| Comment Number: | EM-023238 |
| Received: | 3/17/2005 7:43:12 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 17, 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. DoD employees work hard and are committed. We have been on the job working endless hours since 9/11. There a procedures in place that allow the supervisors to fairly remove non-productive workers. They are time consuming but, it protects the employees from the employer favoritism that this program is promoting. I believe that implementing this program 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. This practice is very evident in the private sector. That is why Civil Service has been so attractive to people searching for jobs when the pay in the private sector is higher for the work performed. 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? Speaking to FAA employees who have been on this system, I have heard no positive remarks. In three years, they have not seen any increase in their pay. In most cases there was an initial small increase (some actually said they lost money in their pay) but have never seen any increases since. ?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 is quite evident in the private sector. The show "The Apprentice" is a perfect example of how cut throat people can get to impress a supervisor for favorite treatment. Lies and underhanded compition will be the norm and productive work will be placed on the back burner in order to perpetuate the grand stand mentality. 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. Supervisors currently do not take the time to document poor performers and I don't believe they will have the time to document exceptional performance. Schedules and Overtime NSPS will mean that abusive managers could harass employees with bad schedules or short notice. Currently, employees work many long hours because they feel the desire to take care of the mission of the agency. I have never seen GS employees refuse to remain at their desks if the mission required them to give an extra effort. 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. Just because this same system cannot structure the military to accomplish all the missions they have taken on, does not mean that a system needs to be put in place to penalize the civilian workforce that has volunteered to work so our fighting forces can be utilized properly. We did not enlist in the military. Today?s volunteer system works well. Any system that has had such wide-spread negative reactions, must have problems. There are always some people that will complain about new ideas but, when the greater part of the work force is opposed, there must be something inherently wrong with the system. America is at war. We are fighting for democracy abroad. But the regulations are an attack on workers? basic rights. The assumption that GS workers are not performing their duties and need a new system to force productivity is an insult to all the civil service employees that have devoted their lives to the good of this nation. Currently civil service employees are deployed, working long hours, sharing shift work with military personnel and performing extra duties to allow the active duty soldiers relief to perform their mission. All of this is being accomplished without a system that allows supervisors to make those decisions. We are a dedicated work force that take our commitment to our nation seriously. NSPS will divert this commitment of defense workers from the soldiers? welfare to protecting themselves from abuse on the job, for which they have no recourse under this system. 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,