Comment Number: EM-008402
Received: 3/8/2005 2:07:25 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:

March 8, 2005 DoD NSPS Comments , DoD NSPS Comments: Every Year beginning of the month of September we celebrate Labor Day. Why doe we celebrate? Will about a hundred years ago give or take our ancestors worked for low wages, poor and unsafe working conditions, and Long hours with no overtime to compensate. They also were either killed on the job or injured with no compensation to their family or themselves and or no job to go back to. So they may get hurt and without insurance of seeking medical attention from the employer, they would either be fired for taking time off, or the employer would just fire them because they were no longer useful because of the employer?s negligence. Since during this time wages were so low almost if not all the family had to work so the family could survive this included the children (who then suffered a lack of education). Keep in mind all the big Tycoons business owners (Steel, Oil, Construction, Railroad, etc.) were wallowing in wealth and their children received the best education on the backs of these families. This abuse covered all races living in America at the time. As a whole these American Citizens said enough is enough so they united together in Unions and other Organizations to fight both the big business and government to be treated fairly for their hard work. For our ancestors fight at this time most of us have good wages, health benefits, Workmen?s Comp, Women?s right to vote, Rights from retaliation, discrimination, wrongful termination, and our children?s right to get a free education, etc. Now why am I writing about this you ask? Will the Bush administration wants to take us back over a hundred years in the name of HOMELAND SECURITY. They are introducing a new personnel policy for its Federal Employees called ?NSPS? (National Security Personnel System). This policy as stands will remove all the above (maybe the exception of sending our children back to work, but who knows?) plus any rights to grieve to a neutral party. For Example: Pay Banding ? Under the current system congress and senate vote for both Federal employees and Military pay raises. In NSPS the supervisor will decide only for federal employees (Not Military That still is the current way) if there is money after all the toys are bought and the current supervisors get their raises. Then its dog eats dog after the employee tears the fellow employee down to the boss in order to get his raise if possible. As an American citizen I am not even equal to our military. This is going to help in homeland security (RIGHT NOT). Grievance ? First as a reminder to the American Public Federal employees can not strike as you remember what happened to the traffic controllers. We have the grievance process at this time. In the current system if an employee has a complaint they could either on their own in the first 2 steps or with the unions help submit their complaint. If required the employee had options to continue to step 3 then a third party as in an arbitrator or MSPB (Merit Systems Protection Board) depending on the severity of the offence being brought forth from Management. To enlighten you it is always advantageous both to the employee, union, and management to settle at the lowest level possible. Under the new proposed system (NSPS) an employer can just fire an employee at will. As an example: Employee ?A? is accused of stealing from a government facility (which is not true). Management wants to terminate the employee. However management has proven that Employee ?A? did take an extra 5 minutes for lunch on one day. In the current system the employee would not lose his job but could still receive an oral admonishment for the extra lunchtime. In the new system without the merit of a third neutral party the employee will have to rely on the head (Donald Rumsfield) to overturn his/hers termination. Yeah right the bosses boss will side with the employee. All management has to have is one thing right and the punishment will stick. This is going to help in homeland security (RIGHT NOT). Job Security - The Bush Administration wants the capability to deploy its federal civil service employees when needed. Now you think what is wrong with that. Nothing if I am a civil engineer and the government ask me to go TDY (Temporary Duty). Which mean for a short period of time. I would not have a problem. However under the new system the federal government wants the right to tell me that they what to permanently move me to Turkey. They will pay for a one time move. Now, I am left with selling my house, and if the market is bad (Oh Well). Its not Bush?s problem. If I was in the military and received orders that is the risk I knowingly take. However as a civilian I chose my job for its security to stay in one place and also to serve my country and yes to receive a good retirement. Yes I am a Veteran and as all veterans I was promised this security for serving my country. However even as a Veteran I am losing what was promised to me. There are Federal workers that have never served on active duty, but they are just as valuable as me. We are American Citizens. This is going to help in homeland security (RIGHT NOT). In closing please tell your congressmen and senators to stop this degradation of your fellow Americans. If this is allowed to happen then the private sector will soon follow. It is already happening in California with state lunches and breaks. The state think its employees would like to work without a lunch or breaks. WHO ARE THEY TALKING TOO? Fellow Americans let us go back a hundred years and reinforce what our ancestors fought so hard for us. United We Stand Divided We Fall. Sincerely,