GovernmentExecutive.com

Return to Article: House blocks Pentagon labor relations system funding

• 17523
  

  Speaking as a once proud civil servant, of 29 years federal service, I think it's shameful the way a civilian government employee is treated these days. Our current administration has done nothing to improve our quality of life, and has spent their time outsourcing our jobs, kicking us to the curb in favor of private contractors. Speaking from the "inside" I'm here to tell you that NMCI and continual outsourcing of federal jobs, has done nothing to improve the system and has ultimately cost this nation millions of wasted dollars by allowing private contractors to provide inferior services and inferior computer network support. Now, with NSPS, our administration wants to take away any remaining protections and rights us civil servants still have remaining. Promotions and pay raises will be at the total control/discretion of management, and it's been proven before (via the now dead PARS system) that if you are not the favorite of management, you will get absolutely nothing. Being a civil servant used to be an honor, and something I was proud of. Now we are the butt of jokes and the scapegoat of our administration's efforts to "improve" the system. Change, just for the sake of change, is not necessarily a good thing, and NSPS is just another example of our administration's efforts to remove all protections and rights civil service employees currently have.

  Patricia Greenwood Posted June 26, 2006 11:57 AM
• 17494
  

  I worked under the demo program for the Army. It didn't work then since it favored and benefited management and discounted the efforts of the dedicated, hard working employees. Ratings were subjective, no matter what management devised or how hard employees tried to show their worth. Morale was terrible at the demo site and they had been in the program for two years. Despite the jokes, being a federal employee used to be an honor. Working conditions improved during the 20s through the 50s but we are apparently returning to those times under the current régime. Now, federal workers are used as scapegoats for the administration to carry out their agenda with apparent disregard for its ramifications on the workforce.

  GovExec.com reader Posted June 22, 2006 11:05 AM
• 17492
  

  Now, what happens to the jobs of all those people in the various personnel offices across the nation who have been doing nothing but working on NSPS?

  GovExec.com reader Posted June 22, 2006 10:46 AM
• 17488
  

  None of this ugliness had to happen. And even at this very moment the Pentagon management is planning to fight Congress as they are fighting the court decision rather than simply working with their employees to craft a better HR system.

  For all its faults, the partnership program of the 1990s did work because management and the unions talked to each other rather than at each other.

  Of course it is never too late but folks in this administration take their cues from a president who can never admit a mistake. A good dose of humility on both sides would do wonders and really benefit almost a million employees in DHS and DoD. But I'm not optimistic that this administration even has any ability to negotiate and reach consensus with its employees.

  HR Specialist

  GovExec.com reader Posted June 22, 2006 7:33 AM
• 17483
  

  Why doesn't someone just stick a fork in this and call it over and done with?

  I've-been-BRAC'd

  GovExec.com reader Posted June 21, 2006 8:33 PM