NTEU News Clips

February 2007, NTEU In The News

The following pages contain excerpts of news stories that were published this past month. Generally, the opening paragraph of each story is included as well as those paragraphs that feature NTEU’s position on the issue. In some cases, the complete story is available from the Web site of the publication. Links to the sites are built in to the electronic version of this document. However, some publications may limit access to subscribers or only make the stories available for a fee. In all instances, copyright remains with the original publisher.

FDA to Close Seven Field Labs (The Scientist)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) plans to close 7 of 13 field labs that test food and drugs for compliance with FDA safety standards. FDA employees were notified yesterday (February 27) of the closures, which are part of an effort to restructure the agency's Office of Regulatory Affairs.

As predicted by FDA insiders, labs located in Denver, Detroit, Kansas City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico), and Winchester (Massachusetts) will close.

About 250 employees currently work in the facilities scheduled to close, and all will have the option of relocating to one of the remaining labs, FDA spokesperson Doug Arbesfeld told The Scientist. In cases where employees choose not to move, he said, "we'll attempt to find them another job with the FDA in their area, if possible. If not, we'll offer career counseling or training."

Cynthia Evitt, president of the Health and Human Services Southwest chapter of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), which represents FDA employees, told The Scientist that many employees were relieved to hear details of the plan after months of listening to rumors. Still the NTEU has criticized the proposal, and Evitt said the NTEU plans to begin bargaining with the agency over the impact and implementation of the consolidation.

February 28, 2007

NTEU, Lawmakers Oppose Proposed Lab Closures (Federal Employees News Digest)

It’s been a decade since the last time the White House and Food and Drug Administration officials embarked on an effort to save money by closing a swath of the agency’s labs. But a similar effort is underway today, and the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) is fighting to stop it.

“NTEU believes that this effort is seriously misguided and asks that it be halted,” Colleen M. Kelley, the union’s president, said in a letter to lawmakers last week. “We are proud to represent the skilled professionals working at the FDA labs across the country. These FDA employees conduct research and product analysis along with many other duties critical to the safety of food, drugs and medical devices.”

February 19, 2007

NTEU Addresses Planned Staff Reductions at FDA and IRS (Federal Human Resources Week)

Downsizing and consolidating at two major federal agencies have riled the National Treasury Employees Union to defend the federal employees’ jobs. Plans to close over half the labs at the Federal Drug Administration and continued low budgets and substantial job cuts at the Internal Revenue Service, could force thousands of highly skilled federal employees to lose their jobs, NTEU officials said at a recent press conference.

“If they do this, they would not only be closing facilities that could act swiftly in emergencies but may also lose many qualified and specialized employees,” NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley said.

Kelley warned that closing some of the specialized labs located at U.S. borders where many products enter the country may pose a greater risk to consumers.

January 22, 2007

FDA to announce lab closure details (The Scientist)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Office of Regulatory Affairs is expected to announce soon the details of a plan to consolidate its regional field laboratories, potentially closing more than half. Together, the 13 labs are responsible for inspecting food, drugs, cosmetics, and medical equipment to ensure that they adhere to FDA safety standards.

According to the National Treasury Employees Union, which represents more than 5,200 FDA employees, the field labs employ some 600 individuals. The NTEU was first briefed on FDA's plans for restructuring in November, but the union and the employees have been kept largely in the dark about the details, Michael Roberts, president of the NTEU's Health and Human Services (HHS) San Francisco chapter, told The Scientist.

Regardless of which labs might close, Roberts said, he anticipates that the FDA will "have to increase staff [at the remaining labs] to take up the sampling efforts."

February 23, 2007

FDA Union Steps Up Fight Against Lab Closures (FDAWEB.com)

The National Treasury Employees’ Union, representing 5,200 FDA employees, 2/12 asked House Energy and Commerce chairman John Dingell (D-MI) and his oversight and investigations subcommittee chairman, Bart Stupak (D-MI) to probe the planned closure of more than half the agency’s laboratories when the committee examines drug safety issues in a hearing 2/13.

NTEU believes the new plan “would compromise” efforts to protect the safety of the nation’s food supply and ensure that drugs and medical devices are not only safe, but effective and properly labeled as well.

NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley repeated her assertion that FDA has failed to make any case that larger, centralized labs are better suited to protect the public health. On the contrary, she said, “moving forward with the FDA plan could well prove to be counterproductive for the public, given the likely loss of skilled, experienced employees in the labs, many of whom would move to the private sector.”

