| Comment Number: | OL-10511880 |
| Received: | 3/16/2005 6:04:35 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've worked for DFAS for 9 years. I now more than ever, fear for my job. Aside from serving my country and supporting our troops, most of the reasons to work for the Federal Government will be gone with the implementation of NSPS. Parts of the plan sound fairly plausible, on paper. But we live in the real world; it may appear that we will all be rated fairly; that we will get bonuses and raises if we work hard. When 2 people have the same job and do the same performance level of work, how does a boss fairly chose who's to see more money and how much? Fair is the problem- that is a matter of opinion. When there is not enough funding for all to see raises, there must be choices. I for one, in the past have received nothing but excellent and highly successful ratings for all of the years I've worked as a Fed. I just received my last step increase and effectively expect that to be my last raise working here, ever. Will my job performance lesson or otherwise change in some negative way? No. But I fully expect the supervisor's preferred workers, to be receiving the bulk of any funding for raises. Not just my supervisor, many of them. No one is perfect, and favoritism will exist, to one degree or another. It may seem like in the past, merely being a Fed guaranteed you a raise/promotion/bonus. Not true. Aside from the annual cost of living increase or step increases; I've not seen a raise or promotion in 7 years. Please remember: I've consistently rated excellent or highly successful. Please show me the incentive to continue to do such high quality work when I no longer receive any additional monies for my job at all. When cost of living increases year after year, make my paycheck smaller and smaller by comparison. Please explain why, aside from helping our country we should continue employment as a Fed, for the same money year in and year out, despite how well we're evaluated. There is not, nor will there ever be- enough funding to ensure that everyone deserving of a raise, promotion or bonus gets it. Competition to keep our jobs alone, is bad enough. Don't add to it by having an even more bitter staff with no hope and nothing to show for a job well done. It is quite different with our current system in place; we are assured of some type of fair judgement. If not, we had recourse to effectively attempt to rectify it, with much success. If you remove our Unions’ power to assist us, we will have no defenses left. The Unions are us, and we are our Unions. They are here to ensure fairness to the largest degree. One of the best features of working here is the fear that is removed by the presence of our Unions. We know, we can be proactive in our own careers with the Union's help. Take that away, and we could lose our very livelihoods if the cut of the cards falls short. We will literally be at the whim and fancy of our superiors. This drastic change to our system will crush the majority of our staff- most have been long-time or lifelong Feds. I foresee no positive for changing to NSPS. If NSPS is implemented in the form it now takes, I foresee and end to my Federal career. I also will tell you right now- if you make the change so that any Federal worker may be forced to move to “serve” our country elsewhere, just as the military must do; many of us will simply walk away from our jobs. The military agreed to such orders when they signed up- no where did I sign anything that said the DOD had the right to send me away- perhaps to even a enemy occupied country. Not to mention, who would keep my son if I were to leave? Is the DOD going to pay for adequate care for our children if we’re forced to leave, as the military must leave. No one is saying we shouldn’t make some changes to the current system, but not by removing all hope for ourselves and our careers with this foolhardy plan. Make a plan that makes sense and is not so hurtful to all- then we will embrace it.