| Comment Number: | EM-023272 |
| Received: | 3/15/2005 9:10:28 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 15, 2005 DoD NSPS Comments , DoD NSPS Comments: I have serious 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 over 30 years 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. ?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. Too often managers hide behind their rank and position. The act as though they were gods and refuse to explain their rationale, especially when it comes to performance ratings. There are (real) problems when managers with five to ten years service, with minimum training and little hands-on experience in a particular area, try to tell employees with 20 and 30 years of specialized experience that they are doing their job wrong. Based on opinion, not fact. I have seen managers dismiss the regulations when they were brought to their attention. They seem to be advised to not back down when proven wrong because it somehow makes them look weak. They and their superiors make a mockery of agency core values. I was an E-7. I have taken all the required agency supervisory training. My opinion was that it was too little and often too late. 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. Because there are too many poor managers and managers with attitude, the NSPS system will force workers to compete with one another for pay raises. Its outcome is plain to see. Teamwork will be destroyed, conflicts will increase among employees, and only short-term outcomes rewarded. All these are counter-productive in a military environment. One one hand they want teamwork. They depend upon it to fulfill mission needs. Yet on the other hand, they take action to kill teamwork amongst those that provide the long-term corporate knowledge that keeps the mission focused. I do not think that this is what Congress intended. 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. It will make employees scared to take Family Leave to care of sick or invalid parents, thereby increasing thier stress levels. It will also mean that abusive managers could harass employees with bad schedules on short notice. Overtime rotations can be canceled, which means that employees may not be able to plan adequately for childcare and other important responsibilities. These are not just hypothetical situations. I have seen managers try to do these kinds of things for years. Civilian Deployment I could be assigned anywhere in the world, even into a war zone, with little or no notice. This seems to be a hidden admission by DoD that previous force cutbacks went too deep. I am proud to serve my country but I am also responsible for caring for my family and meeting my personal obligations at home. I fulfilled my military service commitments. I signed up for a civilian job. 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. They too are Americans. Sincerely,