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Return to Article: Right to Choose

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  Mr. Bloch may have been accused of hiring friends but has it been proven that he has violated merit principles or committed a prohibited personnel practice? Hardly - and with many experts watching what he does, it would undoubtedly have been successfully challenged. As to "bullying" agency employees to relocate, from an HR perspective, a directed reassignment is a personnel action at management's discretion that is frequently used to facilitate reorganizations. Over the past decade and a half, thousands and thousands of Government employees were moved by reassignment in conjunction with base closures, unit or agency relocations, downsizing, contracting, U.S. force withdrawals etc. Many of them had to move to another city, another state, and some even to another continent. Most were glad they still had a job. There was no outcry then as there is now when twelve "senior" OSC employees are on the receiving end. As senior employees of OSC, they must surely be well versed in personnel rules. If the actions that affect them now are improper, I trust they will effectively exhaust the due process that is available to them. It appears Mr. Bloch is required to reorganize because "OSC was burdened by hundreds of cases involving whistleblower claims of fraud, waste and mismanagement that had not made it through the initial screening process." What had the twelve senior OSC employees done during their tenure to rectify this situation? Could it be that Mr. Bloch is providing leadership that was lacking before and this is what makes him unpopular? And finally, yes, it may well uproot your life when you have to relocate and yes, you may have to deal with family separations - the choice is yours, though. Oh, and by the way, if you are moved outside the commuting area and you decline to go, there are several excellent Government priority placement/reemployment programs available that will assist you in finding new work within your current commuting area. After working reduction-in-force, transfer of function and relocation actions for the past twenty years, and having personally dealt with many, many good employees who were left without a job, I find it extremely difficult to become outraged when twelve senior officials in an agency with less than successful past performance are sent to relatively attractive new locations with no loss in pay.

  GovExec.com reader Posted January 25, 2005 5:17 AM
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  I do not believe the article is about the "Right to choose?" There is a lot more happening at OSC. In addition, I must comment, I am very concerned the Bush administration is allowing a situation like this to occur.

  In this situation, Mr. Bloch has been accused of hiring his friends and not properly putting positions out for competition. In addition, if that was not enough, he bullies the agencies employees to relocate. You do not have to be a detective to see he is relocating the employees because they choose to speak out against him.

  I am very concerned that he is allowed to run an agency that is responsible for assuring that employees' civil rights are not infringed on. Is this a case of the fox guarding the chicken coop? We have to keep focused on what is morally right for our County.

  Are we stripping employees of their Civil Rights? Are we going back to the "Spoils System"? I feel it is important that heads of agencies not be allowed to abuse power. As a taxpayer, I do not favor the hiring of friends and family by heads of agencies, even when competition does occur. And most of all, I do not approve of a head of an agency bullying federal workers. After all, they are not his employees, they are the employees of the American people. His responsibility is to over see the agency for us. And, I'm not pleased with the job he is doing. Why should his friends have those jobs? Only individuals that deserve preference over others are Veterans. Why not relocate his "friends" to the jobs outside the area?

  I voted for President Bush, but, I must say when I read cases like this, I question his judgment of his appointees.

  GovExec.com reader Posted January 15, 2005 7:58 PM
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  Mr. Bloch has completely destroyed any shred of credibility that OSC may have had since Ms. Kaplan left as Special Counsel. First he strips the website of any mention of protecting homosexuals from discrimination and prohibited personnel practices (PPPs) and now there are allegations that he is committing reprisal against 12 career senior OSC employees by transfer - which is in essence constructive discharges.

  Even if these allegations aren't true- the Special Counsel really does need to be above reproach and have some semblance of ethical and moral fiber. You can't have the Chair of FLRA committing Unfair Practices Practices- although this would be impossible since FLRA is outside the statute. You can't have the Chair of EEOC committing Title VII discrimination. Certainly you can't have the Special Counsel committing PPPs and violating the WPA.

  I've heard my peers describe the irony of Mr. Bloch's tenure as Special Counsel. I think it is not just ironic. It is time for this figurative arsonist to be removed as the Fire Chief. But of couse Mr. Bloch can finally take a decent act and resign for the good of OSC.

  HR Specialist

  GovExec.com reader Posted January 14, 2005 8:03 AM