| Comment Number: | EM-020109 |
| Received: | 3/14/2005 7:28:57 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. General: I believe the proposed NSPS will undermine the Federal Civil Service and impair the mission of the DoD employees. Subpart C Pay, Sections 9901.301 to 9901.373: The employees in 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 we will understand the pay system and what our pay increase will be depending on our performance. Subpart D Performance Management - 9901.401 to 9901.409: In order to insure fairness and accuracy, DoD employees should be able to appeal any performance rating to an independent grievance and arbitration process like they can do now. If that is denied, the best buddies and butt kissers will receive good ratings, while the best workers the one?s that know the difference between the right and wrong way to do a job and aren?t afraid of doing the necessary work, get nothing). Systems that reward cronies will eventually be managed by cronies. That could mean the death of an effective DoD. 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 valuable years of committed service to DoD. Twenty plus years of excellent performance should not be undone by one year of excellant performance. Subpart G Adverse Actions - 9901.701 to 9901.810: Due process and fairness demand that the independent body reviewing a major suspension or 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. DoD should not create a ?company dominated dispute board.? Any dispute board must be ?jointly selected? by management and the Union. 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 1978. There is no compelling reason to take away most of the collective bargaining rights or grievance rights. Long ago I learned that most grievances occur when supervisors (and higher) are poorly trained, fail to follow the same regulations as they expect their employees to, and, in my experience, they are too often given bad information by civilain personnel specialists. To make matters worse, too many supervisors think they are gods. Even when they are proven to be wrong, they refuse to admit to their mistake. These supervisors force grievances. 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. Sincerely,