NTEU E-Bulletin, May 15, 2007

Inside this Issue: May 15, 2007
Top Stories: House Votes to Repeal DHS Regulations, Grant LEO Status to CBP Officers
Headlines: What's Good for the Military...
Get Involved: Help Put an End to the DHS Regulations
New on NTEU.org: Get Your Fill of NTEU Headlines on 'NTEU in the News' Page
Top Stories

Help Put an End to the DHS Regulations
The House voted last week to put a final nail in the coffin of the DHS personnel system--now it's the Senate's turn.As senators begin work on their version of the fiscal 2008 Homeland Security authorization bill, NTEU is urging them to support the House-approved provisions repealing DHS's harmful personnel management system and granting LEO status to CBP Officers.
You can take action to ensure your representatives understand the importance of these provisions and endorse them. Your efforts in generating support are vital, as the White House has already threatened to veto the House measure over the personnel rules provision.
Click here or visit http://capwiz.com/nteu/dbq/officials/?lvl=C.

House Votes to Repeal DHS Personnel System, Grant LEO Status to CBP Officers
The House on Wednesday passed legislation containing provisions NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley called a "major step forward both for DHS employees and the nation."
Lawmakers approved language repealing the DHS personnel regulations in the fiscal 2008 Homeland Security authorization bill, despite a White House threat to veto the legislation if the provision remains intact. The bill passed by a veto-proof margin of 296 to 126.
"The repeal of the DHS regulations is important to all federal employees," said Kelley. "If DHS retains this authority to revoke decades of civil service rules, it is only a matter of time before other agencies seek the same authority."The bill includes a second NTEU-sought provision that would end the long-time inequity of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) employees being denied law enforcement officer (LEO) status. The administration also took issue with this provision, arguing that CBP Officers do not meet the definition of law enforcement officers. Kelley rejected that claim, reminding the White House of recent shootings involving CBP Officers and a 2006 government report identifying more than 17,000 CBP employees who perform law enforcement duties.For the complete story, visit www.cbpunion.org.

NTEU Backs Anti-Discrimination Bill
NTEU voiced its strong support for legislation introduced both in the House and Senate that would restore federal employee protections against sexual orientation discrimination in the workplace.The bills, introduced by Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii) and Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), address an interpretation of civil service statutes initiated in 2004 by Scott Bloch, head of the Office of Special Counsel (OSC). Veering from interpretations held for more than 25 years, Bloch said that the OSC only has authority to protect workers from discrimination based on specific sexual conduct and not orientation.
Bloch's narrow and impractical interpretation would severely limit the discrimination cases OSC would be required to accept and investigate. It is also inconsistent with the views of the Office of Personnel Management and the Civil Service Commission before it, as well as the previous Special Counsel. "There is no meaningful distinction between discrimination based on an employee’s sexual orientation and discrimination based on their sexual conduct," President Kelley said. "I look forward to prompt congressional action on this vital issue.” For the complete story, click here or visit www.nteu.org/PressKits/PressRelease/PressRelease.aspx?ID=1100.

House Member Cites NTEU Concerns in Floor Speech on FDA Lab Closures
A California representative last week read a strongly-worded speech on the House floor voicing his "grave concern" over the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) proposal to close seven labs. In his remarks, Rep. Tom Lantos (D-Calif.), whose constituents include employees of the San Francisco District lab slated for closure, underscored the importance of the labs to California.
Why are the FDA labs so important to your health and safety?Click here to find out
"Regional laboratories are even more important today, when an E. coli outbreak in California needs immediate attention and not days of delay because substances must be shipped across the country to a lab in New York," he said.
Lantos questioned whether alternatives to the reorganization have been considered, citing strong opposition to the plan from lawmakers and NTEU. "[President Kelley] has expressed her concern that FDA employees are not being properly considered in this radical transition plan to close labs this spring," said Lantos.For more about NTEU's efforts to stop the FDA's reorganization plan, visit www.nteu.org/FDALabs.

NTEU Files Grievances Over Performance Awards at Three HHS Divisions
First, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) opposed an NTEU request to expedite bargaining over a consolidated contract by having a neutral third party help resolve outstanding issues. Now, HHS has denied employees their due performance awards, forcing NTEU to file a grievance against three HHS operating divisions--the Office of the Secretary/Administration on Aging (OS/AoA), Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).
In each of the grievances, NTEU alleges that the operating division not only refused to pay appropriate performance awards, but falsely held the union responsible for employees not receiving their payments. NTEU has proposed that the parties work collaboratively on a procedure valid only for this year to ensure that employees receive their awards on time while negotiations continue over a national agreement covering all HHS bargaining unit employees.
Look for bargaining updates in future issues of the NTEU e-Bulletin.