February 12, 2007

Senators Ask FDA to Keep Regional Labs (Washington Post) (Also appeared in Federal Daily)
The Food and Drug Administration should suspend plans to close as many as nine of 13 laboratories that test the safety and effectiveness of food, drugs, cosmetics and medical equipment, a bipartisan group of senators said this week. The FDA has not made public which labs it intends to shutter.
The network of labs, run by the agency's Office of Regulatory Affairs, "could prove particularly vital in rapidly responding to public health crises" during national emergencies, the lawmakers, including Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), wrote Tuesday to FDA Commissioner Andrew C. von Eschenbach.
Colleen M. Kelley, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, which represents 600 of the lab workers, said the consolidation plan was "shortsighted" because many lab scientists would leave federal service rather than relocate.
"They would lose all that expertise and then have to rebuild it," said Kelley, whose union met with FDA officials in November. "The FDA has never made any kind of a business case that this consolidation would lead to better protection for the public and of public health. . . . They just said 'consolidation,' which is code for budget. They think if they have fewer labs they'd save money."

February 1, 2007

KENNEDY TELLS FDA TO HALT PLANNED LAB CLOSINGS (FDA Week)
Senate health committee Chair Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and a bipartisan group of 20 of his colleagues penned a letter Tuesday (Jan. 30) to FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach urging him to halt a proposal to close several labs nationwide that investigate public health threats.
PEER and the National Treasury Employees Union, which represents about 5,000 FDA employees, previously called the consolidation plan short-sighted and said it would result in loss of talent when lab employees choose to quit instead of move to cities where labs remain open.

February 2, 2007
Lenexa works to keep federal laboratory (The Kansas City Star)

Lenexa officials are lending what support they can to efforts aimed at keeping open the doors of a Food and Drug Administration laboratory in the city.
Citing jobs and public health, a bipartisan group of U.S. senators has asked that the FDA suspend plans to close the Lenexa lab, which ensures the safety of food, medical equipment and cosmetics through research and testing.
The Lenexa operation is one of 13 of the FDA's Office of Regulatory Affairs laboratories at risk. The labs could be consolidated into as few as four, according to a letter from 20 senators to FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach.
Cynthia Evitt, president of Local 254 of the National Treasury Employees Union, which represents lab workers, said chemists and microbiologists are employed there.
The lab serves four states - Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Iowa - but also analyzes food and drug samples from all over the country.

February 7, 2007
MD.-BASED FEDERAL AGENCIES GET SPENDING DATA FOR YEAR
(The Baltimore Sun)

This year's spending plan for the Food and Drug Administration, National Institutes of Health and Social Security Administration, crafted by the new Democratic majority in Congress and signed into law this week by President Bush, provides a mix of good and bad news for the Maryland-based agencies, according to congressional aides and other government officials.
The Food and Drug Administration's spending will keep up with inflation, with its budget rising $91 million to nearly $2 billion, said a House Democratic aide.
To cut costs, the FDA is threatening to close up to nine of its 13 labs around the country that test the safety of foods, medical equipment, cosmetics and other products, according to senators and union officials who are fighting it.
"It would mean an inability of the FDA to act quickly in a time of crisis, whether a food-borne illness or some other issue," said Colleen M. Kelley, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, which represents 600 lab workers.

February 17, 2007
Homeland Security Rated Low by Workers (The Associated Press) (Also appeared in The New York Times, The Indianapolis Star and the San Diego Union Tribune)

The Homeland Security Department received the lowest scores for job satisfaction on a federal survey, ''a clear and jolting message,'' the No. 2 official told agency workers.
''I have told DHS leaders from the start that this department cannot succeed without listening to and respecting the voices of experienced, front-line employees,'' said Colleen Kelley, president of the National Treasury Employees Union.

January 31, 2007
OPM survey finds employees enjoy work, but dislike their bosses (Federal Computer Week)
Federal workers love the importance of their jobs but want more recognition, according to the Office of Personnel Management’s Federal Human Capital Survey for 2006.
Although they reported being happy with their jobs, feds were less satisfied with senior management’s treatment of employees and agency efforts to recognize high achievement. Only half of the workers surveyed believed they received the recognition they deserved for their efforts and fewer than a third said they thought agencies were taking the appropriate steps to reprimand poorly performing colleagues.
“When 30 percent or more of the employees in a given agency seriously question the policies and practices of senior management, there clearly are problems that need to be addressed,” said Colleen Kelley, president of the National Treasury Employees Union. “Agency leadership must find a way to get past their reluctance to deal effectively and forthrightly with employee representatives to address and resolve the issues driving this serious level of dissatisfaction.”

