employees work hard and are committed. I believe that mistreating the employees will hurt the agency’s mission.  I am very upset by NSPS.  This system will change the way workers are paid, evaluated, promoted, fired, scheduled, and treated.  These rules would create a system in which federal managers are influenced by favoritism rather than serving the civil concerns of the American people.  

  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?  Employees will still be hampered by DOD's refusal to fund necessary equipment to accomplish the mission. I don't care if you are the world's best and brightest, without the proper tools, the mission will fail.

  “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.  Many of the upper manager have been "promoted" to a position where they could no longer do harm. Rather than putting them on the street, they get promoted to match the level of their incompentancy. These people have no concept of how their employees perform their jobs. They have no practical experience in those jobs. How can those people determine who is performing well or not at all, especially since the employee's pay will be based on their "guesswork" ? A supervisor should only be permitted to supervise employees if they could take over their job. If they cannot do the job themselves, they have no right to determine if the employee is doing the job correctly. For over 20 years, the DOD has been driving out their experienced and committed employees by making their jobs more difficult without any logical reason. Training for "touchy-feely" interests are made mandatory but very little, if any, funding goes toward training that will help an employee to accomplish their job. Management has repeatedly refused to listen to their employees in fear of "looking bad" to the command. How can these same people be trusted to work in harmony with their employees. There is no trust in many of the departments because experienced employees can spot a fraud a mile away. The small number of truly fair and reasonable supervisors is greatly overwhelmed by the number of cynical and untrustworthy supervisors that are here only because they have "friends" in high places.Unless DOD gets rid of this type of "morale cancer" by surgically removing them from positions of authority.

  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.  I also served my country in the armed forces during Viet Nam. I have no desire to return to another situation like that. Being spat upon by neighbors and fellow Americans was bad enough when I returned. I did my time in Hell. I have earned my right to work in a better place as I was promised when I took my oath when I was hired. If necessary

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.