Lee Stone Testifies to joint committee on NASA Budget
IFPTE representative Dr. Lee Stone of Ames Research Center testified on Capitol Hill regarding NASA manpower and budget issues on May 17, 2007. Dr. Stone can be heard testifying from minute mark 29-39 in the video stream (the total stream is 1 hour 27 minutes) located at http://boss.streamos.com/real/science/scitech07/051707.smi with a transcript of the oral testimony at IFPTE_Oral_Statement_May17_2007_Release1.pdf, and a written testimony at IFPTE_NASATestimonyMay17_2007_Release1.pdf.
Dr. Lee Stone made the following points in his testimony:
- Congress should fund NASA as close to the authorized level as possible and prohibit transfer authority across major accounts.
- NASA should fund CS salaries directly to the centers, independent of programs, to allow for effective matrix management and to end the scapegoating of CS employees.
- The Administrator should publicly reject any use of RIFs so that the best and brightest young engineering and science graduates once again see NASA as a great career move.
- NASA must begin an aggressive campaign to recruit young employees while the current staff is still on board to transfer its knowledge.
- IFPTE opposes:
- any authorization to use a BRAC-like process to close centers,
- any streamlining of RIF procedures,
- any authority to unilaterally terminate retirement-eligible employees.
- IFPTE supports enhancing voluntary buyout authority.
- IFPTE strongly opposes any new authority to facilitate the conversion of permanent positions to term positions.