STATEMENT OF NATHAN T. WOLKOMIR, PRESIDENT OF NATIONAL FEDERATION OF FEDERAL EMPLOYEES, CONCERNING H.R. 6277 INTRODUCED BY CONGRESS HAYS AND REFERRED TO THE HOUSE FOREIGN AFFAIRS SUBCOMMITTEE ON STATE DEPARTMENT ORGANIZATION AND FOREIG

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP67B00446R000600110002-2
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 24, 2006
• Sequence Number: 2
• Content Type: STATEMENT

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STATEMENT OF NATHAN T. WJOLKOMIR, PRESIDENT OF NATIONAL
FEDERATION OF FEDERAL EMPLOYEES, CONCERNING H. R. 6277
INTRODUCED BY CONGRESSMAN HAYS AND REFERRED TO THE
HOUSE FOREIGN AFFAIRS SUBCOMMITTEE ON STATE DEPARTMENT
ORGANIZATION AND FOREIGN OPERATIONS
Mr. Chairman and members of the Committee: My name is
Nathan T. Wolkomir. I am President of the National Federation of
Federal Employees (NFFE) which was organized in 1917 and represents
employees in every branch of the Federal Service.
In the 88th Congress an attempt was made to remove employees of
the Agency for International Development from the regular Civil Service
procedures by a program of so-called "selection-out" to be determined
by the Administrator for AID. The NFFE cannot help but link this bill
with the previous attempt to side-step normal Civil Service procedures
in AID.
Section 22 of H. R. 6277 states: "The President is authorized, with-
out regard to the provisions of this or any other law, to provide for the
transfer, within three years after the date of enactment of this section, of
all personnel (except officers compensated in accordance with the Federal
Executive Salary Schedule) in or under the Department, the Agency for
International Development, and the United States Information Agency, and
such personnel as he may designate of other Government agencies who are
engaged in foreign affairs functions, to an appropriate class in the Foreign
Service Reserve or Foreign Service Staff. Each officer or employee so
transferred shall receive basic compensation at the rate of his class
determined to be appropriate by the Secretary, except that the rate of basic
compensation received by any officer or employee immediately prior to the
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effective date of transfer shall not be reduced by the provisions of this
section" Section 25(a), states the following: "The provisions of the
Civil Service Act of January 16, 1883, as amended, section 6 of the Act
of August 24, 1912, as amended (5 U. S. C. 652), the Veterans' Preference
Act of 1944, as amended, and the Classification Act of 1949, as amended,
shall not apply to officers and employees of the Foreign Service of the
United States."
These bitter pills cannot be sugar-coated by some benefits being
written into the bill.
The NFFE suggests rewriting this bill to include the benefits such
as the pay differential, liberalized travel and related expenses and leave
provisions included in H. R. 6277 as amendments to the existing regulations
within the various agencies involved and omitting the bad features included
in Section 22 and Section 25. It is our view that the best interests of
government employees are not served by H. R. 6277 as written. Moreover,
the NFFL does not think the public interest would be served by this bill as
it stands, since it weakens the merit principle so vital to sound administration.
Now that public hearings are being held, the NFFi welcomes the
opportunity to appear before this committee to express our views and to
answer questions members of the committee might wish to ask concerning
our unequivocal opposition to certain provisions of this bill.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for receiving our testimony and for the
consideration I know you and the other members of the committee will
give to NFFr2's position on this bill.
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