Senate Approves Defense Bill Repealing NSPS; Bill Advances to Obama’s Desk
Friday, October 23, 2009(National Federation of Federal Employees)
Yesterday, the Senate
approved the final version of the 2010 Defense
Authorization Act, advancing the key
legislation to the White House for President
Obama’s approval. Passed by a margin of 68-29,
the annual appropriations measure carries with
it a series of crucial federal employee
priorities that are sure to have a profound
impact on the workforce in the coming years.
The
bill, passed just over two weeks ago in the
House, includes provisions to repeal the
National Security Personnel System (NSPS) once
and for all, bringing to a close the over
six-year battle NFFE has waged against the
flawed system. The legislation calls for more
than 200,000 Defense workers enrolled under
NSPS to be returned to existing wage systems by
January 1, 2012, effective six months after the
bill’s signing. It also guarantees that those
workers currently enrolled will receive the
full GS pay adjustments during their transition
back into existing pay systems.
“NSPS
has been a six-year battle for our survival,”
said NFFE Legislative Director Randy Erwin,
recalling the long and often fruitless struggle
against the anti-union, anti-worker personnel
system. “We are very grateful to all the
lawmakers who recognized what a truly bad idea
NSPS was, and took action to repeal
it.”
Also
included in the Defense Bill are provisions
offering employees enrolled in the Federal
Employee Retirement System (FERS) credit for
their unused sick leave upon retirement, and
extending locality pay to workers stationed
outside of the mainland United States – both
critical NFFE
priorities.
“After
years of being shut out of the process, we are
finally beginning to bear the fruit of our
efforts,” said Erwin.
President Obama is
expected to sign the Defense Bill into law in
the coming days.