Top Stories
NTEU Wins CBP
Representation Election The
results are in. Employees of the Bureau of Customs and Border
Protection (CBP) have chosen NTEU as their sole representative by a
count of 7,369 to 3,426. NTEU was announced the winner of this
largest ever federal-sector representation election on Wednesday,
after the union made history the previous day winning a landmark
legal decision ensuring CBP employees retain their
collective bargaining rights.
For the complete story, click here or visit
<www.cbpunion.org/PressRelease/
PressRelease.aspx?ID=923>.
House Bill Restricts Funding
For Contracting
Out
The House approved an amendment that would curtail
government contracting in agencies funded by the Science, State,
Justice and Commerce (SSJC) Appropriations bill. In advance of
Thursday's vote, President Kelley wrote to House members urging them to support
the "commonsense" amendment.
The bipartisan amendment, offered by Rep. Rob
Andrews (D-N.J.) and Rep. Walter Jones, Jr. (R-N.C.), prohibits
agencies funded by the SSJC bill from using appropriated money to
privatize jobs under the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB)
revised Circular A-76, which strongly
favors the private sector in competitions for federal
work.
NTEU-represented agencies funded by
the bill include the Patent and Trademark Office, Securities
and Exchange Commission, Federal Communications Commission and
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
For the
complete story, click here or visit
<www.nteu.org/PressKits/PressRelease/
PressRelease.aspx?ID=924>.
Did The NTEU-IRS Contract Terminate? NTEU Explains the
Truth NTEU is setting the record straight in light of
rumors employees at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) are hearing
about the NTEU contract having terminated on Saturday.
The law provides that even after a contract expires, its terms
and conditions remain in effect until a new agreement is negotiated
to replace it. This means that every benefit contained in the NTEU
contract—from the right to work flexiplace to protections against
unfair appraisals—remains in place and NTEU can and will continue to
enforce those rights. The only exception is a minor technical one
that should have no impact on employees.
Any talk about the
loss of benefits or rights because the contract has formally
terminated is just plain false. NTEU urges IRS employees to keep
their local NTEU representatives informed of any management effort
to reduce or change their contract rights. As far as IRS employees
and NTEU are concerned, the contract is still in effect.
The
agreement terminated because management is trying to renegotiate
every article in the contract and wants NTEU to waive some of its
statutory rights in an effort to speed up negotiatio! ns. NTEU has
no intention of stalling negotiations but we will refuse to give up
our bargaining table rights simply to get the IRS to agree to
formally extend the current contract. President Kelley pledged that
NTEU will head into negotiations ready to bargain in good faith and
with the same commitment and dedication on behalf of IRS employees
that we are known for.
Stay tuned to the NTEU e-Bulletin for updates.
Kelley Seeks Productive Relationship with New FDIC Chair
Bair
The same day Sheila Bair was sworn in as chair of
the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), President Kelley
offered her congratulations and asked for a prompt meeting with the
former U.S. Treasury Department Assistant Secretary.
On June
26, Kelley sent a letter to Bair calling the start of her
five-year term “a significant opportunity to make real and needed
improvements at the FDIC.”
Help
Federal Employee Flood Victims
Last
week's four-day deluge that battered the East Coast from
Virginia to New York produced more than 13 inches of
rainfall in parts of the area, even closing down the IRS
Headquarters for the next month.
While the past
few days have brought predominately sunny skies over the
nation's capitol, area residents — many of whom are
federal employees — are dealing with property damage in
the aftermath of the storms.
Federal employees
can help their colleagues by donating to the Federal
Employee Education & Assistance Fund (FEEA). For 20
years, FEEA has been providing emergency financial
assistance to eligible federal workers and their
families.
To donate or apply for assistance, call
800-323-4140 or visit www.FEEA.
org .
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Among the issues President Kelley said she would like to address
with the new agency chair are:
- Unfairness in the pay system;
- Inappropriately contracted out work;
- A reduction in the quality of bank examinations; and
- Potential cuts to health insurance and retirement benefits.
For the complete story, click here or visit
<www.nteu.org/PressKits/PressRelease/
PressRelease.aspx?ID=920>.
Headlines
From Sacramento to New York,
Media Picks Up on NTEU's
DHS Win From Forbes to the Fort Worth Star Telegram , media outlets
nationwide took notice of NTEU's legal victory knocking down
anti-employee personnel rules proposed at the Department of Homeland
Security (DHS). The big story was not only what the decision —which preserves collective bargaining
and other key rights—means for DHS employees, but also the blow it
deals to administration plans to extend similar changes
government-wide. NTEU's win was featured in the Baltimore Sun , Federal News Radio , Federal Times , Fox News , GovExec , New York Times , Washington
Post (not once, but twice ) and countless local newspapers and web
sites.
In related news, President Kelley on Wednesday sent a
letter to DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff
requesting a prompt meeting to “start a fresh dialogue” on a new
personnel system. For more on this story, click here or visit
<www.cbpunion.org/PressRelease/
PressRelease.aspx?ID=922>.
NTEU wishes our members a Happy Fourth of July! To
read a holiday message from President Kelley, visit www.NTEU.org.
