Jay Inslee: Washington's 1st Congressional District
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Rights of civilian defense workers restored
27 September 2006
Thanks to U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee (D-Wash.), Walter B. Jones (R-N.C.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), the Pentagon will have to gut a new personnel system that a judge has said violates the rights of over 700,000 civilian Defense Department workers, including 16,000 in the Puget Sound area.
Just before 10 p.m. on Tuesday night, the House passed the final version of a defense spending bill that included an amendment authored by Inslee, Jones and Van Hollen that would prohibit the federal government from paying for aspects of the controversial National Security Personnel System (NSPS) that restrict collective bargaining and dispute settlement rights for civilians who work for the Pentagon. The amendment authors and 391 other members of the House voted for the legislation; 22 representatives voted against it.
"The administration cannot be allowed to destroy a century worth of protections against abuses in the federal employment system," said Inslee, whose efforts to pass a similar amendment two years ago were blocked. "The Defense Department never should have implemented a personnel system that denies basic worker rights and weakens our nation's defense in the first place."
As early as 2002, the administration started replacing the familiar General Schedule for pay and other employment protocols. Inslee and others have opposed NSPS on the basis that it could lead to the appointment and promotion of workers based on their political views, rather than merit. They have pushed for extending long-standing employment protections for civil servants that help prevent cronyism and nepotism.
Inslee, who represents thousands of civilians employed at Naval Base Kitsap and Naval Station Everett in his Seattle-area district, first offered his amendment in June 2004. It failed on a mostly partisan vote of 202 - 218. Since its rejection, Judge Emmet G. Sullivan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that several portions of system dealing with labor relations were illegal. The February 2006 decision cited failure to ensure collective bargaining rights, to meet requirements for an independent third-party review of labor relations decisions, and to provide employees with fair treatment in the appeals process.
Inslee's second attempt at the amendment in June 2006 was successful - it passed unanimously. House and Senate negotiators made the version of the amendment that was approved yesterday more narrowly tailored than the measure passed by the House earlier this year. They also added a provision that would restore all funding to NSPS if a higher court reverses Sullivan's decision.
"I'm confident this amendment will be the death knell of an ill-conceived program," Inslee continued. Today the Washington Post reported that the Department of Homeland Security will not appeal an unfavorable ruling on a similar program for its civilian workers.
He added, "This has been a hard fought battle and we should give credit to the thousands of federal employees who keep our armed forces, ships and planes operating safely. This is a victory for basic rights, and good government as well."