Return to Article: DHS personnel system unveiled
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8187
Once again the A-typical disgruntled government employee with the "OH feel sorry for me! Mentality" has emerged from hibernation. This person is a remarkable and extremely well-versed, obviously highly qualified, experienced and educated SA that raised his vocabulary to an astute level by referring to IEA's as "lowlifes". We welcome you brother from your slumber. You have passed through the corridors of most new street hires OR outstanding scholars OR special employment hires, when they benchmark that sacred first year of federal employment and they are "experts" in every aspect of USC, civil service and justice. We thank you for your expertise and superlative commentary with regard to D&R agents. We also suggest that you review your FEHB benefits concerning treatment for your "insane" situation. We also recommend that you breathe in the good air and push out the bad air. We understand that the months that you spent as a US postal employee may hinder you from rational thought but the employee assistance program is a great place to seek counseling and support in trying to focus on important matters. Don't worry your pretty little head about the poor Mexican illegals in the jails or otherwise, we'll take care of them and even drive a bus! BUT if you ever need assistance checking a package for Cuban cigars, counting to $10,000 USD or executing administrative and/or criminal provisions of USC, feel free to ask, we have your back.
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8130
Speaking as on of those D&R "lowlifes" , I want you to know what I have done since I graduated from the ETP program at FLETC in mid August 2004. I have processed 54 aliens for removal, located 5 B&Bs (fugitives from the deportation process for the GS-7 SA), presented 5 criminal cases to the USAO for prosecution (all charged with at least 1 felony), and last, but not least arrested a fugitive alien wanted by the U.S. Marshals. Sir I am not telling you what I have done to toot my own horn, and I know that others have done much more, but just to let you know us IEA "lowlifes" work hard to enforce the INA. By the way I do know how to write an APPLICATION and AFFIDAVIT for a SEARCH WARRANT as well as its return. I can also write a criminal complaint or a "real" ARREST WARRANT. Oh, by the way, how do you GS-7 SA think I arrested the 5 B&Bs? Luck, no, it was hours of surveillance, record checks and old fashion fugitive investigation. Well it's time for me to get back to work. I apologize to all the HARD WORKING ICE SA's. This rant was in no way meant to put you down, but was targeted to one GS-7 SA .
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8071
Using "low-life" to describe our Detention and Removal Officers is out-of-line. "Stop you before you go insane?" Too late, you are insane. I would love to work in a small office like yours, in a large office like mine, you aren't even worthy of fetching coffee for our Detention and Removal Officers. Get over your Neapoleanic arrogance and sense of self-importance! The FBI agents believe they are superior to the Customs Legacy agents and the Customs Legacy agents believe they are superior to the Legacy INS agents. The reality is, that each individual agent's work ethic and record can stand on its own. A good investigator is a good investigator.
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8066
Goodbye Law Enforcement Pay, Goodbye Early Retirement, Goodbye 20 hours a pay period OT.
DHS Clerk
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8055
In reading these comments, one has to really wonder if all we do is complain about everything under the sun. I can understand the frustration, I am there too, but for the life of me I can see no good reason to badmouth our fellow Agents. Commenting on the policies and the ICE leadership (lack thereof) over the past couple of years is one thing, but constantly taking jabs at folks who we work with (or are supposed to pretend to) day in and day out really seem to undermine our determination to make things better. The lower-grade Agents especially, who haven't been there long enough to gain a proper perspective on things, should take the high road instead of complimenting "INS jail handlers", of which I am not, in any case. Each position has its upside and downside, and I am sure, given the proper support and resources, most of us would bend over backward to help his/her fellow Agent in whatever long/short-term investigation "du jour."
So, to make a very long story shorter, it would be a better commentary from the lot of ya to hear more positive comments toward our cohorts during this extremely low period. Adios...
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8040
I am a 7 coming up on my 9 and this whole thing drives me insane. Due to my small office, our lack of senior 13's (we have 2, oh, excuse me, 4 counting our Legacy INS jail handlers), and loss of agent spots to retirement, I've been working 13 level cases. I am not tooting my horn here, but it has only proven to me that 13's are supposed to work deeply involved cases that span a long period of time. Pay-for-performance runs completely counter to undertaking a consuming investigation.
Oh, sure, I could go to a local jail and "arrest" some poor Mexican illegal and transport him around all day for his court appearances then take him back b/c he's out on a writ, just so I could tally a stat. If you people call that work, then you are idiots. Try combing through mountains of phone records(b/c you don't have an intel analyst), bank records, conducting surveillance all night, and actually knowing how to write a frigging search warrant and a real arrest warrant.
