Bargaining on Plan Lies Ahead

The Senate likely will use the bill as that chamber’s bargaining position during an upcoming conference with the House on a fiscal 2004 DoD budget bill that will serve as the vehicle for the changes-even if the panel’s bill is never brought to a Senate floor vote. Federal employee organizations and some leading Democratic House members, including Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., have said they prefer the Senate’s version to the House’s, further strengthening the Senate position. In contrast to the original DoD proposal and the House-passed version, the Senate bill would require a phase-in period before DoD could replace the general schedule system with a pay banding system featuring pay-for-performance, would allow national bargaining but keep all other union rights, and would allow DoD to set up its own internal employee appeals system but let employees dissatisfied with the decisions appeal to the Merit Systems Protection Board.