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Legislative Conference Wraps Up
NTEU Members Leave Their Mark on Washington

Three days, 350 NTEU members, hundreds of congressional visits, addresses from two members of Congress and one very important promise fulfilled.

Another successful NTEU Legislative Conference came to a close on Thursday, but not without attendees leaving their mark on Capitol Hill. Groups of NTEU members proudly wearing "NTEU: United for Progress" buttons on their coats were seen throughout congressional office buildings last week, carrying with them important legislative messages including the need for fair federal pay, affordable health care and halting the privatization of federal work.

In between visits with their representatives, NTEU members heard speeches from National President Colleen M. Kelley, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.). Rep. Hoyer on Tuesday vowed to introduce legislation raising the government's share of contributions to the cost of premiums. By Thursday, he had made good on his promise (see story below).

Rep. Van Hollen made a promise of this own—to push legislation he introduced that would repeal the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) authority to hire private debt collectors to pursue unpaid taxes. He took aim at another aspect of federal contracting, calling the Office of Management and Budget Circular A-76 rules “a one-way street” favoring contractors.

In Kelley's parting message at Thursday's closing session, she urged members to use their time in Washington as a springboard from which to build on their legislative efforts back home.

For a detailed look at this year's Legislative Conference, visit www.nteu.org/UnionOffice
/LegConference/default.aspx.

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Kelley: Fair Pay, Adequate Agency Funding Would Boost Recruitment, Retention
Fair federal pay and adequate funding for agencies will ensure a skilled federal workforce in the face of an impending retirement wave, President Kelley told a key House committee this morning.

"The failure to pay competitive salaries, the constant focus on downsizing and outsourcing, and the bashing of bureaucrats have put the federal government at a disadvantage when it comes not only to hiring the best new college graduates, but also to retaining its current employees," said Kelley during a hearing on the federal workforce held by the House Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government Appropriations.

Kelley emphasized the need for increased involvement from the Office of Personnel Management in ensuring agencies use available provisions rewarding high performers with bonuses, step increases and paid time-off before asking for more flexibilities.

She also urged the House committee to oppose the rampant privatization of inherently governmental work, such as tax collection, and to ensure better labor-management relationships.

Kelley raised concerns about other workplace issues including:

• Administration plans to replace the General Schedule with a complex and untested pay-for-performance system;
• A proposal in the fiscal 2008 budget to cut government contributions to health insurance premiums for retirees with less than 10 years of service; and
• IRS staffing shortages.

For the complete story, click here or visit <www.nteu.org/PressKits/PressRelease/
PressRelease.aspx?ID=1050>.

Lawmakers Unveil Bill Making Health Care More Affordable One of NTEU's legislative priorities for 2007 is one step closer to becoming a reality. A bipartisan House measure would boost the government's share of premiums in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program from the current 72 percent to 80 percent. The legislation, H.R. 1256, was introduced Thursday by Reps. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and Frank Wolf (R-Va.). Two days earlier, Rep. Hoyer promised a crowd of 350 NTEU members at the union's Legislative Conference that he was preparing to introduce such a bill. Affordable health care for federal employees is one of NTEU's six legislative priorities selected for the year by the 14-member Legislative Advisory Committee. To learn about NTEU's legislative agenda and how to get involved, click here or visit <www.nteu.org/ UnionOffice/NTEUBulletin /Documents/LegAgenda.pdf>.

Key House Member Speaks Out Against Privatization
A key House member has voiced his skepticism about a controversial IRS contracting out program during two hearings in two days.

Rep. Jose E. Serrano (D-NY) expressed his opposition to the IRS private debt collection initiative at yesterday's hearing on tax fairness held by the House Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government Appropriations. Serrano is the subcommittee chair.

“I agree with the Taxpayer Advocate Service’s report which said that outsourcing the debt collections of the IRS is both wasteful and inefficient,” he said in a statement. “This program privatizes a function of the IRS without any added cost-effectiveness. Paying up to 25 cents on the dollar collected by the private debt collection agencies takes much-needed revenue away from the federal government, which could do the work more efficiently.”

Rep. Serrano again spoke out against privatizing tax debt collection at today's hearing of the subcommittee, where President Kelley testified about NTEU's opposition to the program (see story above).

"When we open doors that are dangerous, who knows what or who will walk through those doors," he said, adding that Congress should approve legislation revoking the IRS's authority to hire private debt collectors.


Kelley Urges Senate Subcommittee To
Approve TSA Collective Bargaining Rights
High turnover, low morale and other serious problems plaguing the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) stem from denying its employees collective bargaining rights, President Kelley told a Senate subcommittee yesterday.

Kelley argued strongly for "basic federal employee protections" for TSA Officers (TSO), including the right to organize and bargain collectively, participate in meaningful negotiations over working conditions and access a fair adverse action and appeals process. A federal human resources management system with anything less would fail and be rejected by employees, she added.

