| Comment Number: | EM-017582 |
| Received: | 3/11/2005 10:40:56 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 11, 2005 DoD NSPS Comments , DoD NSPS Comments: I express my concerns about changes to work rules in the Department of Defense (DoD). The National Security Personnel System (NSPS), proposed regulations, printed in the Federal Register on February 14, 2005. This concern will be sent to both DoD and my representatives in Congress. I have worked for DoD for 32 years. I am very upset that these proposals seem to treat the employees who help defend our country as the bad guy. Most DoD employees work hard and remain committed. I believe that mistreating the employees will break the agency?s mission. I am very upset by NSPS. This system will only encourage the "Good 'ol boy and buddy systems" by changing 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. Yes, I would have to tqke up golfing to be rated as an effecient worker. Annual Pay Raises under GS and FWS, employee pay was very clear. It was funded by our voted 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 deplorable record on this issue, employees cannot feel confident that their salaries and bonuses will be funded in the future? ?The Supervisor Buddies? 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 subjective 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. I work for a Supervisor, that can chat about golf for hours with my co-workers, but scutinize my time as a task master. The golfers get top billing in appraisals. The NSPS 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, emotional abuse 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 may 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 personal and family responsibilities. The deployment of DoD, Civilian 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, because there are individuals that prefer that type of depolyment. Yes, I believe everyone agrees, America is at war. We are fighting for democracy and civility abroad. But the regulations are an attack on the workers? basic rights under the same democracy we are trying to instill in others. The NSPS will divert the attention of defense workers from the soldiers? welfare to protecting themselves from abuse on the job. I ask 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. Thank you for your time and efforts in retaining our democratic way of life in this great nation. Sincerely,