February 12, 2007
Survey’s message to leaders: Involve your employees (Federal Times)

Top managers at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission spend a lot of energy communicating with employees and fostering a culture where everyone has a say in how the agency operates, says Mary Ellen Beach, the agency’s deputy human resources director.
Conversely, such a culture is sorely lacking at the Homeland Security Department, say many experts.
“There is a morale crisis in this department that is only getting worse,” said Colleen Kelley, president of the National Treasury Employees Union.

February 5, 2007
Spending bill trims $5 million more from DHS personnel system (GovExec) (Also appeared in Federal News Radio)
A spending measure approved earlier this week in the House would reduce by another $5 million the fiscal 2007 appropriation for the Homeland Security Department's new personnel system.
The action comes four months after lawmakers withheld millions from the system, known as MaxHR, under the fiscal 2007 Homeland Security appropriations bill approved in late September. That measure allotted $25 million to MaxHR, far less than the $71.5 million requested in the president's budget and the $29.7 million Congress apportioned for 2006.
"This cut sends a clear message that Congress is not pleased with DHS' approach to personnel management," NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley said. "I hope this action, coupled with the department's dismal results from the Office of Personnel Management employee survey, will serve as a wake-up call that DHS has been moving in the wrong direction in managing its most valuable asset -- its employees."

February 2, 2007

DHS scales back pay for performance ambitions (GovExec)

The Homeland Security Department is putting a fresh face on its controversial personnel overhaul, expanding the focus of the reforms but also moving more cautiously than originally planned before transferring employees to a system that links pay to job performance.

NTEU praised the agency's decision to substantially revise the timetable, but questioned whether the new program was really an alternative to MaxHR or if DHS was simply changing the name.

"I certainly hope this change is far more than cosmetic," NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley said, "because much more is needed, and most particularly a willingness by DHS to work with employees and their unions."

February 28, 2007

DHS abandons MaxHR, launches wider human capital plan (cyberFEDS)

The Department of Homeland Security is shedding the name of its pay-for-performance system and reducing it to a pilot program that won't be carried out until 2008.

That means good-bye MaxHR, hello Human Capital Operational Plan.

National Treasury Employees Union President Colleen Kelley applauded the decision, calling it a "victory" for DHS employees since "over the next two years they will be operating under a pay system they both understand and trust."

Kelley said she hopes the changes going on in DHS are more than "cosmetic" and "recognition that everyone associates MaxHR with failure."

February 26, 2007

Intel employees first to test performance pay system at Homeland Security (Federal Times)

Two years ago, the White House had expected pay for performance to be spread throughout most major Homeland Security Department agencies by 2008 and to be well on its way to becoming a common practice across the government.

But now, only a few hundred intelligence employees at Homeland Security are expected to be testing a pilot version of that system next year and the future of civil service pay reform at the department is far from certain.

Unions hailed news of the rollback. National Treasury Employees Union president Colleen Kelley said Feb. 26 she is glad it is limited to a pilot program. Kelley said Homeland Security instead should focus on correcting problems such as inadequate training, staffing and resources that have left the department with some of the worst morale problems in government.


February 26, 2007

NTEU Welcomes New Pay-for-Performance Timetable (Federal Daily)

The leader of National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) Feb. 26 called the decision of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to revise its timetable for implementing a pay-for-performance system a “victory for DHS employees.”

NTEU President Colleen Kelley said that “at least over the next two years [employees] will be operating under a pay system they both understand and trust.” Kelley said the decision to delay full implementation and instead institute a pilot program in 2008 provides a chance for the agency to work with employees on “the serious mission and morale issues” affecting the department. NTEU represents about 14,000 employees in the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection.


February 27, 2007

Report: DHS needs ‘blended culture,’ new leadership models (Federal Computer Week)

The Homeland Security Department has not yet established an overall culture for the organization, which may be adversely affecting morale, according to a report commissioned by DHS.

The agency needs to develop a “blended culture” based on “common values, goals and focus of mission” throughout DHS’ headquarters and component agencies, according to the report released by the Culture Task Force of the Homeland Security Advisory Council.
Union representatives criticized the report, saying the task force failed to ask for input from DHS employees.

