Home
About NFFE
Mission NFFE History Department Heads Nat'l Executive Board Regional Business Representatives NFFE Councils
Legislative
Legislative Updates MNPL - Political Action IAMAW Legislative Elections and Candidates Voting Records Find Elected Officials AFL-CIO Legislative Register to Vote
News
Press Releases NFFE in the News Internal NFFE News The Federal Employee Legislative Updates Legal Updates IAM News Press Contact Person
Resources
AFL-CIO Federal Times Government Executive IAM Merchandise IAMAW IAMAW WWW Training Center Library of Congress Legislative Website NFFE Member Benefits Petition for Representation Election Washington Post - Federal Diary 2008 NFFE National Convention
Issues
Competitive Sourcing (A-76) National Security Personnel System (NSPS)

Login

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 Passes Fiscal Year 2008 Defense Authorization Bill, Again

Thursday, January 24, 2008

The Senate voted Tuesday to approve a revised defense bill authorizing 3.5 percent pay raise for troops while sidestepping a veto showdown with President Bush. This bill also contains favorable NSPS reform language as well as long-sought new rules for the Bush administration’s competitive sourcing program.

The 91-3 vote sends the $696 billion measure to Bush for his signature. The president had rejected an earlier version of the bill because of a provision that would have guaranteed that victims of state-sponsored abuse can sue foreign governments in court and collect judgments by seizing its assets inside the United States. Bush said that would have exposed Iraq to high-dollar lawsuits over abuse during the Saddam Hussein era at a time when the country is struggling to rebuild its infrastructure.

Democrats reluctantly revised the measure to allow Bush to grant immunity to Iraq, so long as he determines that doing so promotes Iraqi reconstruction and that Baghdad remains a "reliable ally" in the war on terror.

The House passed the new bill last week by a 369-46 vote. President Bush is expected to sign the measure into law.

“We would like this to be over once for all,” said Randy Erwin, NFFE Legislative Director. “Federal employees greatly benefit from the provisions in this bill, and it has been frustrating to wait so long for the measure to be signed. At this point though, it seems unlikely that there will be any further setbacks. We expect President Bush to sign the bill within the next few days.”

Powered by Orchid Suites
Orchid ver. 4.7.0.