| Comment Number: | EM-019881 |
| Received: | 3/14/2005 8:46:05 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 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 22 years. I am sadden and discouraged that these proposals seem to treat employees who help defend our country as the enemy. Most DoD employees work hard and are committed. I worked repairing C5-A aircraft duirng Desert Storm/Desert Shield and every civilian working the flighline was proud to serve and worked extended hours for our military men and women. I believe the new NSPS will only serve to mistreat civilian employees and will hurt the agency?s mission and morale. I am very hurt that our own representatives are pushing the NSPS. This system will change the way workers are paid, evaluated, promoted, fired, scheduled, sent overseas, and treated. Currently the vast majority of workers are never fairly recognized for the excellent work that they do via money, awards, placards, and nice certificates. Most employees are content in knowing that a raise will be coming despite this unfair treatment. Currently Supervisors spend award monies on the their friends, favorites, and romantic interests each year. A quick review of any installations records will show the trends of favorites getting the same awards year after year. Now NSPS is taking the only sure fair raise DoD civilians looked forward to getting. My parents worked for DoD and I have been proud to work for DoD; I had even hoped to influence my son to work for DoD. These changes make me fearful for any DoD worker and I will never tell anyone that DoD is a good place to work. Annual Pay Raises Under the General Schedule, 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.