Comment Number: OL-10506115
Received: 3/11/2005 11:45:25 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:

I normally don’t write unless I feel very strongly about something and I think that the changes to work rules in the Department of Defense (DoD) under the proposed regulations, known as the National Security Personnel System (NSPS), which were printed in the Federal Register on February 14, 2005 is one more step in destroying the federal government which was established to protect it’s citizens and run the US Government. I have worked for 27 years with DoD and served 8 years with the military. This proposal treats the employees who help defend our country by supporting the war fighter as the enemy or at least 2nd class citizens. This proposal with hurt the mission by alienating works and supervisors by changing the way workers are paid, evaluated, promoted, fired, scheduled, and treated. These rules would create a system in which federal managers are influenced by favoritism rather than serving the civil concerns of the American people. Defense Department employees should continue to receive the same annual pay and across-the-board adjustment that other GS/FWS workers receive. Under the General Schedule and FWS, employee pay was clear. It was funded by Congress and could not be taken away. However, NSPS will take away this certainty. Salaries and bonuses are funded by DoD. In the past – as recently as just last year – DoD did not fund its awards program. Given the agency’s miserable record on this issue, how can employees feel confident that our salaries and bonuses will be funded in the future? 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. Federal employees are currently paid below what corporate America offers but we stay because of the stability and the mission. “Friend of the Supervisor” Pay System or the Butt Snorkeler’s pay method. With the new patronage pay system, which DoD calls “pay for performance,” the amount of a worker's salary will depend almost completely on the personal judgment of his or her manager. This system will force workers to compete with one another for pay raises, which will destroy teamwork, increase conflict among employees, and reward short-term outcomes. There is no guarantee that even the best workers will receive a pay raise or that the pay offered will be fair or competitive. This system will create a situation in which workers are in conflict with one another and afraid to speak out about harassment, violations of the law, and workplace safety problems. Furthermore, there will be no impartial appeal system to assure that everyone is treated fairly. I know that everyone with federal government experience has seen this and most have felt it was unfair (unless they were on the receiving end of it). Now with the NSPS it is condoned and encouraged. Current managers without detailed procedures will not be able to justify raises or lack of them and there are not details…just vague direction. NSPS will allow managers to schedule employees to work without sufficient advance notice of schedule changes. This will make it extremely difficult for working parents to care for their children and family. It will also mean that abusive managers could harass employees with bad schedules or short notice. Overtime rotations can be canceled, which means that employees may not be able to plan adequately for childcare and other important responsibilities. America is at war and now the Federal employees are being drawn into their own war to protect their rights by defending our rights to be treated equally like other federal agencies. We are fighting for democracy abroad. But the regulations are an attack on workers’ basic rights. Furthermore, NSPS will divert the attention of defense workers from the soldiers’ welfare to protecting themselves from abuse on the job. I urge you to force DoD to