The American Federation of Government Employees is "angered, frustrated, and perplexed" that the Defense Business Board appointed to review the National Security Personnel System did not recommend scrapping the pay for performance system now covering over 200,000 civilian employees.
"We believe that the DBB got the diagnosis right: they found NSPS to be a sick system with nothing positive and a great many things negative about it," wrote AFGE president John Gage in a letter to the board. "It is unconscionable that after acknowledging its fatal flaws the task group would recommend anything other than completely terminating the system," he added.
The board found fault with the system for a lack of transparency in the pay pool process and with career progression in the systems pay-banding scheme. It also concluded that favoritism – or the appearance of it – is endemic within NSPS.
However, the board recommended moving forward under a partnership with employee unions to bring "legitimacy" to the process and to aid in communicating with employees through unions.
AFGE and other unions have called for returning employees to the GS system.
AFGE also said it was considering pursuing a class action lawsuit against DoD. It cited a May 2009 internal evaluation finding that NSPS employees making under $60,000 received a net loss while those making over $80,000 received the highest payouts – arguing that those making the least finance payouts for those making the most.
