Posted on Jul 2, 2015
CPL(P) Bret Farritor
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http://m.govexec.com/management/2015/06/it-may-soon-be-easier-fire-any-va-employee-not-just-top-execs/116353/

This may not have the proverbial 'snowball's chance...' either in the Senate, POTUS Signature or as noted in the piece with the Courts but something needs to change on this front.
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Responses: 8
Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS
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Edited 9 y ago
If we are going to change civil service law, it should be to all of it, not to just one subset of it.

All this will do is make people not want to be part of this specific organization, which will lower care, not raise it.

Though it will be easier to "fire bad apples" bosses generally do not want to get rid of anyone they cannot replace. If you don't have a steady stream of applicants, bad apples are safe.
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PV2 Senior Web Designer, Web Team Lead
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As a Federal govt employee this needs to be done to all agencies, not just the VA. I am actually on my way to work and can't comment as lengthy as I would like, but I will summise this to say the VA issues are the tip of the iceberg. I've only been in Federal Govt for 3 years, but I've heard my colleagues share much worse stories and I've witnessed a few things myself. I will add more to this later.
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SCPO David Lockwood
SCPO David Lockwood
9 y
Well said PV2.
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PO1 John Miller
PO1 John Miller
9 y
PV2 (Join to see), I'm looking forward to reading more on this from you!
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PO2 Robert Hunter
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I think the larger problem is not the probie period, but the long time employees who have learned to hide within the system. I begrudge the notion they are able to unionize. Unions do not belong in public service; they drive the cost of everything government-related.
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Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS
Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS
9 y
PO2 Robert Hunter It's not that Unions are corrupt. Unions are a tool. They are neither good nor bad in and of themselves, just like Governments and Corporations are neither good nor bad in and of themselves. People are able to corrupt ANY organization, whether it be a Government, Corporation, or Union.

Any argument that can be applied to the dissolution of Unions can equally be applied to any other organization with a stated goal.

I have no love for (Specific) Unions either, but they exist for a reason. Any organization of size needs "oversight" and it cannot be internal. As I said, Checks & Balances against Power.
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Sgt Spencer Sikder
Sgt Spencer Sikder
9 y
Federal union officers spend their day on taxpayer's tab doing union business. Doesn't happen in the private sector. Good union leadership/stewardship is a necessity, I don't disagree. But so is good management. It's always amazing to me how managers let taxpayers foot the tab for their failures to do the right thing.
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Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS
Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS
9 y
Sgt Spencer Sikder Union Management is always done at the "end-users" expense. Whether that is the taxpayer, or the person eating the Twinkie, it comes out of consumer.

They are "Overhead" much like any other type of "non-producer" in an organization.
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Sgt Spencer Sikder
Sgt Spencer Sikder
9 y
Sgt Aaron Kennedy, while union dues fit your analogy, what I'm referring to is that union management at the facility level is on the government clock, but doing just union business full time. Not doing one bit of government work. Just at our facility, the government spends maybe around $100,000 a year just to have these union staffers doing union business (and given there are maybe 150/175 facilities across the country, that's roughly $15 to $17 million a year. Whereas in the private sector, union management to recruit and perform administrative duties are on the union's clock and are paid by their dues. Only when they are meeting with management over a particular issue are they on the company's clock.
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