By ALYSSA ROSENBERG, Government Executive
President-elect Obama has enjoyed good relationships with the unions that represent federal employees, but he faces significant challenges in reforming the way the government recruits and pays its workforce while trying to advance an ambitious agenda. Could those two goals come into conflict?
Apparently, American Federation of Government Employees General Counsel Mark Roth thinks the next Office of Personnel Management director could be Max Stier, president of one of the more innovative nonprofits working on government management issues, the Partnership for Public Service. And Roth says that his organization would "vehemently oppose" Stier's nomination. I asked Roth why, and got this response:
He has consistently supported Bush "deform" efforts like NSPS [the National Security Personnel System] and Max HR [an abandoned pay-for-performance personnel system at DHS] and contracting out inherently governmental functions, and a leopard cannot be expected to change its spots just because the political winds have changed. While he could have been a force for good government and employee involvement, he really was missing in action for the federal workforce and we cannot have that type of leadership continued at OPM. On the other hand, we do see value in the PPS as a think tank working with us and Obama. There are a lot of projects that PPS could impact positively, so we would like to see him stay in that position.
Strong words. It's true that the Partnership has called for a total reform of the federal pay system and a move away from the General Schedule. But Stier has also spoken out against the suggestion that federal employees are overpaid, and the Partnership has launched a major call to reform the way agencies bring new people on board and train them. Partnership Vice President for Policy John Palguta has said that while opposition to using programs like NSPS to curtail labor rights can be justified, that concern doesn't necessarily invalidate efforts to reform evaluation and compensation.
Partnership spokeswoman Sarah Howe declined to comment on whether Stier was up for the top job at OPM or on AFGE's opposition. The Partnership is normally one of the most voluble organizations on the block, but Stier wouldn't say who from Obama's camp he was in contact with during the election or who he talks to now on the transition team.
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