Comment Number: OL-10510907
Received: 3/16/2005 12:52:47 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 am writing to you because of my concern about the so-called National Security Personnel System (NSPS) scheduled for implementation for more than 700,000 employees of the Department of Defense over the next year. General Provisions - NSPS was not developed in collaboration with the Unions, as required by law. Classification - Job qualifications, requirements and duties are not clearly defined. Pay ranges, schedules, bands and career groups are not defined. How can someone be evaluated fairly if job descriptions are not included. Pay and Pay Administration - Annual pay increases provided by Congress/President to federal workers have been eliminated. A bureacracy will be created to handle all the paperwork involved. How will that save money? A legitimate "pay for performance" system is not being created. Money can be frozen arbitrarily and deserving employees will not receive any increases. Cost of living increases are not included. This will put federal employees even further behind the private sector. You will lose valued employees who might have stayed for the benefits, but now have no reason to stay; to the private sector. My husband has been a federal employee for over 20 years. If NSPS is enforced in its current form, he will lose all he has gained in those years. Is that any way to treat a valued employee? He could be sent overseas on a whim and have no recourse if he receives a bad evaluation. What if his current supervisor just doesn't like him? You have left himn with no way to address the problem. The NSPS eliminates any redress for decisions made on the basis of consideration other than merit. Our Nation is great, but this change deteriorates our greatness that our forefathers established. We set examples for others to follow. The implementation of NSPS needs to improve to correct and protect its workforce and lay a foundation that will protect and benefit all. The NSPS Act only protects management, what legal rights does an employee have against discrimination and EEO reprisals in the future? Reducing benefits such as cost of living, reduce contribution to TSP, cut base annuity, labor relations statutes and others retirement cost is morally wrong. Congress members only need to work a couple of years to earn retirement for life! The system needs to change for all federal employees, not just a selected few. This new NSPS system eliminates what little benefits we have. Stop NSPS. It needs to be repealed. Work with the unions to iron out the problems. Leave the federal employees some redress and some dignity! More money will be thrown away to implement NSPS than will be saved and you will lose valued employees in the process.