“There is no one more familiar with the difficulties DHS is experiencing in building a single culture within the department than its own employees,” said National Treasury Employees Union President Colleen Kelley.

February 13, 2007

Fight over collective bargaining threatens to derail security bill (GovExec)

Senators Wednesday began debate on amendments to sweeping legislation to implement unfulfilled recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, as Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., vowed to fight Republicans for a provision that would give federal airport screeners collective bargaining rights. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff told senators Tuesday that President Bush would be urged to veto the bill if it includes the collective bargaining language.
Colleen Kelley, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, also urged lawmakers to support the provision. She dismissed the idea that collective bargaining at TSA would harm the government's emergency response capabilities.

"Every union contract with federal agencies recognizes management's right to assign and detail workers as necessary," Kelley said in a letter to senators. "Management flexibility in times of crisis is set in statute."

February 28, 2007

IRS Budget Estimates Private Collectors to Net $70 Million for Government in 2008 (Government Employee Relations)

The Internal Revenue Service’s fiscal year 2008 proposed budget anticipates that private debt collectors will collect a total of $112 million, get paid $21 million and give another $21 million to the IRS for its enforcement efforts, netting the federal treasury $70 million in FY 2008.

National Treasury Employees Union President Colleen M. Kelley told BNA on Feb. 5 that she questions if the 25 percent that is supposed to go back to the IRS for enforcement will even get there. It may be sidetracked for other purposes.

“As I have said in a variety of forums, including congressional testimony, if the IRS were appropriately funded and staffed, there would not only be no need to hire private debt collectors and subject taxpayer information to abuse, the money would be collected at a fraction of the cost,” she said.

February 13, 2007

IRS Collections (Letter to the Editor) (Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Sun-Sentinel)

As an employee of the Internal Revenue Service and a member of National Treasury Employees Union Chapter 93, I would like to share some information and at the same time request that we contact our representatives and senators.

The IRS is hiring private debt collectors to do the job of IRS collections/enforcement employees. Your personal tax information may be shared with private debt collectors.

For more details visit: www.irs.gov and follow the link to the National Taxpayer Advocate 2006 Report to Congress.

Please contact your senators and congressional reps and support the Taxpayer Abuse and Harrassment Prevention Act of 2007, which will repeal the IRS' authority to hire private debt collectors to collect tax debt. – Inez DeJesus

February 12, 2007

IRS sued over use of private debt collectors (The Daily Record) (Rochester, N.Y.)

The National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) sued the Internal Revenue Service under the Freedom of Information Act for failing to release documents concerning the agency's controversial privatized debt collection program. The suit alleges the IRS has no legal authority to withhold the requested information from the union. "The IRS's behavior certainly raises questions about the causes of its reluctance to provide this information to taxpayers and its own employees," said NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley.

February 20, 2007

Taxpayer Advocate Report: Complexity issues top NTA report (Accounting Today)

The complexity of the tax code, the widening tax gap and private debt collection sit atop National Taxpayer Advocate Nina E. Olson's list of the most serious problems facing taxpayers.

"The IRS now acknowledges that it can collect these delinquent accounts more efficiently than PCAs," she said.

Colleen M. Kelley, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, agreed with the report, noting that "estimates show that IRS employees could perform the work far more efficiently, with a return on investment of approximately 13:1."

February 12, 2007

Costs for Some Retirees Draws NTEU Criticism (Federal Daily)

The head of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) was sharply critical of President Bush’s Fiscal Year 2008 budget proposal, which the union said includes a plan to scale back the government’s contribution to healthcare premiums for new federal retirees with less than a decade of government service.

Bush’s budget states the government will seek to “reduce the amount of the government contribution for new annuitants with fewer than 10 years of federal service,” said NTEU President Colleen Kelley. “In a time of escalating healthcare costs, it is unconscionable for the administration to propose reducing the government’s share of health insurance premiums for any group of eligible federal employees or retirees.”

February 7, 2007

Security needs swell federal work force Federal Times

The ranks of federal employees will grow again under President Bush’s proposed 2008 budget. In all, the budget proposes a net increase of 13,000 employees in 2008.

Much of the hiring would be for homeland and national security programs: border protection, intelligence, military support and counterterrorism, among others.

Customs and Border Patrol would get 300 more CBP officers to manage ports of entry. That number should be several thousand higher to meet staffing needs at ports of entry, said Colleen Kelley, president of the National Treasury Employees Union.