ALso, tell me if a low-life D&R officer is going to make the same pay as me. The last time I checked, all they do(when they feel like working) is the same job as a school bus driver for kindergarteners.
I've gotta stop myself before I go insane here.
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8037
This has been going on in the postal service already with the bonus plan. It is a joke, because their bonuses are mainly given on performance factors which were already in place when they were given their jobs. They are only receiving bonuses for what they were already required to do from their basic job descriptions. It's a joke on the system. BUSH is the one after federal employees. Kay Coles James has always been an incompetent OPM director right along with some of her assistants. To those of you who voted for BUSH I have to reluctantly say "You are getting what you voted for.
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8035
To the younger employee who is looking forward to this HR system, what are you smoking? It is the younger employees who have the most to lose under the new system. Ascending up the journeyman level on the GS scale often provides very large salary increases from one grade to the next. (Some of my grade increases have increased my salary by over $10,000.) But for older employees who are already at the top of the GS scale, the most they are looking at is a yearly step increase of a couple thousand dollars. So for a young employee at the bottom of the GS scale, with many very large salary increases in your future as you continue to get grade increases, you have a lot to lose. Luckily for me, I'll already be at the top of my journeyman scale before the new system goes into effect. Considering that I'm only looking at modest step increases, I might actually make out better under the new HR system by working hard.
Do you honestly think you'll be able to convince a supervisor that you are so good that you deserve a $10,000 raise as you might have received under the GS scale? Now that your pay increases will be based on performance rather than yearly grade increases, it will be next to impossible for you to achieve the same salary raises as you would have on the GS scale, especially considering that the new system will be subject to budget constraints. The same is true for anyone who is not already at the top of their journeyman scale. This system stands to hurt the younger employees much more than the older ones. I don't know what you're smoking, but keep it away from me.
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8030
To my younger colleagues, let me impart some wisdom gained over the years...
Before my 10+ years in the Federal service, I worked in the private sector (financial) for 6 years. I worked very hard, often putting in 60+ hour weeks. While I saw a lot of cronyism and was often the victim of vicious back-stabbing attempts (which often got people promoted faster and more generous pay raises than me), I kept my head down and mouth shut, and did the best and hardest that I could. What did it get me? LAID OFF, that's what, with a pregnant wife and bills to pay.
I turned to the Federal service not for the money, but for a steady paycheck, with guaranteed pay increases, benefits and job stability. Believe me when I tell you, I never took that for granted, and was always thankful for a government job when other employers looked the other way. For the last 10+ years, I, too, have put in my share of 60, 70, yea, even 80+ hour weeks, facing all the dangers that an agent faces and often neglecting my family to show my loyalty and graditude.
What does that get me now? PAY BANDING AND REDUCED CIVIL SERVICE PROTECTIONS. You don't think that cronyism and back-stabbing goes on in the Federal service too? You're more naive than I thought, friend. But at least, under the old system, you were going to get your GS-13 Step Whatever, even if corrupt supervisors didn't like you and the young upstart thought it was better to stab someone in the back than learn from an old warrior, like I did. Now, it doesn't matter how hard you work or the hours you put in - IF YOU'RE NOT PART OF THE "IN" CROWD AND DON'T WATCH YOUR BACK, YOU, TOO, WILL FEEL THE NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF MAX HR.
How does this enhance Homeland Security? IT DOESN'T. Now, instead of being team players, everyone will be out for themselves, trying to outdo the next person, instead of being part of a team, which is often required for long-term investigations. And, for those who tire of toiling year after year with no pay increases and watching cronies and back-stabbers get ahead, they'll take whatever it is they make sitting at their desk, clicking the internet.
That, my young friends, are the cold, hard facts. I hope you all prosper under MAX HR, but, if it takes what I think it will take for you to get ahead, I'll be watching behind my back for YOU.
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8025
To the SA in LA, don't forget about a Deputy SAC and Asst. SAC who love to play golf with their clique of "choosen" employees... they'll get the bonuses to cover all their green fees...
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8024
The poster who thinks Chertoff will halt this system is the last honest, decent person in government. This decree came from the White House, pure and simple. There's no way in heck it's going to be reversed while Bush is in the White House. Period. Smart managers like Jim Loy knew that collective bargaining isn't inherently bad --but the White House wouldn't let TSA have collective bargaining rights. End of Story. This DHS train has left the station.
