Although the upcoming national security personnel system
at the Defense Department didn’t appear to have a
substantial impact on labor-management relations in fiscal
2004–as measured by the number of complaints generated—it
will “truly start blooming” in fiscal 2005 and 2006 and
will “create a number of exciting challenges for local
labor relations specialists who will not only need to
learn the new labor relations program, but also maintain
currency in the Chapter 71 program,” according to a new
report from the Army’s labor relations office.
“While still in its infancy, NSPS grew throughout the
year so as to become the talk (or gossip) of the entire
DoD. It also became the rallying point for the unions,
especially at the national level. National unions began
a campaign to stop NSPS, and their efforts certainly
trickled down to the local level. It will be interesting
to track grievances and ULPs to see if the development
of NSPS is impacting these numbers,” it said.
The report noted that in fiscal 2004, there were 925
negotiated grievances filed by Army bargaining unit
employees, an increase of about 7 percent from 2003,
but still the third fewest negotiated grievances filed
within a fiscal year in Army. There were 239 unfair
labor practice charges filed against Army activities,
a decrease of about 17 percent, and hitting an
all-time low.
Said the report, “The unions have voiced some strong
objections to NSPS and you may see their concern
raised in other venues. As such, it will be quite
interesting to watch the numbers as NSPS is
implemented. From the implementation of a brand new
personnel system to significant anxiety from unions
regarding the possible closure of an installation,
the only thing consistent will be change. As the
saying (or is it a curse) goes, May you live in
interesting times.”