Top Stories

NTEU Supports LEO Bill for CBP Officers, IRS Revenue Officers NTEU is supporting bipartisan legislation that would give CBP Officers and IRS Revenue Officers the law enforcement officer (LEO) status they deserve. The Law Enforcement Officers Equity Act (H.R. 1073), introduced Thursday by Reps. Bob Filner (D-Calif.) and John McHugh (R-N.Y.), provides these officers the right to retire at age 50 with 20 years of federal service. A similar bill in the 109th Congress drew 161 co-sponsors. NTEU has long argued that CBP Officers and IRS Revenue Officers fit the definition of LEO by virtue of the difficult and dangerous work they perform every day. CBP Officers are the nation’s first line of defense against terrorism, illegal drugs and contrabands. IRS Revenue Officers often are threatened or assaulted in their efforts to enforce the tax code and collect delinquent taxes. For more on the bill, click here.

NTEU-Supported Whistleblower Bill Passes
House Committee
A key House Committee on Wednesday unanimously passed NTEU-supported legislation that would significantly strengthen whistleblower protections—including First Amendment rights—for federal employees.

The Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act (H.R. 985) would overturn last year’s Supreme Court decision restricting the free speech rights of federal employees who first report their concerns within their agencies. An amendment would allow government whistleblowers to pursue their cases before all federal appeals courts, not only the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, D.C.

“Becoming a whistleblower is not an easy decision to make and NTEU is committed to ensuring that adequate protections are in place so federal employees do not face retaliation for reporting on acts of fraud, waste, and abuse in their agencies,” said President Kelley, who has long advocated for expanding whistleblower rights for federal workers.

For the complete story, click here or visit <www.nteu.org/
PressKits/PressRelease/PressRelease.aspx?ID=1037>.

President Signs Continuing Resolution
Finalizing 2007 Spending Plan
The prolonged 2007 funding debate ended Thursday when the President signed a year-long continuing resolution (CR) that will fund most government agencies through the fiscal year. In past months, Congress has had to extend the CR numerous times after it failed to pass nine of the 11 appropriations bills in the last session. In light of the difficult situation this caused for the new congressional leadership, President Kelley praised lawmakers for addressing serious funding issues at the Social Security Administration and Food and Drug Administration in the resolution.

NTEU is now turning its attention to the portions of the proposed 2008 budget that impact federal employees, including agency funding, the federal pay raise and protection of civil service retirement benefits.

To learn more about the 2007 continuing resolution, click here or visit <www.nteu.org/
PressKits/PressRelease/PressRelease.aspx?ID=1022>.


NTEU Pursues Grievance Over Late DOE Employee Awards
Employees of the Department of Energy (DOE) are slated to receive 2006 performance-based awards in March, more than a month after the Jan. 31 deadline mandated by the NTEU-DOE contract. DOE announced the payout after Congress passed a continuing resolution funding federal agencies through remainder of the fiscal year. NTEU fought hard on Capitol Hill for higher DOE funding and informed members of the Senate and House Appropriations committees of the delayed bonuses. In addition, NTEU filed two grievances against DOE for delaying payments, one of which was invoked for arbitration today. NTEU is still considering its options for addressing DOE's deferral of the awards.


Headlines

Security Needs Swell Federal Work Force
Federal Times, February 14, 2007
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.

The Homeland Security Department’s Customs and Border Patrol would get money to hire an additional 3,000 Border Patrol agents.

And 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.

For the complete story, click here or visit <http://federaltimes.com/index.php?S=2545669>.


New on NTEU.org

‘Status Call’ Highlights NTEU Battle Against Career Intern Program
NTEU has been hard at work in the courts protecting federal employees from harmful policies and ensuring they get the pay they deserve. These legal battles are highlighted in the latest edition of NTEU’s Status Call, now available on NTEU.org. Get the news on NTEU’s efforts to bar federal managers from using a hiring program that circumvents traditional merit principles and reduces the chances for current employees to receive promotions. Status Call also covers NTEU’s recent success in getting exorbitant fines against Social Security Administration employees withdrawn, as well as NTEU's current efforts to secure higher overtime rates for certain Food and Nutrition Service employees. In addition, IRS and CBP employees can read about ongoing issues NTEU is tackling at their agencies. To read Status Call, click here or visit <www.nteu.org/
UnionOffice/StatusCall/>.