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Competitive Sourcing (A-76) National Security Personnel System (NSPS)

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NSPS Message

Years of hard work by NFFE members and our brothers and sisters in fellow unions finally paid off this year.

On January 28^th, President Bush signed into law the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act. The bill included language which made sweeping changes to the National Security Personnel System (NSPS).

Significant victories in the bill include the restoration of collective bargaining and employee appeal rights for Defense employees. Blue-collar workers are also now exempt from the system. The law left in place the Defense Department’s authority to implement a pay-for-performance system; however, the measure would guarantee that NSPS employees get 60 percent of the annual pay raise given to most federal workers if they perform at a satisfactory level or above. Only the remaining 40 percent of the pay adjustment, which is set annually by Congress, would go toward performance pay.

While the new version of the system is still far from perfect, it is a vast improvement from the previous forms. By relentlessly working together to make our voices heard, we ensured that many of Defense workers’ rights will be maintained under this new system. This is a significant victory for Defense workers, for NFFE, and for the entire labor movement. Thank you to everyone who stepped up to the plate and helped bring about this important change.

Richard N. Brown

Congress Looks at Impact of GPO and WEP

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Last week in Washington, D.C. the House Ways and Means, Social Security Subcommittee held a hearing on the impact of social security provisions affecting some public employees and their families who face hardships in retirement, or in the event of disability or death. Discussed at length were the effect of the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP).

Chaired by Congressman Michael McNulty (NY-21), the committee heard testimony from the Social Security Administration, Congressional Research Service, and from a handful of labor witnesses who represent public sector workers. The hearing was attended by NFFE Legislative Director Randy Erwin.

“I know there is a high degree of concern about these provisions – known as the ‘GPO,’ for Government Pension Offset, and the ‘WEP,’ for Windfall Elimination Provision,” said Chairman McNulty in his opening statement. “These rules were intended to help treat workers across employment sectors equitably. But many of the approximately one million individuals whose benefits are affected by these provisions believe the GPO and WEP are unfair.”

“Many federal workers have been needlessly hurt by these provisions,” said NFFE National President Richard N. Brown. “Simply put, these provisions make bad policy. We want to see the WEP and the GPO repealed, and we will be pushing Congress hard to do so this year.”

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