Top Stories

Make a Resolution to Support Federal Employee Causes The 110th Congress will gavel to order for the first time Thursday when new and old faces convene for a rigorous agenda. Along with agency funding, lawmakers will likely take up a host of other issues important to federal employees. Which issues they support and those they decide to postpone for yet another year depend largely on input from you, their constituents. The more phone calls and letters they receive about a certain issue, the more likely they are to pay attention to it. So set your New Year’s resolution to make your voice heard. To learn how, click here or visit <http:// capwiz.com/nteu/home/>.

Bush Finalizes 2007 Raise for Federal Employees
President Bush issued an executive order on Dec. 21 keeping in place the 2.2 percent average raise for federal employees in 2007—a figure the administration had sought all year long. Along with the executive order, the Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) draft pay tables for all locality areas were finalized, giving federal employees a 1.7 percent basic pay increase and an average 0.5 percent adjustment that varies by locality area.

These tables are based on a new formula the administration proposed—and NTEU opposed—for distributing locality differentials. Under this new plan, employees in the “Rest of the U.S.” locality area—roughly half the federal workforce—will receive an increase of only 1.8 percent, the smallest federal raise in 18 years.

Despite difficulties posed by the possibility of a year-long continuing resolution, NTEU will work diligently with the new Congress to boost this year’s raise while also focusing on securing a fair federal increase for 2008.

NTEU Calls FDA Plan to Close Labs ‘Short-sighted’
NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley sharply criticized a proposal by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to consolidate its 13 regional laboratories where scientists and researchers perform duties critical to the safety of food, drugs and medical devices.

According to preliminary information, FDA’s Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA) plans to close between seven and nine laboratories—more than half of the current facilities, leaving only four to six labs. The FDA intends to release a final list of lab closures in April once a workgroup completes its analysis.

NTEU responded to the information by immediately issuing a message to employees and by teaming up with Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) to raise public awareness of the negative impact of the plan. In a Dec. 21 press release, NTEU warned that the proposed restructuring would reduce FDA’s ability to act quickly in emergency situations and result in the loss of highly-skilled employees who choose to leave the government rather than take involuntary reassignments. To read NTEU’s press release, click here or visit <www.nteu.org/PressKits/PressRelease/PressRelease.aspx?ID=1000>.

NTEU Slams Proposed Fines for SSA Employees
NTEU is fighting against efforts to impose civil fines of as much as $3.5 million on Social Security Administration (SSA) employees who were simply doing their jobs.

In a Dec. 4 letter, President Kelley called on SSA Commissioner Jo Anne B. Barnhart to direct the agency’s inspector general (IG) to drop the “absurd” penalties on staff attorneys in the Office of Disability Adjudication and Review (ODAR), formerly known as the Office of Hearings and Appeals. The “baseless IG investigations” are impacting the ability of these attorneys do their work—renewing requests for Social Security disability payments, Kelley said.

President Kelley’s letter points out that not only were the staff attorneys working according to agency rules and at the direction of an administrative law judge, but these employees are protected from personal liability for actions taken in their official capacity.

NTEU is representing affected attorneys in the administrative appeals process and has filed a national grievance asking SSA to immediately dismiss the civil penalties and make the employees whole for any damages they have suffered as a result of the IG’s “overzealous prosecution.”

For the complete story, click here or visit <www.nteu.org/PressKits/PressRelease/PressRelease.aspx?ID=1001>.

NTEU Spotlight—Listen to This Week’s Report
If you have 60 seconds, NTEU will give you the news. This week President Kelley urges federal employees to start the New Year by joining the union and enjoying all of the rights and benefits that membership brings.

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 listen to this week’s report, click here.

Headlines

US report boosts case for border benefits
United Press International, Dec. 22, 2006
 
A U.S. labor union says a congressional auditor’s report strengthens its case that border officials are law enforcement officers.
 
The Government Accountability Office found in a study conducted for the Judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives that 17,168 employees of U.S. Customs and Border Protection fit its definition of a federal law enforcement officer, being authorized to either: conduct criminal investigations; execute search warrants; make arrests or carry a firearm.
 
“This continuing denial of LEO status for (Customs and Border Protection) Officers is not only wrong, it is indefensible,” said President Colleen Kelley of the National Treasury Employees Union which represents the employees.
 
To read the complete story, click here or visit <www.upi.com/SecurityTerrorism/view.php?StoryID=20061221-022544-3127r>


New on NTEU.org

NTEU Bulletin Looks Back at 2006, Ahead to Opportunities in 2007
The year 2006 saw NTEU resisting IRS efforts to impose unfair rules on contract negotiations, pushing back against SEC and FDIC’s unfair pay-for-performance systems, repeatedly defeating DHS's personnel regulations in court and working with agencies to implement comp time programs. And that’s just the short list. This month’s Bulletin recaps the victories and accomplishments, as well as the challenges faced by NTEU this past year. Members can also read about current NTEU efforts such as bargaining a consolidated contract for HHS employees in a difficult environment and the continuing fight for a fair 2007 pay raise and improved contractor oversight.

The Bulletin also offers a look at some of the key committees and players in the 110th Congress who in the months ahead will make decisions impacting your worklives. Find out which committees to watch, who's in charge and how you can help educate top decision-makers on NTEU issues.

To read the Bulletin, click here or visit www.nteu.org/UnionOffice/NTEUBulletin/.