Comment Number: OL-10510743
Received: 3/16/2005 11:42:08 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:

I am a member of AFGE Local 1869 Charleston Air Force Base a. Docket # NSPS 2005-001 b. RIN- 3206 AK76 Subpart A- General Provisions 9901.101--- I believe this new proposed system is horrible. Over time, it will dramatically reduce employee pay, benefits, protections, and allow DoD to turn its civilian force into underpaid, unarmed deployable soldiers with few benefits, and no safeguards. It will force employees to accept unfair labor practices in order to keep their jobs, limit and interfere with Reserve responsibilities, eliminate annual pay increases and base performance evaluations solely on how local supervisors/managers manage their budgets. I am a GS-11 employee at step 9. In the last 5 years, I have been civilian of the Quarter 3 times at the squadron and group level and Civilian of the Year for Group and competed Base-wide 1 year. I have received personal and team awards base-wide and on state and MAJCOM level 3 times. I have received monetary awards, and have been step promoted. I am also a Reservist and have received recognition in two MAJCOMS and have won the award Air Force wide (2000). I believe that civilians are hard working and the current system is fair and just. Far from being lazy, over paid, and not earning my keep I am a stellar employee. However, instead of applauding this new system I will fight it with every bit of strength I have. Your new system will greatly degrade and undercut the system we now have. It will allow local supervisors/managers who often do not understand local politics, working conditions and are junior officers with little management experience to try and make a good name for themselves by greatly reducing compensation to employees paying lower salaries, undercutting bonuses, ending step increases, and figuring out ways to pay less for more work. Knowing that great many individuals will be retiring in the next 5 years and planning on lowering pay, reducing bonuses, limiting advances and paying market value the government is wanting to cut costs. However, by not considering all that goes in to what a federal employee must know to perform their duties. Their understanding of military culture, customs and needs will greatly diminish quality of work and productivity. Forcing civilians to work for lower wages, in poorer conditions, based on short-range thinking will ultimately diminish the quality of the civilian work force. The real reason for pay banding is to slash salaries and pay. I believe this new system is heinous and tries to hide the draconian measures and Hitler tactics, by fancy rhetoric and false promises. By allowing a few appointed officials to destroy the fair and just system that is currently in places sickens me. Red flags went up when Rumsfeld went to Congress and warned he couldn't continue to fight the war with the current civilian pay system in place. Overnight, we began to see our rights widdled away, our union protection diminishing, decreased pay, fewer opportunities to advance, more opportunities for abuse and fraud, unfair labor practices, and a proposed system that is far worse than what we have now. I plead with anyone who will listen that the current system we have in place is fair and just and should not be tampered with just because the current ladies and gentlemen in office want to continue spending while promising to cut taxes.