| Comment Number: | OL-10509886 |
| Received: | 3/15/2005 8:32:06 PM |
| Subject: | Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, Request for Comment |
| Title: | National Security Personnel System |
| CFR Citation: | 5 CFR Chapter XCIX and Part 9901 |
| Attachment: | excerpt.doc Download Adobe Reader |
Comments:
I have no problem with the proposed changes for a couple of reasons. I will address my comments towards some of the Seven Guiding Principles. I believe it is a privelge to work for the U.S. Government, especially the Department of Defense. We support our military and as such are an extension of the military. Many people in Civil Service I have worked with feel they are owed a job and a paycheck after many years of service. Even though they have not aspired to seek higher levels of employment through education or training, much of which is available through many DOD websites such as AKO, NKO or DAU, they expect to do less and less work that is listed in their position descriptions until they just show up and "surf the net" all day, literally. Nobody in Civil Service has a "right" to employment. In my shop right now, this is happening. We have a WG-10 Small Arms Repairer who has been with the Government for 31 years, yet is not eligible for retirement due to age. He was RIFed into this job from another shop where he spent the majority of his time as a NIGHT VISION REPAIRER. Has nothing to do with SMALL ARMS. The job happened to become vacant at the time he was RIFed so he was put in that spot. He is being paid as a WG-11 through "Saved Pay". If that is not bad enough, he doesn't hit a lick all day. He surfs the net and e-mails his wife, also DOD, about how stressful his job is. I have been there as a WG-08 for over a year and he has not worked on the first weapon, literally. He has managed to get several contractors hired, though. He freely admits to waiting to retire and brags about how much he makes with saved pay. I am about to report him to the DOD Waste Fraud & Abuse Hotline. No joke. I believe this relates to several of the Guiding Principles because, sadly, this is not unusual. If the DOD were run as a civilian company, these activities would not be allowed to continue. However, due to the entrenched practice of moving people or letting them coast just because they are "Government Employees", the DOD is NOT GETTING IT'S MONEY'S WORTH from MANY Federal Employees. This is in direct conflict with Principles 1, 3, 5 & 7. Also, higher grade personnel rarely even attempt to correct the habits of sub-standard employees because it's the norm and has been for too long. "A Day's Work for a Day's Pay" used to be a catch phrase, but a good one. I am a Federal Employee but also a taxpayer. Civil Service needs to be overhauled. It has nearly become another Welfare Program. Longevity does not give you the right of more pay for less and less work in the exact same position. We have a joke at work that goes like this: If everyone employed on base were required to leave and could not return without qualifying for their own jobs, many, if not most, would be out of work. I will attach an excerpt from my complaint.