“The relative handful of additional positions for CBP officers contained in this budget proposal pales in comparison to the pressing need for more staffing at the nation’s land, air and sea ports of entry,” she said in a statement.

February 14, 2007

Bush Budget Seeks $650 Million More For IRS Enforcement (Dow Jones Newswires)
The Internal Revenue Service's budget would rise by more than $650 million under a Bush administration request to strengthen tax law enforcement.

The president of the National Treasury Employees Union, or NTEU, criticized the IRS's budget request as insufficient. The White House plan calls for 92,814 full-time IRS employees in the 2008 fiscal year. That would would be 32 fewer employees than the 92,846 employees on the payroll on Sept. 30, 2006, said NTEU President Colleen Kelley.

"The case for additional staff is both clear and pressing," Kelley said in a statement. "And it is not just disappointing, but dangerous for our nation, that this administration refuses to see that or act on it."

February 6, 2007

President proposes cuts to 141 programs (GovExec)
President Bush on Monday proposed a fiscal 2008 budget that would reduce deficits by limiting discretionary spending outside the security arena to below the level of inflation.

The proposed budget would eliminate or sharply cut 141 federal programs, administration officials said, increasing most discretionary spending by 1 percent over the president's fiscal 2007 request while raising security-related spending 2.9 percent and cementing the president's temporary tax cuts.

But the National Treasury Employees Union, which represents many IRS employees, criticized the agency's proposed budget, noting that it calls for a slight decrease in full-time employees from the staffing level at the end of fiscal 2006.

February 5, 2007

Budget Winners and Losers (Washington Post)

The budget that President Bush sent to the Congress yesterday contains nuggets of good news for federal employees: Their numbers would grow, as would their salaries.

Civil service and military personnel would receive a pay raise of 3 percent in 2008, according to the budget. The proposed raise, announced Friday by the Office of Management and Budget, will be reviewed by Congress.

The National Treasury Employees Union objected to the budget's proposal to allow the president to allocate some of the pay raise to address recruitment and retention challenges in government. Colleen M. Kelley, the union president, said the raise should be at least 3.5 percent, given that the 2007 raise was the lowest in 20 years.

February 6, 2007

Administration seeks to trim retiree health subsidies (GovExec)

President Bush's fiscal 2008 budget includes a proposal to scale back the government's contribution to health care premiums for new federal retirees with less than a decade of government service.

The National Treasury Employees Union, the largest independent union in the federal sector, was quick to criticize the proposal.

"In a time of escalating health care costs it is unconscionable for the administration to propose reducing the government's share of health insurance premiums for any group of eligible federal employees or retirees," said NTEU President Colleen Kelley. "In recent years, it has not been unusual for federal retirees to face a higher increase for their health insurance premiums than the cost-of-living increase they are receiving in their annuity."

February 5, 2007

Office of Personnel Management (CQ Today)

Part of the federal payroll would be put on a different system under President Bush's fiscal 2008 budget request for the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).

Bush also proposed -- although not part of OPM's budget -- a 3 percent overall salary increase for federal workers in 2008. Federal employee unions, however, have called the pay raise inadequate.

"Federal employees are falling further and further behind as the wage gap between the public and private sector continues to grow," Colleen M. Kelley, president of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), said in a written statement. The NTEU has called for a minimum increase of at least 3.5 percent for government workers.


February 5, 2007
Bush seeks 3 percent federal pay raise for 2008 (GovExec)

President Bush proposed a 3 percent pay raise for civilian federal employees and military personnel in his fiscal 2008 budget, released Monday morning.

The National Treasury Employees Union criticized the White House proposal, arguing that it reflects the administration's disregard for federal employees and their contributions, especially following the 2007 pay raise.

"Today's proposal comes on the heels of the lowest pay increase in 20 years and simply does not reflect the contributions of civilian federal employees and members of the military," NTEU President Colleen Kelley said.

Kelley said the failure of the administration to adequately address the disparity between public and private sector pay will "put the federal government at a further disadvantage with the private sector in hiring."


February 5, 2007

Proposed 3 percent raise too small, say unions, lawmakers (Federal Times)

A battle could be brewing over the president’s proposed 2008 pay raise, but it won’t be the typical fight over whether civilian and military employees will get equal raises.

Unions assailed the 3 percent increase as unacceptable, especially in light of this year’s 2.2 percent average pay hike, which was the smallest raise for civilian employees since 1988 and the smallest military pay increase since 1994. Colleen Kelley, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, said next year’s increase should be at least 3.5 percent.