This was NTEU's message in testimony delivered to a subcommittee examining legislation (S. 4) that would extend collective bargaining rights to TSOs. A procedural vote held earlier today indicated that a provision providing TSA bargaining rights is likely to remain in the Senate bill. A final vote is expected later this week.

As part of NTEU's ongoing efforts to secure this key right for employees, Kelley wrote a letter late last month to senators urging them to approve the provision. The House approved collective bargaining for TSOs in its version of the bill (H.R. 1).

For the complete story, click here or visit <www.nteu.org/PressKits/PressRelease/ PressRelease.aspx?ID=1048>.


New NTEU Benefit Helps Members Watch Their ‘Checkbook’
NTEU is looking out for our members both in the workplace and the marketplace.

Members can now receive a discounted subscription to Consumers' CHECKBOOK magazine, a non-profit publication featuring ratings of local services in seven U.S. cities including Washington, D.C. Find out where to go in your city for the best auto shops, plumbers, veterinarians, dentists, roofers and more.

Subscriptions also include online access to all magazine articles and CHECKBOOKS' guides to top doctors and hospitals. NTEU members can get a two-year subscription for a reduced price of $28, 30 percent off the newsstand price. For more information click here or visit <www.nteu.org/MemberBenefits/DiscountsMem.aspx>.

FEEA Scholarship Deadline Nears: Don't Miss Out on Big Money For Education
The clock is ticking for federal employees to apply for thousands in scholarship money for themselves and family members.

The deadline for the 2007-08 scholarship program of the Federal Employee Education & Assistance Fund (FEEA) is March 30. For the first time, applicants will have a shot at winning one of five additional $5,000 awards under the new FEEA-NTEU scholarship program.

If you envision yourself in a classroom this fall, log on to FEEA.org and apply today.


SAMMIE DEADLINE THURSDAY
Kelley Urges NTEU Members to Nominate a Frontline Employee for a Sammie
President Kelley has served on the selection panel for the Service to America Medals (Sammies) for several years now and has noticed something missing—nominations of frontline employees.

"Behind every successful federal manager is a staff of dedicated, hard-working frontline employees," said President Kelley. "These employees are directly responsible for the safety and well-being of Americans, and yet their accomplishments are not recognized nearly enough in Sammie nominations. I urge every NTEU member to seize this opportunity to honor a deserving colleague with this prestigious award."

With the nomination deadline set for Thursday, March 8, do not delay in nominating a coworker. For details and a nomination form, visit www.servicetoamericamedals.org.


Headlines

FDA Moves Ahead to Close Labs
Federal Daily, March 2, 2007
Despite congressional criticism, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is moving forward with its plan to close seven of its 13 regional laboratories, forcing out some employees. The FDA has for months been considering the consolidation effort that it defended as a way to improve efficiency. The plan in January drew the ire of a group of key senators, led by Sens. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and Arlen Specter, R-Pa., who questioned both the wisdom and effectiveness of the move. In a letter to Kennedy from agency head Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach, the FDA identified the labs to be closed. They are located in Denver, Detroit, Kansas City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, San Juan, P.R., and Winchester, Mass., said the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), which has opposed the closures. “This foolish decision not only poses a serious risk to the nation," said NTEU President Colleen Kelley on Feb. 27, “it is a direct slap in the face at members of both the House and Senate who requested a delay in any such decision.”

For the complete story, click here or visit <http://federaldaily.com/federaldaily/
archive/2007/03/FD030207.htm#b>.

For more on NTEU's campaign to keep the labs open, visit www.nteu.org/FDALabs/
FDALabs.aspx.


New on NTEU.org

Update Your Contact Information Online
Moving day isn't the only time to update your contact information with NTEU. Providing NTEU with your home and work e-mail addresses ensures that you won't miss important news and information about your union and workplace.

With just a few clicks of the mouse, NTEU members can update their home and work e-mail addresses, as well as their mailing address, by logging into NTEU.org and accessing the personal contact information page under "Union Office." It only takes a minute, but keeping your member profile current ensures that you receive NTEU news, special alerts, bargaining and legislative updates, as well as valuable information on member-only benefits. Since NTEU does not receive address changes from agencies, we're depending on you to keep us up-to-date. To change your address visit NTEU.org, log in and click on "Personal Contact Information" under "Union Office."

MILITARY PROFILE OF THE WEEK                                   Gerry L. White Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army National Guard NTEU Chapter 178, CBP Eagle Pass White’s tour of duty so far has taken him halfway around the world and back as a combat medic/trauma specialist, including to the deserts of Iraq, where he served from December 2004 to January 2006. Read more about Staff Sgt. White. Look for additional profiles in a future NTEU Bulletin.