Comment Number: EM-001375
Received: 3/1/2005 5:04:28 PM
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:

March 1, 2005 DoD NSPS Comments , 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 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 and FWS, 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 the 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. Per FLMA Once an Employee returned back to work weather your insurance is paid you are still to have insurance. well I was not reinstate because I did'nt pay but if you have no money but because I was on sick leave nine months before upon returning back from sick leave I was reinstate and paid my insurance up to date. now I have a very serious health condition and no insurance because they said that I did'nt pay but understand the first time I caught up on what I owe. I ask them did they go by FLMA and they said yes but because the are private they pay their own bill to atena and that FA will not allow for another exception. what does fa has to do with reinstateing my insurance? and upon return I still paid my premiums that I owed. Now I was going by per Congress because we are a group. This is what was said Mrs. Davis has been notified several times of payments being owed and even signed the notice of entilements stating she understood that she need to continue payments while on LOOP or insurance would be cancelled. That is not what FLMA say and that is what I was going by. I call Atena and ask could I be reinstate and I was told yes and talk to my employer. so I call and they are private but it is like they made there own rule. so now I still going every week to the DR. I was told that I could sign up OCT 2005 and it would be 2006 when I could use the insurance. So I tried to get other insurance and because I was ill no one wants me. I have read the FLMA and it does not say anything about a goverment pay there owed premiums I was told that they pay. But I pay what I owed just like before once I returned back to work. And when they cancel me I was still on sick leave. and going to the DR. This is how the company I work for treat there employees. Can they make there own rules? And over look the RLMA? I have a serious lung health condition and they cancel me while on sick leave. What can I do or is there anything that I could do? Thanks so much Sincerely,