| Comment Number: | OL-10509165 |
| Received: | 3/15/2005 1:27:50 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:
Annual Pay Raises: Under the General Schedule and FWS, employee pay was clear. It was funded by Congress and could not be taken away if an agency suddenly found itself short on some “important” program. As I stated before, some of us like our present jobs and are content to keep doing them, because we know that we will get a cost of living increase to keep our purchasing power from eroding. NSPS will take away this stability. I see this plan as a hidden budget maneuver to put the majority of the DoD civilians into the same position as the enlisted (working poor) in all branches of the military. How many times have these patriots had their pay erode so low that they were eligible for food stamps and in past years, welfare! I abhor this situation! How can our government have so little concern for the very individuals who are literally putting their lives on the line? And now they want the freedom to do the same to us. The civilian DoD work force has been the stable element supporting the war-fighter since WWII. DAWIA has eroded that stability, and this plan will destroy it! 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? Schedules and Overtime: It will mean that abusive managers could harass employees with bad schedules or short notice of shift changes. Civilian Deployment: The NSPS system will allow me to be put in harms way. Federal employees could be assigned anywhere in the world, even into a war zone, with little or no notice, without the same protection, benefits, and support as active duty personal. There is a large difference in expectations between civilians and active duty personal. I signed up for a civilian job. At least on active duty, you are eligible for veteran’s benefits when you get out. I know the general view of most non-DOD workers is that we have a “Gravy” job, but there are many of us who do this job with pride and I see this plan as a slap in the face for all these years of service and a huge disincentive for anyone to come into DoD as a civilian. America is at war. We are fighting for democracy abroad. But these regulations are an attack on workers’ basic rights. Furthermore, NSPS will further divert (in addition to the onerous DAWIA metrics requirements) the attention of defense workers from the soldiers’ welfare, to protecting themselves from abuse on the job. We need work rules that preserve fairness, serve the American people, and respect the rights of Defense Department workers.