WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today announced the Fiscal Year 2010 Defense Authorization Conference Report includes several hard fought victories for federal employees. The bill includes provisions to rollback and repeal policies from the previous administration that forced federal employees to compete on an uneven playing field, often wasted taxpayer dollars, and were bad for morale at federal agencies. The bill passed the Senate today, and now heads to the President to be signed into law.

The 2010 Defense Authorization Conference Report repeals the Bush Administration’s ill-conceived National Security Personnel System, or NSPS. Senator Mikulski is a longtime critic of NSPS, which radically restructured the Department of Defense personnel system and stripped collective bargaining rights from civilian employees. In previous years, Congress limited how many workers could be included in the NSPS system, and placed other restrictions on the controversial program.

“NSPS was a mistake from the get-go. They were rigged rules that redlined and sidelined our federal employees. The Department of Defense needs to start over and design a personnel system that respects workers’ rights to bargain and join unions, and rewards them for the contributions they make to our country’s security,” Senator Mikulski said. “I’ve been fighting for years to throw this ill-conceived policy out. Today, victory is ours.”

The 2010 Defense Authorization Conference Report also includes a provision to allow federal employees to convert unused sick leave to retirement credit at the end of their careers. This will allow federal employees to increase their retirement benefits by applying unused sick leave days.

“Our federal employees are on the front lines every day, working hard for America. These hardworking men and women deserve to be treated fairly. They deserve a secure retirement and benefits that reflect their years of service to this country,” Senator Mikulski said. “I’m proud Congress today voted to allow federal employees to convert unused sick leave into retirement credit.”

Finally, the legislation includes a provision to prohibit the Department of Defense from contracting-out until they significantly improve their oversight and tracking of the contracting-out process. The bill also limits the contracting-out competition to two years.

“I promised federal employees that I would not stop my fight to protect them against unfair contracting-out policies. Today, my promises made are promises kept,” Senator Mikulski said. “This legislation gives the DOD a ‘time out’ so the Secretary can establish best practices and stop contracting out efforts that are causing more harm than good.”