WASHINGTON, D.C.—Senator Susan Collins, (R-ME) Chairman of the Governmental Affairs Committee, and Senator George Voinovich (R-OH), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce and the District of Columbia, said today they want to ensure that the Administration’s proposal to create a new civilian personnel system at the Department of Defense will treat employees equitably. In a letter to Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, the senators said that, although they recognize the need to reform the department’s personnel system, several changes should first be made to the proposal.
“I am concerned that what the Department of Defense is calling for could compromise the rights of its 669,000 civilian workers. I cannot support a proposal that does not treat these workers with fairness and respect,” Collins said.
The senators’ May 6 letter is attached.