| Comment Number: | EM-017596 |
| Received: | 3/13/2005 11:43:00 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 13, 2005 DoD NSPS Comments , DoD NSPS Comments: I am writing in response to the proposed National Security Personnel System (NSPS) rules. These proposed rules are in the words of generation X totally bogus. The civil service rules were created to remove politics, both office and party, from the federal work place. The proposed NSPS rules will put politics right back into the workplace. Start with the proposed pay for performance rules. It sounds good, those who contribute the most get the highest raises, but the devil is on the details. Under the NSPS rules you can only get a substantial raise if every one else dose not do a good job. This system will preferentially reward the sycophant and saboteur. Labor relations rules under NSPS are completely biased in favor or management. Labor disputes will be resolved by a panel set up by the Department of Defense, so much for impartiality. As for worker organizations the Department of Defense will determine if you can have a union, who may be a member, what may be negotiated and (here?s the kicker) the Department will not be bound by any agreements reached with a union. The disciplinary rules are a Kafkaesque nightmare. There is but one penalty for misconduct; dismissal. A finding of misconduct can be appealed to the OMP which can not modify the punishment, only support or dismiss the finding of misconduct. So much for letting the punishment fit the crime. Misconduct itself is undefined. Presumably it would include such undisputable things as drinking on the job. However, since the definition of ?misconduct? is largely determined by the supervisors it could include such things as having a bumper sticker for the wrong candidate on your car or failing to buy Girl Scout cookies from the boss?s daughter. The vast majority of federal managers are people of integrity but this system will encourage and reward the would-be Hitlers. Secretary Rumsfeld has said that these rule changes are necessary to bring the Department of Defense into the twenty-first century. The irony is that they will push it back to the days of patronage and privilege of the nineteenth century. Sincerely,