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NTEU Wishes Federal Employees Happy Holidays
e-Bulletin Takes Holiday Break; Returns Jan. 9

NTEU wishes federal employees and their families around the world a happy and healthy holiday season. Each year, federal employees work to improve the lives of Americans and NTEU is proud to work to improve the lives of federal employees. The work of the government does not stop during the holidays and we express our deep appreciation to those employees who will by on the job and away from their families during the season’s celebrations.

As we look forward to a new year, new challenges and new opportunities, NTEU is ready to meet them all head on. We will build on past successes, including our court victories blocking anti-employee regulations, and our expertise at the bargaining table, where we will resume negotiations over a record number of contracts. No matter the venue, one thing remains the same—our strength is in our numbers and the level of our success depends on the level of support for NTEU.

While there is much work ahead, the holidays give us a chance to reflect proudly on our past accomplishments and the strides we will make together in the future.

The NTEU e-Bulletin will take a holiday break for the next two weeks, returning on Jan. 9. If important federal employee news breaks before then, you can count on NTEU for special e-mail alerts and updates on www.nteu.org.

NTEU Members Make Their Voices Heard With less than two weeks left in 2006, NTEU members have well exceeded the 20,000 mark for e-mail messages to congressional members. Since January, federal employees, their families and friends have visited NTEU.org and sent nearly 22,000 messages to their representatives on key federal employee issues ranging from the high cost of health insurance premiums to concerns about contracting out. Wondering what was hot in the minds of your fellow NTEU members? The most popular e-mail sent this year was in support of a 2.7 percent raise in 2007, followed closely by messages opposing the IRS tax debt privatization program and supporting legislation granting Law Enforcement Officer status to CBP Officers. There’s still time to make your voice heard in 2007. To find out how, visit http:// capwiz.com/nteu/home/.

 

At NTEU’s Urging, Federal Dental and Vision
Enrollment Period Extended Through Friday
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has announced that it is further extending the enrollment period in the newly-offered dental and vision plans through this Friday, Dec. 22.

The open season for enrollment in the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP) was initially set to end Dec. 11. But when problems arose with the telephone lines and web site dedicated to enrollment, OPM extended the deadline through last Friday. Upon learning that federal workers were continuing to experience difficulties, NTEU pushed for a further extension in a letter sent Thursday to OPM Director Linda Springer. The next day—when the enrollment period was set to close—OPM announced it would extend the deadline through this Friday.

OPM is encouraging federal enrollees to work with the web site or call the Benefeds toll-free number (1-877-888-3337) to enroll.

Yearlong Continuing Resolution
Could Impact NTEU Fight For Pay
NTEU voiced concern about a possible yearlong continuing resolution to cover nine unresolved appropriations bills—
Defense and Homeland Security have passed—warning that it could leave agencies underfunded and hinder the fight for a fair 2007 pay raise.

Sens. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) and David Obey (D-Wis.), incoming appropriations committee chairmen, last week announced their intention to fund the entire fiscal 2007 year through a continuing resolution, after the current one expires on Feb. 15.

While the chairmen indicated that they would address priority funding needs by eliminating earmarks from the draft bills, the details of how the long-term continuing resolution would work are still being determined. Some agencies will likely be funded at 2006 levels, but the chairmen said that “limited adjustments” could be made at other agencies to address the nation’s most important policy concerns. NTEU’s fight for a higher federal pay raise will become more difficult. One of the appropriations bills left unfinished would have provided a 2.7 percent average pay increase for federal employees, but now, a 2.2 percent pay plan put forth by the president will go into effect in January. Under the president’s plan, roughly half the federal workforce would receive an increase of only 1.8 percent, and would bear the brunt of the lowest federal pay raise in 18 years (see the draft 2007 pay and locality tables). NTEU will continue to advocate strongly for a higher 2007 pay raise for all federal employees and adequate funding for agencies when Congress returns to complete its 2007 appropriations.

 

NTEU Again Calls on CBP To Drop ‘One Face’ Program
NTEU is pointing to a new government report as further evidence of the continuing failures of ‘One Face at the Border’, an initiative of the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) aimed at unifying the inspection process but that has instead weakened it.

In a survey conducted during September and October by the Government Accountability Office, CBP agriculture specialists indicated that the mission of protecting America’s crops is being severely compromised because of inadequate training and supervisors who do not understand the job of agriculture specialists. Overall, only six percent of those interviewed expressed satisfaction with their jobs while 29 percent believe that the agriculture mission under CBP is in decline.

Other problems that were cited included “problems with [the] CBP chain of command” and a concern that the agriculture inspection mission is not a department priority.

For the complete story, click here or visit <www.nteu.org/PressKits/PressRelease/PressRelease.aspx?ID=997>.

NTEU Spotlight—Listen to This Week’s Report
If you have 60 seconds, NTEU will give you the news. This week President Kelley addresses the enrollment extension for the new dental and vision programs and problems with CBP’s ‘One Face at the Border’ Program.

In the Washington, D.C., area you can hear President Kelley’s NTEU Spotlight on Federal News Radio (1050 AM). For those outside the D.C. area, you can listen online at www.federalnewsradio.com.

To get an exclusive preview of tomorrow’s report, click here.

 

Headlines

Unions Hope Democrats Will Counter GOP Policy Changes
Washington Post, Dec. 18, 2006

As a member of the Democratic minority, Rep. Chris Van Hollen (Md.) fought a Bush administration policy that increasingly opened up federal jobs to private contracting.

Although he and colleagues had some success, Van Hollen said that when the 110th Congress takes over next month and the Democrats are in the majority, he will have greater ability to combat the administration’s policies on federal employees. “It’s had a demoralizing effect on the federal workforce,” he said. “I do think now we're in a better position to fix things.”

No issue has been more divisive than “contracting out,” the phrase critics use to describe the outsourcing of government jobs to private contractors. Unions have fought efforts to transfer jobs at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the Internal Revenue Service and elsewhere. Colleen M. Kelley, national president of the National Treasury Employees Union, said one worrisome trend is the IRS’s interest in using private debt-collection agencies. “There are going to be problems with taxpayer privacy,” she said.

To read the complete story, click here or visit <www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/17/AR2006121700918.html>.

 

New on NTEU.org

Still Shopping?
Finish Up Your Holiday Shopping with NTEU Online Discounts

Don’t join the crush of people trying to finish their holiday shopping at the local mall. NTEU members can let their fingers do the shopping with our exclusive online discounts page. Whether it’s flowers for mom or sporting goods for dad, NTEU offers savings on a wide range of gifts and services. And once all the names on your list have been checked off, NTEU members can treat themselves to aroma therapy candles, gourmet cookies and a good book—all items that can be purchased from our online merchants. To start shopping, click here or visit <www.nteu.org/MemberBenefits/OnlineBenefitsMem.aspx>.