| Comment Number: | OL-10502211 |
| Received: | 3/1/2005 11:37:23 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:
NSPS is a great first start in the effort to reform the civil service in DoD. We have tremendous responsibilities in the area of national security, but are forced to live with a personnel system that was designed to meet the needs of the largely clerical workforce of 50 years ago. I am most pleased with the move toward pay for performance. We are obviously going to have to invest in training supervisors how to work in the new environment, and we will need a "zero tolerance" policy regarding abuse of the system. Supervisors who abuse the system need to be removed. Period. Doing so will reinforce the department's commitment to a fair and equitable approach to evaluating performance. In addition, the simplification of the position classification process is welcomed. The current process is cumbersome, difficult to understand, and appears to add little value. It seems designed to do little more than frustrate managers and employees alike. Streamlined classification procedures and pay banding will allow managers to focus more on the work to be done and less on bureaucratic paperwork. Although I am a big supporter of organized labor, and appreciate the efforts of the many dedicated union officials, I also welcome the changes in the labor relations system. Too much time is wasted negotiating over insignificant issues that are of no importance to the vast majority of employees. These issues take on a life of their own and do nothing to further the mission of the DoD. It makes no sense to negotiate over the color of paint on the walls, moving phones three feet, and other nonsense. It seems that the problem with unions focusing on such silly issues is worse in those cases where the union leadership is made up of the malcontents in the workforce. Do we really need to put the biggest complainers in charge of the union? Can the regulations be changed so every bargaining unit employee can vote for union leadership? By making people pay dues before you can vote, we end up with only those who are ticked off enough to invest in paying dues voting for union leadership. It is no surprise that we get the type of leaders we have. Overall, I applaud the efforts made thus far on NSPS. My specific recommendations for change are: 1. Allow all bargaining unit members to vote for union leadership. 2. Simplify RIF even more. No one can understand the voodoo. 3. Make abuse of the pay for performance system a mandatory removal offense. 4. Mandate training for supervisors so they will know how to work in the new system. It is unfair to supervisors and the people they supervise to do otherwise.