| Comment Number: | OL-10512257 |
| Received: | 3/17/2005 1:20:45 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 object to the initial 30-day public review and comment period AND the 30-day timeframe for the meet and confer with union representatives. After spending some time reading selected parts of the regulation and browsing the comments already received, I strongly believe the affected agencies will not have had a sufficient opportunity to carefully study and intelligently comment on the proposed regulations. I'm hopeful that the FR guidelines allow DoD to grant an extended public review period of an additional 30 days, and that DoD exercise the option. DoD should also extend the meet and confer period to a total of 90 days. I have been employed with the Department of Army for over 20 years. Our current system of labor-management relations favors management too much, in my opinion, and I urge DoD to seriously reconsider the proposed changes to expand management rights even more! The current system has its flaws, but by giving management more leverage on a whole host of issues, the employee morale and productivity will continue to decline. The Total Army Performance Evaluation System that we now use in my agency is a good model to build on. If managers follow the procedures the way they're supposed to be implemented, all employees (including supervisors) can learn and advance their careers. I urge DoD to permit agencies to maintain evaluation systems that are working but need improvement, and thus allow local folks in the field to fix what unions and management mutually agree is broken.