Comment Number: OL-10506761
Received: 3/12/2005 10:06:59 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 believe the proposed NSPS will undermine the Civil Service and hurt the mission of the DoD employees. Subpart C Pay, Sections 9901.301 to 9901.373: Employees should continue to receive the same annual pay across-the-board adjustment that other GS/FWS workers receive. Individual pay increases for performance should include guaranteed percentages in the regulations so that they will understand the pay system and what their pay increase will be depending on their performance. I believe this will create a hostile work environment and I believe the potential will be there for violence, whether it be toward managers or fellow workers. We have prided ourselves on our teaming efforts and I believe this NSPS is going to totally ruin any opportunities we have to remain a "team". Whatever happened to the concept of ‘ARMY OF ONE”, because if NSPS becomes a reality we are no longer going to be an ‘ARMY OF ONE” (a unified team working to protect our American soldiers), we are going to become employee fighting against employee to see who gets a performance increase without anyone getting hurt in the process. Subpart D Performance Management 9901.401 to 9901.409: In order to insure fairness and accuracy, employees should be able to appeal any performance rating to an independent grievance and arbitration process like they can do now. How fair is it to put a supervisor in a situation to cause total dissension within their office environment? A supervisor most certainly should be allowed to have more than one exceptional employee. Why would you ask a supervisor to rate their employees (in numerical order) and compensate only one employee per year? Again, this is definitely creating a violent situation. Morale should be promoted not discouraged. Subpart F Workforce Shaping 9901.6012 to 9901.611: DoD should not change the current layoff/RIF rules which give balanced credit to employees' performance and their valuable years of committed service to DoD. Those who have worked here for 26+ years have earned the right to compete fairly in a RIF situation – they have been here to help our soldiers defend this country and you are going to throw us out with the garbage. Subpart G Adverse Action 9901.701 to 9901.810: Due process and fairness demand that the independent body reviewing a major suspension as termination be allowed to alter the proposed penalty if they deem it to be unreasonable. The current standards approved by the courts to guide such bodies should continue to be used. Subpart I Labor-Management Relations 9901.901 to 9901.929: The labor management law that has governed the employees' right to organize and engage in collective bargaining has worked well since 1978. There is no compelling reason to take away most of the collective bargaining rights or grievance rights. DoD should not create a "company dominated dispute board". Any dispute board must be "jointly selected" by management and the Union.