WILLIAM S. GIBSON
921 FIRST AVE
SEASIDE OR 97138
(503) 738 4076

March 9, 2005

Sir,

Good day to you. I am a U.S. Merchant Marine serving overseas as a Chief Engineer for the Military Sealift Command in support of the DOD. I have served with MSC for twenty eight years. 

I’m writing this letter in regard to the proposed National Security Personnel System (NSPS) regulations, H.R. 1588-230.  This particular proposal is under the review and comment period. After careful review, I find this document to be very disturbing.  The words unpatriotic, dictatorial and Communist come to mind for describing the proposed law. 

I strongly object to this proposal, and request your support in defeating its implementation for the following reasons: 

It grants the government the right to:  

Strip the DOD employees of Union Representation coupled with binding arbitration. 

Expand Non-Negotiable Management Rights.

Issue non-negotiable directives and policies.

Non-Negotiable management Rights over procedures in exercising core Management Rights.

The dismissal and replacement with less equitable wages and pay than those of Public Law 5348 which requires the mirroring standards applied to wages and benefits of the commercial industry.

Discretionary privilege for implementing changes to management by quote, ”Developing representation of appropriate organization which represents a substantial percentage of those employees or, if none, in such other manner as may be appropriate  consistent with the purposes of ,” for whichever subsection its’ being applied.    

The above are a few of the many negative impacts of the NSPS implementation.

We in the MSC serve our country typically spending 7 to 10 months per year away from our families, sometimes longer. I realize that as an American citizen we will have to share our part of the burden on the war on terrorism, but to strip us of our right to  representation and binding arbitration by our unions is wrong.  The government is promoting the view that the proposal has been discussed and a consensus has been reached but that is not the case.  Giving upper level management the right to make non-negotiable human resource policy, implement non-negotiable instructions and reductions in pay is wrong. Trying to sell this legislation under the pretense National Security when there are examples of laws already in place that are not being enforced (such as securing our borders) to help secure the nation in these difficult times is reprehensible!  The intentions of the government officials on how to implement or enforce the proposal may not be very clear, but the language is pretty clear.  I say that if the government implementation intentions are benign then the language should reflect that and not grant them across the board rights to put us under their boot heel as it does in its present condition.  We don't need more laws, we need better laws and we need to enforce those already in place.

On behalf of my Brethren MSC Merchant Mariners serving at the tip of the spear for our country and as a patriotic citizen of the Great State of Oregon, I ask for your support to defeat the proposed "CHAPTER 99-DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE NATIONAL SECURITY PERSONNEL SYSTEM" addition to title 5 of the US Code . Thank you for your consideration and for all the good work you’ve been doing for us.
Remember, someone once said that "a government that governs least governs best". 

Sincerely,

William S. Gibson
Chief Engineer
USUS YUKON T-AO 202
F. P. O. AP
96686-4068