NSPS Repealed with Signing of 2010 National Defense Authorization Act

AFGE Champions Return of 'Good Sense' to Government

WASHINGTON, Oct. 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Federation of
Government Employees (AFGE), today, applauded President Obama, House Armed
Services Chairman Ike Skelton (D-MO), Senate Armed Services Chairman Carl
Levin (D-MI), Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chairman Joe
Lieberman (I-CT), Senate HSGAC Subcommittee Chairman Daniel Akaka (D-HI),
House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Ed Towns (D-NY), and House OGR
Subcommittee Chairman Stephen Lynch (D-MA) for championing fairness in the
federal government and repealing the fatally flawed National Security
Personnel System (NSPS).

"We have known from the very beginning that NSPS could not survive objective
scrutiny," said John Gage AFGE national president. "We are extremely grateful
to President Obama, Chairman Levin, Chairman Lieberman, Subcommittee Chairman
Akaka, Chairman Towns, and Subcommittee Chairman Lynch for recognizing NSPS
for the misguided ideological boondoggle that it has been."

"NSPS, which was created in a poisonous atmosphere by ideologues seeking to
destroy collective bargaining, federal unions and employee rights and
protections, has been proven through Government Accountability Office studies
and by DoD's own review board to be opaque, obscure, and discriminatory," said
Gage. Through various defense authorization bills, some rights - collective
bargaining and employee appeal rights - had been previously restored. But, the
costly NSPS pay system remained unwieldy and mistrusted by DoD civilian
employees at all levels.

The recently enacted law will require the transition of NSPS employees, with
no loss in pay, to previously existing civilian personnel systems no later
than January 1, 2012. "AFGE looks forward to working with the DoD to improve
the performance management and hiring systems so that the needs of the
taxpayers, war fighters, and employees can all be addressed," said Gage.

The American Federation of Government Employees is the largest federal
employee union, representing 600,000 workers in the federal government and the
government of the District of Columbia.

SOURCE American Federation of Government Employees

Michael Victorian of American Federation of Government Employees,
+1-202-639-6405