Senate Subcommittee to Examine 2008 SEC Funding Proposal
Tomorrow afternoon, the Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee will begin work on fiscal 2008 funding for the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). SEC Chairman Christopher Cox is scheduled to testify. In March, he testified in support of the president's $905.3 million budget request for SEC before the House Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government. To read Chairman Cox's House testimony, visit www.sec.gov/news/testimony/2007/ts032707cc.htm.
Headlines
What's Good for the Military...Washington Post, May 2, 2007
The 2008 pay raise appears to be taking shape.
The House Armed Services Committee included a 3.5 percent raise for the military in the fiscal 2008 defense authorization bill, and Rep. Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.), the House majority leader, announced he will urge other House leaders to provide an equal increase for civil service employees.
The House approved the Homeland Security bill on a 296 to 126 vote Wednesday. The bill includes a provision that would grant law-enforcement status for purposes of determining retirement benefits to certain Customs and Border Protection officers. The administration has objected, citing the cost of providing more attractive retirement benefits.
Colleen M. Kelley, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, said the veto threat "shows that this administration is willing to put its animosity toward fair treatment for workers over the interest of national security."For the complete story, click here or visit www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/10/AR2007051002223.html.

New on NTEU.orgGet Your Fill of NTEU Headlines on 'NTEU in the News' PageHas the e-Bulletin left you wanting to read more media coverage of NTEU's position and work on behalf of federal employees? Now you can get a daily dose of NTEU headlines on the newest addition to NTEU's web site, the NTEU in the News page. From contracting out to the 2008 federal pay raise, read what NTEU has to say on a range of current hot topics in media outlets including the Washington Post, USA Today, GovExec, Forbes and others.To see why NTEU is the leading voice for federal employees, click here or visit www.nteu.org/PressKits/NTEUintheNews.aspx.

NTEU’s Mission: To organize federal employees to work together to ensure that every federal employee is treated with dignity and respect. The NTEU e-Bulletin is a weekly electronic newsletter published by the National Treasury Employees Union for its members. To sign up for the e-Bulletin, unsubscribe or change your subscription preferences, click here or log on to www.nteu.org/UnionOffice/eBulletin/subscribe.

The NTEU e-Bulletin is a member-only benefit, so members must be registered on the NTEU web site to access this page.
1750 H Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20006 (202) 572-5500© 2007 National Treasury Employees Union. All rights reserved.

NTEU Bulletin, May 8, 2007

Inside this Issue: May 8, 2007
Top Stories: NTEU Knocks OMB Claims of Contracting Savings
Headlines: Senator Renews Push to Reduce Burden of Pension Offset
Get Involved: Support NTEU's Newest Members
New on NTEU.org: NTEU's Latest 'Bulletin' Salutes the Military
Top Stories
Support NTEU's Newest MembersSome of NTEU's newest members lack the most basic workplace right—and you can do something about it.Log on to NTEU's web site to learn how you can support provisions in legislation that would provide collective bargaining rights to Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees. The right to organize and bargain collectively would give TSA workers a voice in key workplace decisions and improve morale and retention. It's a right many private screeners and most other Department of Homeland Security workers enjoy, and one TSA employees need and deserve.
Click here or visit http://capwiz.com/nteu/issues/alert/?alertid=9712871&type=CO.

NTEU Knocks OMB Claims of Contracting Savings
"Phantom" and "speculative." That's how NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley described government estimates of savings from contracting out contained in report by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). An example of this is buried in a footnote of the OMB's annual report on contracting out, released Thursday. It credited $35 million in fiscal 2006 savings to an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) contract with IAP Worldwide Services, which repeatedly missed deadlines leaving in-house employees to assume the work.Kelley offered several reasons for disputing OMB's projection that contracting out will save $1.3 billion over five to 10 years, including:
• OMB does not include preparation costs before a competition is publicly announced.• Often costly legal fees incurred during a competition are not counted.• Savings calculations are based on a flawed formula. NTEU questioned using a figure of $97,000 per full-time equivalent employee in the case of IRS competitions, since most involved lower-graded positions, with salary and benefits that fell well below OMB’s average figure.For the complete story and more on NTEU's fight against runaway contracting, visit www.nteu.org/ContractingOut.aspx.

2008 Pay Raise Update: House Subcommittee Passes 3.5 Percent Military Raise
A House Armed Services subcommittee approved a 3.5 percent pay boost for members of the military next year, one-half percent higher than the administration's budget request in February.
NTEU strongly supported the higher pay raise in the weeks leading up to Wednesday's markup of the fiscal 2008 Defense authorization bill, which contained the pay hike. The full House Armed Services Committee is expected to consider the legislation this week.The raise "reflects both the need to address the military pay gap and the continuing contributions to our nation by those in the military and their family members," said President Kelley. "The same is true for federal civilian workers, whose undeniable day-to-day contributions in serving the public warrant a similar raise."NTEU is pushing for a minimum 3.5 percent raise in 2008 for civilian employees and will continue working to secure bipartisan support for this increase for the entire federal workforce.

