| Comment Number: | OL-10501368 |
| Received: | 2/24/2005 5:56:36 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:
Subpart C - Pay and Pay Administration; Pg. 7582; Section 9901.333 - Setting and adjusting local market supplements. This section states that DoD has the sole and exclusive discretion to set and adjust local market supplements, which if implemented, will replace the current locality pay system. Currently, locality pay is set and adjusted using salary data and input from OPM, OMB, the Labor Dept., and the Federal Salary Council, which includes employee representatives. This system has, for the most part, resulted in reliable, fair, accurate, and competitive locality pay rates, which have allowed the DoD to hire and retain qualified employees in every job category all across the country. Replacing this reliable system with a sole and exclusive decision by DoD to set local market supplements seems arbitrary, unfair, and irresponsible. It will likely result in uncompetitive pay rates in critical jobs in many areas, decreasing the DoD's ability to retain qualified employees, and impacting national security. I recommend that the current locality pay process be retained to ensure fair, reasonable and competitive pay rates based on valid data.