Comments:

I believe the proposed NSPS regulations will undermine the civil service and hurt the ability of Defense Department employees to accomplish the agency's mission. Please consider the following comments and delay final implementation until the proper steps have been taken to effectively involve the elected representatives of Defense Department workers.

Subpart C Pay, Sections 9901.301 to 9901.373

Defense Department employees should continue to receive the same annual pay and across-the-board adjustment that other GS/FWS workers receive.

The individual pay increases for performance in the regulations should include guaranteed percentages so employees will understand the pay system and what their pay increase will be depending on their performance.

Subpart D Performance Management - 9901.401 to 9901.409

To ensure fairness and accuracy, Defense Department employees should be able to appeal any performance rating to an independent grievance and arbitration process as they can do now.

Subpart E Staffing and Employment - 9901.501 to 9901.516

The proposed regulations would replace longstanding provisions on hiring found in 5 U.S.C. Chapters 31 and 33 with unpublished procedures that will be prescribed at some future date through implementing issuances. Using this approach will allow the Defense Department to arbitrarily develop and administer new rules on staffing and employment that have not been available for public comment.

Subpart F Workforce Shaping - 9901.6012 to 9901.611

The Defense Department should not change the current layoff/RIF rules, which give balanced credit to performance and the employees' valuable years of committed service. Moreover, under he proposed regulations employment disputes over such matters would be unfairly limited to the Merit Systems Protection Board.

Subpart G Adverse Actions - 9901.701 to 9901.810

The NSPS guiding principle on enhanced management flexibility would be undermined if the provision on mandatory removable offenses is retained. Due process and fairness demand that the independent body reviewing major suspensions and terminations be allowed to alter the proposed penalty if it deems deem the penalty to be unreasonable. The current standards approved by the courts to guide such bodies should be continued.