Sorry to keep repeating myself, but this is what we get with Bush in the White House. I hope "conservatives" are happy.
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8020
Hang on to your hat boys and girls, I've been under this system within the FAA for 3 years now and all the negative posts about it here are true. In regard to the poster here commenting on attitudes between entry level employees as opposed to older employees, that's because we know something and have a base to compare things to unlike you younger yuppies.
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8018
Maybe the reason why some "old timers" are perceived as "do-nothings" by younger workers is because the veterans have enough time on the job to know how things really work, and don't run around like chickens without heads, expending enormous amounts of energy and accomplishing nothing! Every new generation wants to come in and "reinvent the wheel". They should try listening to some of us who have many years on the job. We've paid our dues, and done more than our share of surveillances in the middle of the night, and on holidays and weekends; have missed important family occasions; were sent on TDYs away from our families; wrestled with armed suspects, and sometimes engaged in firefights with them; lost friends and colleagues in the line of duty; strained our eyesight reviewing thousands of pages of subpoenaed records; spent countless hours staring at a computer screen; and so on. Granted that in any job there are some who don't produce, both young and old. However, most of us are still productive, and our experience is an asset to our agencies. Of course, with age, most of us can't compete physically with new agents in their early 20's, but each of us has a place in the mission. Newer employees need to listen to their seniors, who have "been there and done that", instead of disparaging them. We can all learn a lot from each other, and need to stick together, to make sure that misguided attempts at "management" don't destroy our jobs, our lives, and our country!
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8015
Pay for performance may work for data entry and policy writers at HQ but it will only prevent the coordinated effort to combat large-scale criminal organizations. With a complex investigation it takes a team. Some cases are so burdensome that one individual cannot do it him/herself. Under pay for performance what is the motivation for individuals to help the primary case agent? If I am fending for myself other agents can forget my help, I'll be out trying to develop my own arrest and prosecution stats. Also, some of these cases require a long time to develop. Under pay for performance you could not get credit for the work done prior to making arrests or making seizures if the arrests or seizures occur after an evaluation period. I recall several incredibly successful undercover operations that took several years. What would be my motivation to take on such a case? By tackling a large complex case I could produce nothing for over a year and have no statistics to justify my pay. So the lesson here is simple, go for the low impact fast statistical case and help only your self. Great job Tom, you will effectively cripple your department's law enforcement arm against complex criminal organizations. Maybe instead of focusing on this we could focus on creating a mission for ICE.
Special Agent, ICE
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8014
I find it interesting that younger workers welcome this new pay system while long term federal employees are being dragged into it kicking and screaming. Why is it that fresh faces within the Fed mention do-nothing old timers as often as older workers mention "cronies" and "good old boy" networks. Seems rather telling don't you think?
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8013
Why do you think Chertoff will do anything????, about MAXHR or Pay for performance? He's a New Jersey Boy, they look after themselves, and don't care about anybody else!!!!!!!!
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8009
The gutless and spineless Ridge thinks that the "new" personnel and pay system will help DHS/ICE combat terrorism? We don't combat terrorism, Ridge signed that investigative authority away to the useless and incompetent FBI. So why even worry about it? After 15 years in service I have found that when it comes to fairness, there is none!! If you're not in the back pocket of the supervisor or if you don't play golf with the SAC or just kissing *** you don't advance, or receive the nice details or assignments, or get the awards.
If AFGE and NTEU prevail in their lawsuit, we 1811's should be thanking them for going to bat for us. Because the 1811's will really take it in the shorts. I for one will be signing up for AFGE's local 7, which was set up for ICE 1811's who can't join a regular local.
Next election, I'll be supporting the candidates that will make a written promise to protect federal employees!
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8006
The worst part about this personnel system is pay-for-performance. I can't believe they try to sell this as a means of awarding good performers. The article has it right; it IS a scam to reduce overall pay. Salaries are almost never affected by budget constraints under the GS system, but are always undoubtedly affected by budget constraints under performance-based systems. Under the new system, very few people will make out better, and most of those who do will tend to be cronies. DHS will probably give a few hard-working employees some solid salary raises just to use them as an example of how the system rewards good employees. But the vast majority will end up making a lot less over the course of our careers, which will carry over into our retirements. It's been demonstrated in other performance-based systems, such as that in place in TSA, that salaries are very often negatively affected by budget constraints. I'll keep track of exactly how much I would earn under the GS system, and compare it to how I do under the new system. I'll continue to work hard to ensure that my pay is not negatively affected by my work quality. But after a few years, when I can demonstrate that despite my hard work, I have lost a significant amount of money when compared to the GS system, I'll file a class-action lawsuit and leave DHS. Everyone should keep track of where they would be under the GS system and compare it to where they are under the new system. Keep track of every dime you lose. Who actually thinks that this system will make us better off, especially with the financial crisis that has plagued DHS from day one? When we start to see our salaries fall below what we would have made under the GS system, who in his right mind thinks that we will continue to work hard? And who thinks that we will attract new quality personnel to the department?
