| Comment Number: | OL-10504765 |
| Received: | 3/10/2005 10:06:17 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:
From the employee standpoint, there is some good in NSPS: there is a streamlined method for classifying positions, consideration of national and local rates of pay, and some incentives for performance. The intentions in trying to link pay to performance are laudable. But ... what is missing is the reality check that performance ratings don't always measure performance. With the new system, fealty to your boss will prevail over doing things ethically, especially in what we might perceive as a grey area. Sure, we can challenge a rating, but that only puts us in a more negative light with the boss. Before, we had some assurances that our bosses could only go so far in forcing us to "do it their way" because some pay protection was built into the system that they could not change. Now, they have the added leverage of affecting our pay ... in a significant way. In addition, unless the pay pools are very carefully constructed, there is likely to be some favoritism towards those who are closer to the flagpole. Finally, while the aggregate amount allocated for compensation of DoD employees through 2008 will not be less than if they had not been converted to NSPS, what is our assurance that the personnel accounts won't be adequately funded to reward people in the future? Right now, the value of step increases and promotions are a matter of law and can be readily calculated. Under NSPS, however, raises and bonuses are a matter of management discretion. And since Rumsfeld has shown that he does not have the interests of his employees at heart, that raises a grave concern to DoD employees everywhere. What ... you say that is not true of Rumsfeld? Well, what about his burning out the Guard and Reserves to support GWOT? What about his insistence that no additional troops are necessary ... at the expense of existing troops? What about his insistence that all of DoD can do more with less? What about his holding the line on benefit changes ... changes which would entice employees to stay? As the numbers are now beginning to pan out, it shows that Rummy is incorrect ... to the detriment of us all. I fear that NSPS will be more of the same.