Yesterday, NFFE National President William R. Dougan sat on a panel with several other federal employee representatives to discuss federal pay reform at the Blacks in Government (BIG) conference in Baltimore, Maryland.
At the conference, President Dougan made it clear that NFFE would never support a pay for performance system resembling NSPS, and reiterated his call for its full repeal. Acknowledging that the GS system is not perfect however, Dougan expressed his willingness to work with the administration on addressing pay and personnel reforms.
“This is a problem that we are going to have to deal with when it comes to redesigning systems of pay within the federal government,” said Dougan in his opening remarks. “But we are ready to roll up our sleeves and work with managers and the administration to discuss changes that benefit everybody.”
As the panel took questions from hosts and attendees, one of the most noted problems during the discussion was the lack of transparency in personnel systems such as NSPS. Responding to these concerns, panelist Darryl Perkinson, President of the Federal Managers Association, echoed Dougan’s concerns.
“We want a system that is fair, transparent, and understandable,” said Darryl Perkinson, President of the Federal Managers Association.
The panel wrapped after hours of conversation in what became a very insightful and lively discussion. The panel included: NFFE National President William R. Dougan; Julius Crouch, CEO & Chief Consultant of Triad Consultants who is also the chair of BIG’s National Board of Directors; Ron La Due Lake, President of IFPTE Local 1921 representing employees at GAO; Belva Martin, Acting Director of GAO’s Senior Executive Service (SES) Candidacy Program; Darryl Perkinson, President of the Federal Managers Association (FMA); Janet Crenshaw Smith, cofounder & President of Ivy Planning Group; Robert Tobias, Director of Public Sector Executives Education at American University; and Sue Webster, National President of Federally Employed Women (FEW).