And so much for that 30-day public comment period. 99.9% of the comments were not just negative, but scathingly negative. Many of the comments were very well-written, articulate, and provided many suggestions for improvements and/or alternatives. Yet the comments achieved nothing. The hierarchy of DHS and OPM have exposed themselves as a bunch of liars and cheats, and everything that has transpired during the implementation of this new system demonstrates just how pathetic they are.
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8002
So if I understand Secretary Ridge- the reason collective bargaining is going to be curtailed at DHS is because "On many occasions where we have to move people around quickly, we don't have latitude to sit down and discuss it or bargain," he said.
Besides all the other very troubling aspects of this new HR model is the disenfranchisement of DHS employees from having any input on working conditions. The attitude seems to be we can do anything we like in the name of national security and if you don't like it- tough, you can leave and be replaced by people who will conform.
Now for those managers who may be saying great, I can tell my employees what to do without worrying about the Union-- who will represent you and your more senior managers when even more senior management tells you that you are being transferred to Bahgdad in the interest of National Security. You certainly won't get your day at MSPB. I doubt you will get a fair hearing at the new DHS Labor Relations Board either. The same new HR model has just emasculated the whole LR and employee relations due process systems. There will be no bargaining on procedures or the impact of expanded management rights on YOUR working conditions.
Recruitment and retention will be interesting issues at DHS after this is implemented-- I don't think I would like to work in this new DHS personnel environment and I can't imagine anyone else will either. I can't wait to see what the DoD NSPS looks like. As a professional HR Specialist what I envision is that these systems will have to be changed post implementation because they are unworkable and the systems will eventually drift back toward modeling what we have in the current regulations. A system based on total management control and disenfranchising employees in the name of National Security may work very well in the Kremlin, but I don't think it is workable in America. Of course I may be wrong-- in which case we are quickly headed toward a really dark period in American history.
HR Specialist
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8000
Though not a union member, I agree 100% with John Gage...it's going to be a morale buster for sure. I think I can speak for many in DOD who's soon to see this corrupt system head our way...the "good old boy" network is going to thrive. It's a sad, sad day coming.
Budget Anlayst Robins AFB GA
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7997
As a young federal employee, I can't wait for this to begin. I see too many 15 year + employees walking around doing very little and getting paid more than a new employee who has to do their own work and then carry the rest of these "govt workers". It is time to start paying people on what they contribute and not on how many many days they show up.
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7995
Not to be completely naive, but did OPM/DHS change anything as a result of the thousands of public comments they received? Or was that just a charade?
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7993
Interesting to see that this press conference was conducted by two people who have already submitted their resignations to the President, namely, Tom Ridge and Kay Coles James. They're bailing, but not before subjecting those of us left behind with this guaranteed to fail "new" personnel system. They ignored over 3,000 responses to the public comment period on this proposal, and went full speed ahead anyway. With the deficit the way it is, and future budgets sure to be squeezed, I'll bet there will be no money for any decent pay increases under this system for years to come, except for favored managers and their cronies. Thanks for nothing, Tom and Kay, and good riddance to you!
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7992
How interesting...
Just as Mr. Ridge and Mrs. James are out the door to lucrative private sector jobs, they come together to announce what promises to be their biggest debacle: MAX HR. Mr. Chertoff ought to be incensed at the disrespect and underhandedness shown to his incoming leadership by two people that will not have to live with the consequences of their actions.
If Mr. Chertoff wants to exert any meaningful control over his soon-to-be command, he'll move to halt implementation of MAX HR until a meaningful review of its impact is performed, with input from the field that is listened to and valued. Apparently, all OPM and DHS wanted to do was ram MAX HR down employees throats, but, as I said, Mr. Ridge and Ms. James won't have to live with the consequences; Mr. Chertoff will. Don't think for a second that all sectors of DHS employees are not already consulting attorneys and examining their legal options.
Hopefully, Mr. Chertoff will see beyond this farce and approach the matter for the intelligent and measured man he seems to be. It's your first big test, Sir...your move.
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