Comment Number: OL-10508680
Received: 3/15/2005 9:59:00 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:

First and foremost-DoD employees support this nations National Security goals and strategic objectives-“Mission First”-addressed in 5 CFR Chapter XCIX and Part 990, pg7555, Para 3, Guiding Principles. Also, we support the mission set forth within our organizations and/or assigned bases. We wear our “Mission Statements” and “Vision” as a badge of honor in support of the mission and our troops here an abroad. National security is nothing new to the DoD population, although it may be to the Congress but not the DoD employees. My Comments on the Proposed NSPS slated for Jul 05: I suggest that a Congressional Inquiry of the highest order (presented by all DoD employees and on behalf of all DoD employees) be invoked. The concerns of this inquiry should be answered by the President and every member of congress who voted for NSPS-to answer everyone who wrote in a comment (better yet, answer to everyone that this new system will effect). What were you thinking? Better yet, it looks like it was a lack of thinking on your part. NSPS proposed personnel system sounds like a prescription for Vioxx taken with a Cyanide/Arsenic/Dioxin cocktail (shaken not stirred) followed by a Strychnine chaser, intravenously. Before you can implement a new system, you should weed out what was at fault with the old system. The Good-Ole-Boy and the Nepotism systems are still in full force and until you can break those systems within our present system, this will never work as planned. NSPS is Performance-Based: If a person kiss-up, back-bite or bad-mouth another employee they have done all that is need for an excellent performance. Pay Banding: Just another way of saying read-between-the-lines on employees’ position descriptions which will lead to dumping more and more work on employees that do not fall under the Good-Ole-Boy or Nepotism system. Remember it was never what you knew but who you know. And, although you have a 53-pages Federal Register paper of regulations for the new NSPS it still reads like the same old things of the past only now it will be forced upon the civilians with Presidential approval. Has the U.S. Democratic/Republican/ Conservative/etc society converted to a Dictatorship? Do you really think this is good for the people and by the people? Absolutely not by the people! Someone will benefit form this system, someone always benefits from wrong-doing/tragedy/oppression. Yet another example of the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. “Managers will be able to recruit/retain high quality talent”: This NSPS system is giving more power to the already crocked managers in-placed. Who said crime doesn’t pay! “NSPS will improve reduction in force procedures”: I hope this new system will allow individuals that are eligible to retire the chance to be placed on an early retirement list with potential to receive a $25,000 bonus instead of trying to make someone retire that is not financially or emotionally ready. This part of the system needs a lot of work. In the next 4-7 years there will be an insurgence of eligible individual retirees (baby boomers) that will be getting out of the system. Has NSPS anticipated this and what are they going to do about it? “Expedited disciplinary and appeals process”: In my experience due process rights of employees is not always granted when you us a process that was constructed within or a party to the system that you are apposing or have issues with. Look like I can look forward to more training on Violence in the Workplace. “Labor relations system”: Along with the Unions, DoD, EEOC and OPM should be consulted extensively/regularly. My Recommendation is for the establishment of a NSPS Council (meeting monthly) for each organization to include employees’ ability to submit their comments or recommendations along with a monthly update bulleting sent out to employees or mandatory for employees that have concerns or just want updates. Good News-“Employees will not lose pay upon conversion to the NSPS pay system”: Thanks for not cutting our throats on this issue. Bad News-We are not guaranteed any future cost-of-living increases or increases other than performance-based (see aforementioned statement on this subject) and have the possibility of losing locality pay. You must know a person that has had his share of getting rid of people (yes, I know that same person very personally) and that person has gotten away with it for years, I know the person is smiling now to know that you have sunk to their level, but know by this, there is a higher power than the President and his Congress. My Recommendations: NSPS is not ready to be forced upon the DoD world, but that does not normally stop anyone when they will not be doing the suffering themselves. I understanding NSPS is coming, but I don’t except it, it is wrong, it needs more work, more overhaul, more DoD employee input, more Union input, more EEOC input, more OPM input and legal reviews/inquiries. Invoking the NSPS system for a 3-6 month trial period and reopening for comments and recommendations, updates and honestly pay attention to what the employees, Union, DoD, EEOC and OPM concerns are. We need to work the bugs out and not end up with another Automated Business Service System (ABSS) or Form Flow which still is a work/nightmare in progress. Thinking Out Loud: It is not always the highly paid employees that do most of the work, employees that get paid a lot think they don’t have to as much as lesser paid employees but they still what to get the credit for good work done. I’ll pray for the President and Congress for the “can of worms” they are about to open. It’s ashamed, our troops are fighting and dieing for our freedoms in another land and right here on American soil, we’re fighting another war to keep from loosing our benefits, positions, jobs as DoD workers while the price of gas goes up everyday and the little raise we received at the beginning of the year is shoot to Hades. --Against All Hope--