Bipartisan Amendment Unveiled Halting FDA Lab Closures
Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle joined together last week in opposition to the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) plan to close seven of its 13 regional labs and restructure its field operations. Sens. Ken Salazar (D-Colo.) and Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) introduced an amendment to the FDA authorization bill (S. 1082) preventing a reduction or consolidation in the number of FDA labs within its Office of Regulatory Affairs pending a government review that would be due by year's end.
President Kelley applauded the amendment, saying, “It seems clear, with three major food-borne outbreaks in the last 18 months that closing FDA labs endangers the health of all Americans.” The amendment was introduced the same week Sen. Specter released a letter from the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority warning that closing the lab in that area would compromise public health and safety, as well as Pennsylvania's maritime commerce.For the complete story and more about NTEU's efforts to stop the FDA's reorganization plan, visit www.nteu.org/FDALabs.

Senators Urge Approval of Bill Repealing Tax Debt Privatization
Leading co-sponsors of legislation (S. 335) that would stop the IRS tax debt privatization program are urging their colleagues to sign onto the bill. In a letter to their fellow senators, Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) pointed to a failed pilot program of tax privatization in the 1990s that was shut down prematurely due to high costs and inadequate safety controls."Regrettably, the IRS's current initiative is plagued by similar problems," wrote Sens. Dorgan and Murray, citing the recent firing of one of the three firms awarded contracts to collect unpaid taxes. "None of these problems are surprising, and all could have easily been avoided by simply using trained professional IRS employees."NTEU has been a leading supporter of S. 335, which currently has 18 co-sponsors, and a similar House measure, H.R. 695 with 121 co-sponsors.
For more information, visit www.nteuirswatch.org.

At NTEU's Urging, 60 FNS Employees To Earn Higher Overtime Rates
After NTEU filed a grievance, the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) agreed to reclassify 60 employees in various positions that the union argued had been improperly exempted from coverage under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). As a result, these employees will be paid at a higher overtime rate of time-and-a-half and have the choice to earn overtime pay or compensatory time off.
These changes are effective April 1, 2007, and include the positions of Investigator, Program Analyst, Program Specialist, Public Affairs Specialist, Writer-Editor and IT Specialist.
NTEU is now working on a back pay agreement and to confirm that all employees who should have been reclassified are now covered by FLSA. In addition, NTEU is continuing discussions with FNS to determine whether additional employees should be covered under FLSA.

NTEU Seeks Further TSA Action Following Data Security Breach
NTEU is urging the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to take additional steps to protect employees after the agency lost a computer hard drive containing personal data for about 100,000 current and former workers.
"NTEU would like your assurances that all possible measure are being taken to ensure that no harm will come to these government workers and that this security gap has been addressed so an event such as this is not repeated," President Kelley wrote in a letter sent yesterday to TSA Administrator Kip Hawley.
Hawley has promised to give workers one year of free credit monitoring services, but Kelley called for additional action including free credit reports, employee briefings on the breach, agency review of how employee data stored and immediate encryption of that information.
TSA said it discovered on Thursday that a hard drive containing personnel data, including Social Security numbers and payroll information, was missing from a controlled area at TSA headquarters.
NTEU recently chartered its first chapter representing TSA employees at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.

Headlines
Senator Renews Push to Reduce Burden of Pension Offset
GovExec, May 2, 2007
A bill reintroduced Tuesday in the Senate aims to scale back a pension offset that reduces Social Security benefits for some federal retirees.
The bill (S. 1254), introduced by Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., would ease the burden of a 1977 law that prevents certain retirees from collecting both a government annuity and spousal Social Security benefits.
Colleen Kelley, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, said the increasing bipartisan support for reform may mean better prospects for passage of at least one of the bills this session."Increasing numbers of members of Congress on both sides of the aisle are becoming aware of the problems the GPO and WEP cause federal retirees, and I am hopeful that Congress will act to modify these laws," she said. For the complete story, click here or visit www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0507/050207b1.htm.

New on NTEU.orgNTEU's Latest 'Bulletin' Salutes the Military
NTEU members from Hawaii to North Carolina have been pulling double-duty in the hero department. Not only are they serving their country as federal employees, but also as members of the military. This month's NTEU Bulletin features a special center spread honoring these extraordinary NTEU members and their relatives.
As always, the Bulletin is filled with in-depth coverage of the month's most important federal employee news, including the latest contracting out flaws exposed, NTEU's fight for competitive salaries and respect for government workers, and the union's newest chapter (304) at the Transportation Security Administration.

To read the Bulletin online, click here or visit www.nteu.org/UnionOffice/NTEUBulletin/.
To submit your own military profile and a photo, e-mail us.

NTEU’s Mission: To organize federal employees to work together to ensure that every federal employee is treated with dignity and respect. The NTEU e-Bulletin is a weekly electronic newsletter published by the National Treasury Employees Union for its members. To sign up for the e-Bulletin, unsubscribe or change your subscription preferences, click here or log on to www.nteu.org/UnionOffice/eBulletin/subscribe.
The NTEU e-Bulletin is a member-only benefit, so members must be registered on the NTEU web site to access this page.
1750 H Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20006 (202) 572-5500© 2007 National Treasury Employees Union. All rights reserved.