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Kelley: Adequate Funding Would Improve Employee Appeals Processes
On Capitol Hill today, NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley advocated for sufficient funding of agencies such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) as the real answer to improving the employee appeals processes. A proposal to establish a commission to study the appeals process is akin to "fixing a car when the only problem is that the gas tank needs to be filled," the NTEU leader testified.

The hearing followed up on an idea first explored last November to consolidate the processes and appeal rights of federal workers into a single system. Kelley reiterated NTEU's concerns that such a "super-court" would create a "bureaucratic nightmare" and curtail employee appeal rights.

President Kelley voiced NTEU's commitment to working with Congress on alternatives that improve the process without sacrificing important employee rights and to securing adequate funding for the EEOC. For the complete story, click here or visit <www.nteu.org/PressKits/PressRelease/PressRelease
.aspx?ID=928>.

NTEU Gives the Facts on the IRS Contract Termination
Although the national NTEU-IRS contract expired June 30, employee rights, benefits and protections remain in effect with few exceptions. NTEU members can read a message from President Kelley and learn what the contract expiration means to them and what NTEU's next steps are by clicking here or visiting <www.nteu.org/Members/IRSContract.aspx>. Plus, find out how NTEU's efforts opposing the 2006 IRS employee survey panned out.

Article Highlights Dangers Of IRS Outsourcing Plan "Misrepresenting the nature, size and status of a debt; making constant harassing and abusive phone calls at all hours; contacting a debtor's relatives, employers and neighbors; failing to investigate claims by consumers that a debt is paid, expired or fraudulent; and threatening to sue or seek prosecution." These are tactics that have become a "phenomenon" among debt collectors, according to a front-page article in Wednesday's New York Times. The report details the havoc these abusive practices have wreaked on consumers, who reported feeling violated, threatened and humiliated after dealing with debt collectors. The Times followed up the article with a Sunday editorial calling on legislators and regulators to take further steps to curb abuse from debt collectors. But despite these growing concerns, the IRS continues to move forward with its plan to hand over tax collection work to this increasingly aggressive industry. To oppose the IRS outsourcing plan, click here or visit <http://capwiz.com/ nteu/issues/alert/?alertid =7399446&type=CO>.

Headlines

CBP Employees Choose NTEU in Large Union Vote
Federal Times, July 7, 2006
The American Federation of Government Employees is appealing the election that could cost it about 6,000 members from Customs and Border Protection.

The Federal Labor Relations Authority announced June 28 that CBP employees had overwhelmingly chosen the National Treasury Employees Union to be their sole union representative. The largest representational election in government history was decided with NTEU receiving 7,369 votes to AFGE’s 3,426 votes. Another 211 employees voted to have no union represent them.

For the complete story, click here or visit <http://federaltimes.com/index.php?S=1936680>.
To read a post-election message from President Kelley, click here or visit <www.cbpunion.org/Presidents
Message.aspx>.


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