| Comment Number: | OL-10511316 |
| Received: | 3/16/2005 3:01:21 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 think that it is essential that the Federal workforce have civil service protections that ensure that qualified and trained employees don't get kicked to the curb because the current bunch in Washington cannot control their own spending and are looking for ways to cut the budget. The Government has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to train and keep highly skilled employees in the government. The people I work with at DFAS Columbus are almost all very knowledgeable in their professions, even if they only work at the GS-4 level. These people have stuck with the Department of Defense through thick and thin, over the past 15 years and deserve better. We have pulled antiquated contract and comercial pay systems into the 21st century with hard work and dedication to our jobs and country. Most of us have families and a lot of us are going to continuing education courses to get degrees and certifications, while holding down jobs, holding together families and providing valuable community service to our surrounding communities. Now we hear that we are going to not be receiving cost of living raises, which doesn't even cover the yearly increase in health insurance premiums now. We are told that we won't be receiving locality pay increases either. We know our step increases are a thing of the past. What's next? I have 20 years in Government service. I would hate to think I could make a mistake or two and I could be on the street without mitigation or representation. The only reason most of us have put up with the untrained management, dead end jobs and constant pressure to get the job done, is that we have great benefits. What is going to happen is that many highly skilled career employees are going to leave the government for the public sector, because without the benefits of being in Civil Service, what's the point? There will be a high turnover of employees and eventually, private companies will take over the workload, and it will end up costing the government more in the long run to re-train their employees and put up with the headaches that private industry brings with it. Namely, security and contractual costs of doing business with accounting monopolies. Why in the world would the Department of Defense roll out a system they say they don't even have the rules and regulations for, anyway? The only answer is that you know what you are going to do to us, but aren't saying because you still want us to keep doing the great job that we are doing for the Department of Defense, until it is too late to go back. Then management's attitude will be, take it, or there is the door. There are millions of people out there who would love to have our jobs, but if they are under this proposed system, the turnover and quality of employees would hurt the system more that the immediate cost savings you are anticipating.