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Washington, D.C.—The National Treasury Employee Union (NTEU) strongly opposes fast-track adoption without full analysis and debate of sweeping legislation that would restructure the personnel system of the Department of Defense, NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley said today.

In a letter to every member of the House Government Reform Committee, President Kelley said the Defense Transformation for the 21st Century Act “is being railroaded through Congress without appropriate oversight.”

Noting that the proposed legislation has not yet even been formally introduced, Kelley called on Congress to oppose its passage “until such time as it has been thoroughly reviewed and debated.”

The NTEU leader was sharply critical of committee plans for a Thursday markup of a bill “overhauling the most fundamental civil service rules and protections for civilian employees of the Department of Defense without any input from those employees who will find themselves thrust into this new system.”

President Kelley took particular aim at segments of the proposed legislation that would permit the Secretary of Defense “to sidestep” not just congressional oversight but the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) “and institute new, untested pay systems” for Defense employees.

“The pay for performance scheme…would be based on a performance appraisal system that has come under intense criticism as being unfair and biased,” President Kelley said. “Performance appraisals in the federal government are routinely challenged as being subjective. Yet, rather than correct these underlying flaws in the system and develop a meritorious pay for performance system, this legislation is being rammed through Congress.”

She also was critical of provisions that would give the Defense Secretary the right to classify, discipline, suspend, demote or dismiss employees “outside the tested and constitutionally sound procedures set up under current law.” The proposal would also move more of the duties of uniformed and civilian personnel to the private sector.

“This bill is a slap in the face to both the uniformed and civilian personnel of the Department of Defense who have performed so brilliantly in the preparation for and execution of the war in Iraq. I’m stunned at the timing of this proposal,” said Kelley.

As the largest independent federal union, NTEU represents more than 150,000 employees in 29 agencies and departments.