“Federal employees are falling further and further behind as the wage gap between the public and private sector continues to grow,” Kelley said. “Soon there will be fewer and fewer people interested in applying for jobs with federal agencies, and the capacity and the ability for these agencies to perform their missions will be severely diminished.”

February 12, 2007

Lawmakers begin push for 2008 pay raise (Federal Human Resources Week)

House members on both sides of the aisle are urging President Bush to propose a fair pay raise for federal employees in 2008, noting the 2007 boost of 2.2 percent was the lowest in nearly 20 years.

Colleen Kelley, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, praised the effort.

"The 2007 federal pay raise widened the damaging gap between public and private sector pay," she said. "Fair pay is a crucial element in attracting and retaining the talented employees federal agencies require if they are going to meet the public's needs and expectations."

February 5, 2007

Ex-Feds Know A Good Deal (Federal News Radio)

The National Treasury Employees Union knows how to get results. A recent press release to the media said that Uncle Sam gave an $11 million dollar Valentine's Day present to private contractors hired to collect back taxes. NTEU says the debt collectors will get between 21 and 24 percent of the money they collect. To make sure reporters got the message, each press release included a pack of tiny heart-shaped valentine candies.

February 26, 2007

Candlelight Vigil Honors Fallen CBP Officers file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/eileen.tolson/Local%20Settings/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/OLK2/www.cbp.gov

On Tuesday February 27, 2007, the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) held its annual Vigil of Lights honoring fallen U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers. The ceremony was held at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C.

The ceremony featured remarks from the union’s President Colleen M. Kelley and Department of Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Michael P. Jackson.

NTEU, in conjunction with their legislative conference, conducts this ceremony annually to honor the sacrifice of CBP Officers who have fallen in the line of duty.

February 28, 2007

Intern program spurs lawsuit (The Free Lance-Star) (Fredericksburg, Va.)

The National Treasury Employees Union is suing to stop federal managers from using the Federal Career Intern Program to hire federal employees.
According to the union, this program is being used to circumvent the traditional competitive hiring process.
There is something else interesting about the union lawsuit though. It was filed not only on behalf of those who feel cheated out of job opportunities, but also on behalf of employees who have been selected for intern positions.

February 4, 2007

Union: FCIP allows agencies to circumvent merit principles (Federal Human Resources Week)

The National Treasury Employees Union has filed a lawsuit claiming the Federal Career Intern Program allows agencies to circumvent merit system principles.

Specifically, the lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia alleges that agencies are using the FCIP to avoid the traditional hiring process.

"Over the past several years, the FCIP has become the hiring method of choice for many federal agencies, often at the expense of fair and open competition," said NTEU president Colleen Kelley.

The FCIP, which is administered by the Office of Personnel Management, was implemented on an interim basis and 2000 and made permanent in 2005. The intent is to allow students to gain federal experience and pave the road for them to become federal employees.

February 5, 2007

Energy Department Moving Forward With Employee Bonuses (FedManager)

The Department of Energy (DOE) has decided to move forward with employee bonuses. In a recent message to employees, DOE officials said performance-based discretionary payments will be effective March 4th, and have a pay date of March 29th.

National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) President Colleen M. Kelley welcomed the news. But despite being “pleased” with DOE’s decision to move forward with the bonuses, the union, which previously filed two grievances over the matter, has said it intends to pursue discussions with the department about interest payments on the delayed awards and on making quality step increases retroactive.

February 27, 2007

For Energy, a Budget Not Without Merit (Washington Post)

Bonuses are back at the Energy Department.

The department got caught in a budget squeeze late last year when Congress failed to complete the annual spending bills funding the government on time. Worried that they would not be able to make ends meet and might even have to lay off employees, officials suspended bonuses normally paid at year's end until Congress wrapped up the fiscal 2007 budget.

The hold on bonuses caused some stir in the department. The National Treasury Employees Union, which represents about 1,700 Energy employees, had filed two grievances over the matter. Yesterday, union president Colleen M. Kelley said she was pleased that the bonuses were back on track.

February 23, 2007

Energy Department to lift moratorium on bonuses (GovExec)

Energy Department employees are now in line to receive performance-based awards and discretionary pay adjustments delayed in November because of uncertainty about the agency's budget situation.

The National Treasury Employees Union had filed two grievances on the matter, demanding that the agency award the bonuses immediately. NTEU President Colleen Kelley said the delay violated the union's contract, which called for the payment of performance-based awards by Jan. 31, 2007.

