The Week in Comments: Unions, Byrd and Arlington
The best in reader reaction to recent articles.
A roundup of some of the comments received this week in the GovExec.com Mailbag. All comments are presented in their original, unedited form.
On Senate panel approves supervisor training bill
Now this is a waste of time and money. Just get rid of 1/2 of them. Not fire them just put them back to work in the specialty that are supposed be so good at. This way you take care of all of the staffing shortages and save lot of $$$$ to boot. IE: The FAA (ATC)would be fully staffed overnight. Talk about a win win.
What someone might learn in training doesn't necessarily mean they will take that back to the office and utilize it.
Training requirements are great and will help the good supervisors. More importantly, we need a better way of selecting supervisors. Training won't help someone who isn't fit for the job, and I've seen plenty of them in my time in government.
On Competitive hiring not ideal for college grads, officials say
Why should we hire a recent college grad with no relevant experience? Just because they have a crisp new diploma and think they should skip to the head of the line? There are lots of older college grads who have put in time (often many years) as seasonal employees who aren't given a special opportunity to get a job. Make the hiring process fair and easy for everyone.
Let the college grads serve time in the Armed Forces - then push them up the ranks. I am a veteran and it took me years to get the job I wanted. I had a college degree (Masters) and was an officer in the U.S. Army. Too many people are being babies and given jobs that should go to our veterans. After all that's what the federal jobs were created for. Give us Veterans a hand out - not these people straight off the street!!!!!
Ridiculous. Just another way to hire kids of alumni and friends. The federal application process and KSA'a are in no way difficult, just time consuming. How is it that our colleges and universities are graduating students who either don't understand the process or don't feel that some up front work is required. Are these really the people we want?
On Sen. Robert Byrd, dead at 92
With his passing, the Constitution is no longer guarded by a Scholar of the Constitution; we are now at the mercy of interpreters.
So, who gets to be the "King of Pork" in Congress now?
I hate to see anyone die, especially an icon like Senator Byrd. But let's face reality, at 92 how sharp was his mind, what did he contribute, and how often was his vote swayed through friendship? We have a lot of "icon's" in the Legislative branch of Government and a fair amount in the Executive branch. Let's not talk about the judicial branch because you have to be at least 65 years of age to be considered. The point is, are any of these "ageless" wonders in touch with reality and the current state of affairs. How much of the influence and decision making comes from the "50s" ideology that affects everyday citizens, young and old?
On Unions set wish list for new TSA administrator
This administration is already owned and run by the unions. Unions should have no place in the National Security hierarchy.
Revoke all union charters within the government and private sector. There is no need for unions today they have destroyed manufacturing in the USA and have outlived any form of usefulness. Unions extract much needed hard earned dollars form employees that have been braiwashed into believing that they can actually do someting for them. All you union supporters need to really think what you have gained by being a dues paying member. I don't care to hear about the 40-hour work week, that was how many years back?
On Small business owners air contracting frustrations
As a former GSA employee and now a small veteran owned business, I too am very frustrated with the federal procurement process. They are too many obstacles to small businesses obtaining GSA schedule contracts. One of the main obstacles is the Contracting Officers who are awarding too many contracts to large businesses. These same Contracting Officers are not be held accountable for meeting established SBA goals of awarding contracts to 8(a), Women-Owned, Service Disabled Veteran-Owned businesses. The first challenge for the Interagency Task Force is to hold each Contracting Officers accountable and responsible for meeting these established yearly goals. In addition, if each Agency Head is also held accountable, perhaps more small businesses will be awarded contracts. In my 30 plus years with GSA, I often hear from Contracting Officers, "I can't find qualified small businesses to be awarded contracts." If these agencies review some of the unnecessary requirements, many small businesses may qualify for more government contracts.
Most small businesses can handle the work and need the work pared down and given to them on a platter. Unfortunately small business owners don't want to share the wealth with their employees and the employees end up moving on to other bigger firms. Most small businesses I have seen cant handle the "cost of doing business" or financial aspect of waiting to get paid a year for the materials they have purchased to do a job. Small businesses just want to be a pass through and sub all the work out. "Most" but not all have major management failings because they are too small to handle the large amount of paper pushing and staging. Its simple really in that to give work to small business the GOV will have to bend over backwards. What Gov contracts personnel want is easy and turn key programs. Small businesses are messy and require high maintenance. I have seen a few small businesses from the beltway get major contracts then sell out to the majors. This has ended in total disaster for major projects.
On Senator opens investigation of Arlington Cemetery contractors
I find it unconscionable that the Army has allowed the most hollowed ground in the nation to suffer such indignities and failures of oversight. But, what can we expect of a government that allows our vets to sleep in the streets? Sad, so very sad!
The incompetent cemetery officials should be criminally prosecuted to include a substantial loss of retirement benefits. Then maybe the next cemetery officals will bring the operation into the 21st century.
On Government could be losing momentum on telework
The reason that telework is losing popularity is simply due to management thinking. Too many "brown shoe" supervisors do not understand or will not see the value because they simply feel comfortable that their employee is in the office regardless of the quality of work.
Telework is a threat to most managers. It hilights the little need for most of them.
Many of us would willingly telework and as professionals, would reliably do our work and meet expectations and agency needs. The requests are being made by employees; management is not encouraging them. Telework must become an expectation of managers - not an option. I am inspired to make my official request for a regular telework schedule. wish me luck!
From what I've seen, many teleworkers take care of their personal agenda items when teleworking. In my opinion, teleworkers are abusing the system and wasting resources as well as taxpayer money.
On Temporary federal employment raises concern among lawmakers, unions
Of course the unions are going to complain. The temps also cannot join the union and become food for the unions to leech onto.
Seasonal employees deserve the same benefits as permanent employees? How about trying this on, seasonal employees tend to be college students, or people just looking for something to tide them over - this is not an issue for these unions to be creating more of a deficit because one of their buddies is not getting a better slice of the pie.
What "stuns" me is that with the deficit reaching unimagined heights the unions are trying to cram more into it, rather than protecting what they have got.
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