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Election Opens Chance to Review Administration Workforce Goals

A new Congress, with a different look and different leaders, is coming to Washington in January creating an opening for a close examination of administration goals impacting the federal workforce.

Leading the list of goals to be questioned is the use of taxpayer money to fund an ever-increasing army of government contractors. NTEU will work with the 110th Congress to examine the role and performance of this unaccountable workforce and to be sure that inherently government functions, like tax collection, are kept in the hands of federal employees.

The solution to closing the billion dollar tax gap—sufficient funding and personnel at the Internal Revenue Service—is also an issue NTEU will pursue in the next Congress. Adequate staffing for all federal agencies is a long-term goal of NTEU and increasing our country’s security by addressing the neglected staffing needs of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is critical.

“Leadership in the current Congress never seemed to realize,” said NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley, “that building a strong, effective federal workforce is the key to providing the services that the American public expects and deserves from our government. NTEU will work with the new congressional leadership to be sure they understand this.”

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Health Plan Blues? NTEU Can Help Are you wondering which health insurance plan is the best for you and your family? NTEU can help. With the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) open season beginning yesterday some employees may spend hours comparing plans and rates. But NTEU members have a nifty online tool that can help make personalized plan comparisons. NTEU has teamed up with Consumers’ Checkbook, a nonprofit consumer information resource, to offer members a way to cut through the hype and compare FEHBP plans so you make the right decision on your health care coverage. For more information on this NTEU member benefit click here or visit <www.nteu.org/Member Benefits/OverviewMem .aspx>.

NTEU Spotlight—Listen to This Week’s Report
Last week NTEU debuted a weekly radio news report on Federal News Radio. Thousands of people listened to President Kelley’s 60-second news update on Federal News Radio as it played Wednesday–Friday.

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

E-Bulletin subscribers get a jump on everyone else because each newsletter will feature a link to the next day’s news report. To hear tomorrow’s NTEU Spotlight, click here.

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Thanksgiving Break

In honor of next week’s Thanksgiving holiday, the e-Bulletin will not publish. We wish all of our readers a safe and happy holiday. We will be back the following Tuesday, Nov. 28. If you can’t wait until then for NTEU news, visit our web site at www.nteu.org.

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Headlines

New Congress Expected to Scrutinize Government Management
Washington Post, November 9, 2006
The new Congress will take a more skeptical view of the Bush administration’s approach to managing the federal government, in particular efforts to contract out federal jobs and link employee pay raises more closely to job performance.

Those were the post-election predictions offered by a number of public policy experts, union leaders and Democrats yesterday. To read the complete story, click here or visit <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/08/AR200
6110802182.html>

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