But Kelley welcomed Energy's decision to move ahead, even though employees will receive their money nearly two months late. She said NTEU plans to pursue discussions with the agency about interest payments on the delayed awards and about making quality step increases in pay retroactive.

February 21, 2007

House Measure Would Extend LEO Status to Additional groups of Federal Employees
(Government Employee Relations)

Legislation that would provide law enforcement officer (LEO) status to additional groups of federal employees, allowing them to retire as early as age 50 after 20 years of service, was introduced on Feb. 15 by Reps. Bob Filner (D-Calif.) and John McHugh (R-N.Y.).

The Law Enforcement Officers Equity Act (H.R. 1073) is similar to a bill the two introduced in the last session of Congress that ultimately attracted 160 co-sponsors but was never brought to the House floor for a vote.

Colleen M. Kelley, president of the National Employees Union, said in a Feb. 16 statement that NTEU will push strongly in this session of Congress to pass H.R. 1073.

February 27, 2007
Lawmakers renew push to grant employees law officer benefits (GovExec)

House members recently introduced a bill renewing an effort to grant additional federal officers law enforcement status and the more generous retirement benefits that go along with it.

The legislation (H.R. 1073) would provide Customs and Border Protection officers, police at the Veterans Affairs Department and other employees the ability to retire at age 50 with 20 years of service.

The National Treasury Employees Union, which represents many CBP employees, said it plans to push strongly for passage of the legislation this session.

"There is no dispute," said NTEU President Colleen Kelley, "that the work of CBP officers is law enforcement work."

February 27, 2007
Bill Would Provide Relief from Offset Pensions (Federal Employees News Digest)

Public employees unions are supporting a bipartisan bill that would rescind two Social Security provisions – the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) – that reduce benefits for thousands of retired federal employees, especially women.

The National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) and the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE) pledged their support for H.R. 82, the Social Security Fairness Act of 2007, a measure co-sponsoired by Reps. Howard Berman, D-Calif., and Howard “Buck” McKeon, R-Calif. It has 182 bipartisan co-sponsors.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) estimates that more than 300,000 former federal workers have had their Social Security payments reduced as a result of the GPO, NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley said.

The provision also has a particularly harsh impact on female federal retirees, she said. “Many women are eligible for smaller federal pensions than their male counterparts due to career interruptions that arose from raising their children or due to the fact many worked in lower-paid positions in the federal government,” Kelley said.

February 19, 2007
Union Supports SS Rule Change Bill (Federal Daily)

The National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) said it supports a House bill that would eliminate two Social Security provisions—the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP)—that reduce benefits for some retired federal employees.

NTEU last week announced its backing for HR 82, the Social Security Fairness Act of 2007, a bipartisan measure cosponsored by Reps. Howard Berman, D-Calif., and Howard “Buck” McKeon, R-Calif. The Social Security Administration estimates that more than 300,000 former federal workers have had their Social Security payments reduced as a result of the GPO, NTEU President Colleen Kelley said on Feb. 9.

February 13, 2007

House panel approves whistle-blower, transparency bills (Federal Computer Week)

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee approved two bills Feb. 14 that would give federal employees who expose wrongdoing new protections and impose new restrictions on awarding federal contracts.

The Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act (H.R. 985) would establish new procedures to prevent retaliation against federal employees who report wrongdoing to authorities. The other measure, the Executive Branch Reform Act (H.R. 984), seeks to increase transparency and limit the influence of special interests in the executive branch.

The National Treasury Employees Union today applauded the passage of the two bills.

“Becoming a whistle-blower is not an easy decision to make and NTEU is committed to ensuring that adequate protections are in place,” NTEU President Colleen Kelley said.

February 15, 2007

NTEU Supports Bill To Extend Pre-Tax Premium Benefit to Retirees (Federal Daily)

The National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) has called on Congress to approve legislation that would extend to federal civilian and military retirees the same right that current federal workers enjoy in paying health insurance premiums on a pre-tax basis.

The bill, HR 1110, introduced by Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., would provide the pre-tax benefit for federal and military retirees, said NTEU President Colleen Kelley on Feb. 21. Active federal workers have been able to exercise the pre-tax benefit for about the past five years, Kelley said.
February 23, 2007

House leader to seek boost in health premium subsidy (GovExec)

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., on Tuesday said he plans to introduce a bill again that would raise the amount the government contributes to federal employees' health care premiums.

