| Comment Number: | EM-017576 |
| Received: | 3/13/2005 8:06:49 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:
To all willing to read what I believe to be the most unjust system that will impact my retirement and the remaining years of employment that I have left with the DOD. I have worked for the DOD for 32+ years. I am angry that we've spent the past several years establishing and promoting the concept of "teaming" and eliminating a level of management. Teaming was brought on board to empower each employee to work together for the good of the mission. It was also promoted to get rid of the "good old boy network" and to discourage nepotism. Now we've taken a 180 degree turn to create and set up an environment that will force workers to compete with one another for pay raises, which will destroy teamwork, increase conflict among employees, and reward short-term outcomes. These rules would create a system in which federal managers are influenced by favoritism rather than serving the civil concerns of the American people. 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. 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. We need work rules that preserve fairness, serve the American people, and respect the rights of Defense Department workers. 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.