Defense Bill Goes Before Senate

By: fedweek

The Senate is expected to take up soon the annual authorization bill for DoD (S-1547) that aims to roll back part of the department’s national security personnel system. For example, the measure also would exclude wage grade employees from NSPS and add some restrictions regarding rates of pay allowable under the system. More significantly, though, the bill would repeal the authority under NSPS to curtail union rights in numerous areas, including the scope of allowable bargaining. All employees placed under NSPS so far are in positions not subject to union contracts, in part because of litigation over the whether the NSPS rules exceeded the department’s authority under the law to restrict union rights. An appeals court recently ruled for DoD in that case but the legal challenge is continuing.