Comment Number: EM-017470
Received: 3/10/2005 5:34:56 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:

1. Can I hire a "salary agent/lawyer" to negotiate for me after management has determined my salary level? My agent will receive a percentage of the total salary plus benefits they negotiate on my behalf. 2. Can my agent negotiate a multi-year employment contract for me based on my past performance history? If I can only acquire a one-year employment contract with my command, how do I plan for retirement without knowing if I have a long term employment agreement? 3. If I receive an offer for salary well below a level I find acceptable, do I receive severance pay when I decline the offer? Do I receive unemployment? Is this construed as quitting my job? 4. Pay for Performance is a perception based salary system based on the 1st line supervisor's impression of an individuals performance. Since minorities suffer the most from perception problems related to stereotypes, how do minorities get equal pay under pay for performance? 5. If an individual performs poorly during the year, I assume their pay will be decreased at the end of the unproductive year. If that person declines the Management offer for significantly less pay, how does the Government benefit from the adverse action? Conversely, if the person accepts the lower pay offer, how are they motivated to increase performance during the year at the lower pay rate? On the same token, after receiving an offer for significantly more salary, how is that individual motivated during the year to maintain their performance when their goal of increasing their pay is already achieved? 6. Upon hiring a person off the street at a higher wage than in-house employees, how does this impact productivity for the in-house employees? 7. Why does the new system assume first line supervisors will be successful in correcting perceived inequities within the GS pay system? 8. How will management defend itself against pay grievances established based on perceptions of performance? 9. How does the Government rationalize presenting this to employees as a way to pay people more money when the facts are it's a method to pay less money for work currently performed at acceptable levels? This new system will have the effect of running off many people that currently work here and will be a deterrent to prospective employees. It removes all the reasons why I choose to be a Government employee. If I wanted a job just like private industry I'd be working there now. The current system allows bonus pay, allows pay tied back to performance and it allows people not to be playing a game of perceptions. This system will turn this place into a back stabbing, pit viper mentality dog eat dog workplace where perceptions matter more than facts. I reserve the right to hire a lawyer to negotiate my salary and push for a long term employment agreement rather than a yearly contract that is re-evaluated each year based on my performance. Thanks