| Comment Number: | EM-019840 |
| Received: | 3/14/2005 2:08:18 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 14, 2005 DoD NSPS Comments , DoD NSPS Comments: I write to express my concerns about changes to work rules in the Department of Defense (DoD). The proposed regulations, known as the National Security Personnel System (NSPS), were printed in the Federal Register on February 14, 2005. This message will be sent to both DoD and my representatives in Congress. I have worked for DoD for years. I am angry that these proposals seem to treat the employees who help defend our country as the enemy. Most DoD employees work hard and are committed. I believe that mistreating the employees will hurt the agency?s mission. I am very upset by NSPS. This system will change 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. Annual Pay Raises Under the General Schedule and FWS, employee pay was clear. It was funded by 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 miserable record on this issue, how can employees feel confident that our salaries and bonuses will be funded in the future? ?Friend of the Supervisor? 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 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. 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. 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 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. Civilian Deployment 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. America is at war. We are fighting for democracy abroad. But the regulations are an attack on workers? basic rights. Furthermore, NSPS will divert the attention of defense workers from the soldiers? welfare to protecting themselves from abuse on the job. I urge 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. I agree with the above and add my personal thoughts; In regard to the NSPS: I do NOT understand how, supposedly intelligent and forward thinking individuals can possibly come-up with or purpose such a convaluted collection of distorted, presumptous thinking, illogical proposals and concepts, unreasonable assertions and expectations. How can this be of benefit, to anyone, beyond those making the proposals? This reflects 'Empire Building', 'Personal Agenda' and Self-Serving Self-Righteous Egotism' at its worst. This proposal flies-in-the-face of Logic, Sound Reasoning, Common Sense and Civil Justice. It defies reality and enters into someones' distorted Utopian view of how 'Something' can work ' IF EVERYONEinvolved is 'PERFECT' and does things the way they' DREAMT IT'. I'm sorry, but I can help thinking ' HITLER, MOA and STALIN would be very proud of those who concieved and promote this travesty of DECENCY, ETHICS and MORALS. The stripping away of, vertually, every employee protection and right is neither ethical, moral nor serves any legitimate end. This is 'Empire Building' and ' Tyrannical Egotism ' running wild, at its worst !! The very idea that this will attract 'Better Qualitified' and 'More Capable' applicants to Federal Service is ludicrous, at best. How would stripping away Employee Protections, Rights and Career Stability conceivabaly 'ATTRACT' anyone, much less, 'Better Qualified' appli9cants !?!? How can subjecting Federal Employees to the Tyrannical, Abusive, Self-Serving, Self-Important, Unprofessional Supervisors ever be thought of as beneficial???!!?? The proposal is, at best, ' A solution to a problem that does not exist'. The problem that needs to be addressed is the Wholesale Promotion of People into Supervisory Positions who Don't Belong, Deserve or have Legitimate Qualification or Abilities to have the position. There are far too many in Supervisors positions merely by having 'SUCKED-UP, to their predecessor who they cowarded before and became accomplices with. To illustrate this, I offer Fort Greely, AK. Look at the history of Fort Greelys' Power Plant , in fact, look at Fort Greelys' history. Not from the 'official' record, but from those that lived it. Talk with people that were there and are there now. You'll find this is a an example of WHY Federal Employees NEED and DESERVE the protections and rights afforded under the current system (old System). You'll find abuses of many types have and do occur. You'll find a Supervisor that had Federal Employees Making, Modifying and Repairing parts for his Personal Race car. Under your 'New' system, an Employee who objected to this could be disciplined or released. You'll find a long history of Theft, Lies, Distortions, Employee Abuse, Employees being Threaten, Intimadated and Manipulated. Your proposal will only encurage more of this behavior! This is the work environment you are promoting! The untrained, unprofessional, unethical, immoral, liars and thieves to be set free to run rampant and give them tyrannical control over decent peoples' lives. I sincerely hope this is not the intent of this proposal, but I and many, many others know from experience, this is the environment that exist now and will be made immeasureably worse with the implication of this proposal!! Please, Take a long hard look at the 'REAL' situation, the 'REAL' problem(s) and IF change IS needed, then lets make Reasonable, Logical and Intelligent changes that will be beneficial to the employees and the employer and mission. I'm afraid some of this proposal 'SCREAMS' like a Criminal having been caught in some deed and correcting their BEING CAUGHT by elimanating the Police, Courts and Jails. Or in this case, the Abolishing and/or Diminishing mof the FLRA, OPM, WHISTLE-BLOWER ACT, etc. . If this proposal, for whatever inconceeiveable reason, goes ahead, I strongly urge and request it be applied to 'NEW HIRES' and NOT EXISTING FEDERAL EMPLOYEES, such as the switch from the CSRS to FERS retirement systems. GHrand-father existing employees. This would show wether this proposal will work, or not. Again, I ask you to reconsider this damaging proposal! An analogy: If you have a flat tire, what do you do ? Do you throw the car away and get another one or maybe trash the car and buy a Dealership? Of course not. You put the spare tire on aand have the flat tire fixed. Now, if the current OPM system has a 'flat' why are we throwing away the Institution rather than making repairs?? Besides throwing out OPM, you are creating an untried, unproven beast. Would it not be better to 'clean our own house'? Lets get rid of Supervisors that serve themself and not the people they work for. Train employees and promote QUALIFIED employees, not 'YES' people and Self-Serving Tyrants with Mega Egos and little or no supervisory ability. You want better quality workers, train them , give them a clear road to advancement and a reason to be PROUD to be a CIVIL SERVANT. This is a colossal injustice to all Federal Employees. Federal employees, from my observation, are good, decent hard working people. Sure, like all groups you have some that need more or special training and those that just won't work, but far and away, the vast majority of Federal employees are good hard working Americans and they DON'T DESERVE to be BULLIED and have their jobs jeopardized or to be STRIPPED of their RIGHTS and on the job PROTECTION SYSTEMS !!!! These are my thoughts on this ludicrous adventure that has been proposed. Sincerely,