The measure would raise the percentage of premiums covered by the government from 72 percent to 80 percent. This would in turn reduce the burden on Federal Employees Health Benefits Program enrollees, whose premiums increased an average of 2.3 percent this year -- a much smaller jump than in years past.

"Let's at least try to enhance the take-home pay of our federal employees. . . . it will help recruit and retain the people in the federal service that we need," Hoyer told an audience of more than 300 National Treasury Employees Union members at the start of the union's three-day legislative conference.

February 27, 2007

Union to appeal ruling on election to represent DHS workers (GovExec)

The American Federation of Government Employees announced Thursday that it plans to appeal a recent decision rejecting allegations of procedural flaws and bias in a 2006 election to determine union representation of more than 20,000 Homeland Security Department employees.
The Jan. 17 decision from the Federal Labor Relations Authority's Washington, D.C., regional office ordered the certification of AFGE's opponent, the National Treasury Employees Union, as the winner of the election at DHS' Customs and Border Protection bureau.
AFGE will appeal the regional decision to the full FLRA. The union did not specify when it intended to file, but it has until March 19 to do so. NTEU won last June with 7,369 votes to AFGE's 3,426.
But NTEU President Colleen Kelley said said she is "absolutely appalled" by AFGE's decision to appeal, stating that the action "has the impact of depriving thousands of CBP employees from having any union representation."

February 1, 2007
Union to renew appeal on CBP union election (Federal Times)

The American Federation of Government Employees is not giving up its fight for Customs and Border Protection members.

Although the union lost both an election to represent 21,000 CBP employees and an appeal questioning the election’s impartiality, AFGE said Feb. 1 that it plans to pursue another appeal.

The National Treasury Employees Union, which in June won the election by a 2-to-1 margin, denounced AFGE’s decision and called on its opponent to give up.

Robert Hunter, Washington regional director of the Federal Labor Relations Authority, said Jan. 17 in his decision on AFGE’s first appeal that NTEU did not have an improper advantage that swung the election.

February 5, 2007
UNION APPEALS FLRA DECISION (FedNews – Online)

The battle over which union will represent employees at Customs and Border Protection will continue.

Last week, the American Federation of Government of Employees announced it will appeal to the full Federal Labor Relations Authority a recent decision by a FLRA regional director that upheld a vote over union selection.

In June 2006 the National Treasury Employees Union won, by a more-than-2-to-1 vote, the right to solely represent CBP employees.

Both unions currently have a foothold in CBP. The Homeland Security Act of 2002 bundled 22 agencies into the Department of Homeland Security and two of the those agencies -- Customs Service, formerly of the Department of Treasury, and Immigration and Naturalization Services, previously a Department of Justice agency -- merged to form CBP.

February 6, 2007

AFGE to appeal ruling in CBP election (Federal Human Resources Week)

The American Federation of Government Employees has decided to appeal a ruling by a Federal Labor Relations Authority regional director finding a representation election by Customs and Border Protection employees was fair.

The National Treasury Employees Union won the representation election, but the AFGE claimed employees were unfairly influenced by CBP management. At stake is the right to represent some 20,000 CBP employees.

"We were hoping that AFGE would do the right thing and cooperate with us on a smooth transition, but I can only conclude that AFGE is pursuing some goal that does not include the best interests of CBP employees," NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley said. "This outrageous action has the impact of depriving thousands of CBP employees from having any union representation."

February 19, 2007
Why are EPA Libraries Closing? (In These Times) (Ill.)
In February 2006, when President Bush unveiled his budget proposal for FY 2007, the EPA Library Network learned that its annual disbursement would be slashed 80 percent from 2006 funding levels—from $2.5 million to just $500,000.
In a letter to Sens. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.) and Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.), members of the American Federation of Government Employees, the National Treasury Employees Union, the National Association of Government Employees, and the Engineers and Scientists of California urged Congress to reverse the budget cuts and mandate that the EPA keep its libraries open.

February 1, 2007
Fines Overturned (Baltimore Sun)
Three attorneys and their supervisor in an Iowa Social Security office have been cleared of millions of dollars in proposed fines over their legal writings after the agency's inspector general settled the case.
Inspector General Patrick P. O'Carroll Jr. had accused the attorneys of improperly using expert testimony in more than 700 opinions for a now-deceased administrative law judge.
Colleen M. Kelley, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, said in a statement that O'Carroll's "complete capitulation" shows that the "employees did nothing wrong."