| Comment Number: | EM-017587 |
| Received: | 3/11/2005 8:50:43 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 11, 2005 DoD NSPS Comments , DoD NSPS Comments: Subpart C Pay, Sections 9901.301 to 9901.373 I believe all employees of DOD should continue to receive the same annual pay across the board adjustment that other GS/FWS workers receive. The individual pay increases for performance should include guaranteed percentages in the regulations so that employees will understand the pay system and what their pay increase will be depending on their performance. IN THIS NEW NSPS SYSTEM THERE ARE NO GUARANTEED RAISES FOR GOOD OR HIGH PERFORMERS. RAISES WOULD BE MUCH MORE DIFFICULT TO OBTAIN FOR ME, EVEN THOUGH MY WORK ETHICS ARE EXCELLENT. THERE WOULD BE NO POSITIVE REINFORCMENT OR FINANCIAL INCENTIVE TO WORK FOR THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. WE HARD WORKING CIVILIANS WOULD GET NO RAISES JUST BAD TREATMENT. SPLITTING OF THE STAFF WOULD BECOME WORSE. IT WOULD CREATE COMPETITION FOR RAISES BETWEEN CIVILIANS, AND BETWEEN MILITARY AND CIVILIANS THE ONLY ONES WHO WOULD GET RAISES WOULD BE THOSE WHO KISSED UP THE MOST OR WERE IN THE SUPERVISOR?S CLIQUE. Subpart D Performance Management 9901.401 to 9901.409 In order to be fair and accurate, all DOD employees should be able to appeal any performance rating to an independent grievance and arbitration process like they can do now. SUPERVISORS WOULD HAVE MORE POWER AND CONTROL THAN THEY DO NOW, WHICH IS NOT GOOD. WHATEVER MY MANAGER DECIDED WOULD BE THE FINAL DECISION. ASSESSMENT OF PERFOMANCE AND CONTROBUTIONS ARE EXTREMELY SUBJECTIVE AND SUPERVISORS ALREADY GIVE EXTREME PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT TO THOSE EMPLOYEES WHO KISS UP THE MOST. THIS IS EXTREMELY SCARY FOR US HARDWORKING DOD WORKERS. IF MANAGERS GET MORE POWER, WHOM WILL WE TURN TO FOR HELP? Subpart F Workforce Shaping 9901.6012 to 9901.611 DoD should not change the current layoff / RIF rules, which give balanced credit to performance and the employees long valuable years of committed service to DoD. I AM A DOD PROFESSIONAL CIVILIAN, AND I HAVE WORKED 7 YEARS FOR DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY. I HAVE EXTREME FEARS ABOUT LOOSING MY JOB AND RETIREMENT IN THIS NEW NSPS SYSTEM. ACCORDING TO THIS NEW SYSTEM, THE MOST RECENT PERFORMANCE RATING WOULD BE USED TO DETERMINE MY RANK ON THE RIF LIST. IF I HAD ONE SUPERVISOR (AND I HAVE HAD 5 ALREADY) GIVE ME A POOR EVALUATION, EVEN THOUGH I HAD MANY YEARS OF OUTSTANDING EVALUATIONS, I WOULD LOOSE MY JOB FIRST BEFORE AN EMPLOYEE WITH MUCH FEWER YEARS INVESTED. Subpart G Adverse Actions 9901.701 to 9901.810 Due process and fairness demand that the independent body reviewing a major suspension as termination be allowed to alter the proposed penalty if they deem it to be unreasonable. The current standards approved by the courts to guide such bodies should continue to be used. We DoD workers are hardworking employees and need our jobs to support our families. Authoritarian supervisors can railroad someone out of a job with no one to stop them if this new system is put into place. Subpart I Labor Management Relations 9901.901 to 9901.929 The labor management law that has governed the employees? right to organize and engage in collective bargaining has worked well since 1979. There is no compelling reason to take away most of the collective bargaining rights or grievance rights. DoD should not create a ?company dominated dispute board.? Any dispute board must be ?jointly selected? by management and the Union. We DoD workers need to have someone in our corner when management tries to railroad employees out of their jobs, due to personality conflicts. We need to have somewhere to turn. Sincerely,