The Nation : Civil Service Pay Proposal

The Defense Department has asked Congress to adopt a sweeping proposal to revamp the federal Civil Service system by replacing the pay and grade scale with a pay-for-performance approach, according to documents released by Rep. Michael D. Barnes (D-Md.). The proposal would give most agencies the authority to establish their own classification, pay and performance systems, and give managers maximum flexibility to adjust salaries without the constraints of existing grade and step levels. Barnes attacked the proposal, saying it “would politicize the federal work force by allowing managers to reward political loyalists and penalize career federal employees.”