| Comment Number: | OL-10507625 |
| Received: | 3/14/2005 1:24:40 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 that I have been a dedicated and hard working Federal employee. I have received numerous awards, Quality Step Increases and outstanding performance appraisals, have volunteered for more than 10 years of over seas tours and produced quality work under difficult working conditions, AND I AM NOT ALONE, but now it seems the current leadership in the Department of Defense has no faith in me and my coworkers in federal service. This new NSPS system feels like a slap in the face. It aims to change the way we are given pay raises, promotions, locality pay and cost of living increases, leaving critical decisions up to the whims and prejudices of the same managers who have inadequately administered the current system. Although information states that the NSPS won’t affect retirement pay, without the Cost of Living and longevity-related step increases that are currently paid to employees who perform at a satisfactory level, increasing one’s “high-three” will be more difficult. NSPS aims to change the way people are hired, circumventing Career Program systems and opening the door for less-experienced political appointees to receive permanent status. It aims to streamline removal of employees and reduce the timeframes for appeals on adverse actions, or even deny the ability to file grievances. During my 18-plus years working as a civilian for the Department of Army, I can attest to the fact that there are a preponderance of good people who produce valuable work in the interests of the active duty and reserve military. They are also fine stewards of taxpayer dollars. The stereotype of the lazy, shovel-leaning government worker is a fallacy. However I can also remember a few examples of poor workers who were “kicked up-stairs” or given successful performance appraisals in order to facilitate their movement to another duty location. I have experienced “right-sizing”, which equated to absorbing more duties as folks were let go and positions abolished. I am sure many remember the culture of “do more with less” which meant doing more work with fewer resources (people, tools, upgrades of equipment and money). Recently we have been told “it is understandable that now we must eventually do less with less,” which actually meant “I understand your pain, but don’t whine about it and continue to produce as well and as much as ever.” I fully support our military and recognize that they are on duty 24/7 and the sacrifices they may be called upon to make, but most government service civilians act the same way. Civilians participate in training exercises, pulling 12-plus hour shifts alongside their uniformed coworkers. Civilians deploy just like their military counterparts, but without many of the protections and benefits afforded to the military. How many civilians in the logistics field have been killed or injured in the past 20 years and does any ever hear about them? In many locations both in CONUS and overseas, while the military performs PT and gets time for recovery, showers, breakfast and usually arrives at the office by 0930 each day, the civilian workforce comes into the office early (sometimes 4 or 5 a.m.) to perform critical work or prepare items the commander wants to see on his desk when he arrives. And in those same locations it is the civilian who works until 7, 8, or 9 p.m. or later every day, while the military receives early release days, payday formation days, training holidays, organization days and so on. The civilian workforce has the training, the specialized experience and the historical context to hold the organization together while the military members transfer in and out in two to three year rotations. I wish someone would tell me how we have failed our country and why our dedicated service is being discounted and dismissed.