| Comment Number: | OL-10502745 |
| Received: | 3/2/2005 6:04:13 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:
I would like to express my objections to the proposed pay banding for federal employees. My objections are based on the following facts: 1. Performance awards and rewards are already a part of the federal employee system, and have been in place in the workplace for decades. Why waste huge amounts of government dollars on re-inventing the wheel? Instead, work harder to improve the existing system. Why would a person tear down a well-constructed house that is known to be secure for the sake of building a house not knowing what the materials are made of or how stong they can be ? 2. As for removing dead weight employees, current regulations already provide a methodical and fair system for the management, rehabilitation, and when necessary removal of unproductive or undesirable employees. The comment most often heard in favor of NSPS relates to the lengthy time to remove or hire employees. This observation seems to be the most credible reason for DOD wanting to implement NSPS, for reasons of national security response times under emergency conditions. But even that senario could be incorporated into the existing system. 3. After asking fellow government co-workers about the subject, the consensus is that most of them see the paybanding effort as a push to take well-earned raises from hard-working middle class workers to benefit an elite priviledged few, and to erode the rights of all employees provided by existing US Code and bargaining unit rules. 4. Most of the employees I have talked with on this subject feel that forcing an unwanted system that erodes the rights and benefits of all employees can and will ultimately result in dissatisfaction with our elected officials, which will eventually demonstrate itself at election time. 5. A more sensible approach would be to work hand-in-hand with the union, common workers across all workplaces, and management in a team-building approach to resolve any perceived problems with the existing system. 6. If the main thrust is to retain valued, highly-skilled personnel, then it would seem more efficient and prudent to develop a unique system that would place exceptional employees into a special pay class similar to the recent special pay scales created for engineers. Personally, I am patiently waiting to see if our highly educated and skilled goverment leaders will create a wonderous and creative personnel system that will stun even the greatest minds of the world.