| Comment Number: | EM-010813 |
| Received: | 3/7/2005 9:02:29 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 7, 2005 DoD NSPS Comments , DoD NSPS Comments: I urge you to actually read this, as I found the canned letter a bit hysterical and not as powerful as it could have been written. 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. (And a happy Valentine's Day to you, too!) This message will be sent to both DoD and my representatives in Congress. I have been a federal employee, mostly in for DoD, for over 22 years. To cut to the chase, these proposals to change the pay system are both incredibly stupid and incredibly short sighted. But then, so much is, these days. NSPS does nothing less than treat federal employees as the enemy. Although the immortal Pogo once said "I have met the enemy, and it is us," I am not the enemy - the enemy are those who would replace a professional civil service with one subject to the whims of managers, not objective standards. Most DoD employees like myself work hard and are committed, and by mistreating us you not only hurt DoD?s mission but the country as a whole. Changing the way workers are paid, evaluated, promoted, fired, scheduled, and treated is not in the best interests of this nation, but by adopting these rules you will 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. Salaries and bonuses are funded by DoD. In the past ? as recently as just last year ? DoD did not fund its awards program. Given DoD?s miserable record on this issue, we have no reason to feel confident that our salaries will be funded in the future. We work hard for our pay, but legislation like this will result in more and more of us "going through the motions." Why bother caring when you know that your contributions can and will be overlooked at whim? ?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. The workers will be forced to compete with one another for pay raises, destroying teamwork, increase conflict among employees, and reward short-term outcomes. This is not something we need on top of current staff shortages. Further, there is no guarantee that even the best workers will receive a pay raise or that the pay offered will be fair or competitive. By adopting NSPS you 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. In addition, there will be no impartial appeal system to assure that everyone is treated fairly. Except the courts, that is. (You might want to read this next bit. It's original and pretty good, if I do say so myself.) Personally, I can't wait for all the fun and games resulting from employee lawsuits based on discrimination. I honestly believe that the fear of lawsuits alone will result in each of us receiving whatever raises we would normally have under the current system. (And they'd better be afraid, because I doubt many of us will be shy about filing.) Management will probably wish you'd stuck to the old system by the time we're through with them, because in the long run your "new and improved" system will end up costing the government big time. Just think of all those retroactive pay raises and back pay we'll win in court, plus all those attorney's fees you'll be paying. Not to mention the fact that we'll be tying up resources better used elsewhere. Back to the canned hysteria now. Although I've probably tweaked it a bit. Really, these people need to hire some decent writers.... 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 (and probably will) harass employees with bad schedules or short notice changes. Overtime rotations can (and will) 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 signed up for a civilian job. I did not enlist in the military, and I will not be treated as cannon fodder. (Well, that was a little dramatic, wasn't it? Although the "cannon fodder" comment is original. Personnally, I'm not too worried about this, because the first time someone seriously tells me I'm going into a war zone will be the last time they see me. Cleaning up the desk and files will be their problem.) These regulations are an attack on workers? basic rights. Furthermore, NSPS will divert the our attention from the nation's and our soldiers? welfare to protecting ourselves from abuse on the job. DoD needs to seriously rethink this looming disaster. All of us, employees ane the public we serve, need work rules that preserve fairness, serve the American people, and respect the rights of Defense Department workers. Finally, how many more changes will it take to totally destroy this country from within? Osama attacked on 9-11-01; the destruction of the United States began on 9-12-01. And if you think I'm kidding, you haven't been paying attention. Sincerely,