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NTEU Endows Over $726,300 to New FEEA Scholarship Fund
NTEU is teaming up with the Federal Employee Education & Assistance Fund (FEEA) to establish a scholarship fund for federal families. The endowment got off to a booming start with NTEU’s initial contribution of $726,363—funds remaining after payouts from NTEU’s 22-year, $178-million settlement were administered to special rate employees denied pay increases.

The FEEA-NTEU Scholarship Fund will award at least five $5,000 scholarships to eligible federal employees or their family members each academic year, beginning in 2007. These merit-based scholarships, the largest awarded by FEEA, can be combined with other FEEA scholarships to increase their worth.

The timing of NTEU’s contribution to establish the fund carries special meaning since this year marks FEEA’s 20th anniversary of providing scholarships and emergency assistance to civilian federal and postal employees.

“I have seen the difference that FEEA makes in the lives of federal employees caught up in a disaster or who need help paying for the ever-increasing costs of higher education,” said NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley, who made the announcement with FEEA Director and former NTEU President Robert Tobias at a Wednesday event. “I am thrilled that this new scholarship will help federal families achieve their educational goals.”

Applications Details: Applications for the new FEEA-NTEU Scholarship will be available in January through FEEA. Eligible federal employees and their family members should apply through FEEA’s normal scholarship program. The top candidates will become eligible for the FEEA-NTEU Scholarship. Visit FEEA’s web site for information on its complete scholarship program.

For the complete story and more information about FEEA, click here or visit <www.nteu.org/
FEEA.aspx>.

Combined Federal Campaign In Full Swing If more proof is needed of the generosity of federal employees, it’s the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC). The program, which allows federal workers to make contributions to charities through payroll deductions, is the world’s largest and most successful annual workplace giving campaign. During this year’s campaign season, running through Dec. 15, federal employees can donate to the charity of their choice. For more information on the CFC, click here or visit <www.opm.gov/cfc/>. To learn about FEEA, click here or visit <www.feea. org>.

Contractor Workforce Four Times
the Size of Federal Civil Service
The army of federal contracting employees is growing at an alarming rate and at more than 7.6 million in 2005 is four times the size of the 1.8 million member federal civilian workforce, raising serious concerns about accountability and value for U.S. taxpayers. The new numbers were reported in recently-released report by New York University professor Paul C. Light. Light has written several times on this issue and previously has referred to federal contractors and grant recipients as a ‘shadow’ government.

His latest report highlights the recent and rapid growth in the contractor workforce, pointing out that this administration’s continuing efforts to contract work to the private sector has added some 2.5 million contractor employees just in the period between 2002 and 2005. The growth in that period alone exceeds the current number of federal workers.

What’s more, Light said, the expansion reflects a nearly $50 billion increase in federal contract spending in a single year—from 2004 to 2005.

NTEU believes that this runaway growth is extremely troubling and is equal to a shell game, masking the true costs of government to America’s taxpayers and handing the work of government to a less accountable workforce.

For the complete story, click here or visit <www.nteu.org/
PressKits/PressRelease/PressRelease.aspx?ID=980>.

To download a copy of the report, visit http://wagner.nyu.edu/.


NTEU Welcomes Latest Court Step on DHS Regulations
A federal judge today agreed with NTEU's recommendation to return to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Office of Personnel Management (OPM) the illegal DHS personnel regulations to revise them in accordance with an NTEU-won appeals court ruling. The judge retained jurisdiction over the case and directed DHS to report back on the status of its plans for the rules in nine months.

The decision was announced at a status conference this afternoon with Judge Rosemary Collyer, who over one year ago enjoined major portions of the personnel regime stopping DHS from implementing those parts. NTEU went on to win two additional legal victories blocking implementation of the rules, and in September, DHS declined to pursue the case to the Supreme Court.

NTEU President Kelley welcomed the judge's decision, calling the DHS rules "not only illegal, but a step backward in efforts to improve the security of our nation."

For the complete story, click here or visit <http://cbpunion.org/PressRelease/PressRelease.
aspx?ID=981>.

NTEU Supporting Retiree Health Insurance Bills
Bills to allow federal and military retirees to pay health insurance premiums on a pre-tax basis have still not been reported to the House and Senate floors for consideration despite growing support. NTEU continues to urge Congress to act on H.R. 994 and S. 484, which would allow federal retirees to benefit from pre-tax payment of health insurance premiums.

While H.R. 994 was the subject of hearings in the House and was ordered reported out of the Government Reform Committee over a year ago, the House Ways and Means and Armed Services Committees have still not taken it up. And S. 484 is pending in the Senate Finance Committee with no action planned. Federal civilian and military retirees deserve better from their government and NTEU is committed to continue fighting for these important measures.

These bills would help relieve the increasing expense federal retirees are absorbing to pay for their health care costs. During the past six years, cost of living adjustments for federal retirees have ranged from 1.3 to 3.5 percent, yet health care premiums have risen in many years by double digit amounts. NTEU believes that those who served our country in military or civilian work should be permitted to pay their health insurance premiums with pre-tax dollars just like their fellow active employees are permitted to do.

For more information, click here or visit <http://capwiz.com/nteu/issues/alert/?alertid=
7457471&type=CO>.


Headlines

Union Seeks Restoration of SSA Funds
Federal Daily, October 13, 2006
The head of the union representing employees who oversee and review denied Social Security disability claims warns of mandatory workforce furloughs unless a minimum of $401 million is restored to the FY 2007 budget of the Social Security Administration (SSA). Colleen Kelley, of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), said on Oct. 12 that 10-day furloughs of workers would be counterproductive to the SSA workload.

For the complete story, click here or visit <www.federaldaily.com/federaldaily/archive/
2006/10/FD101306.htm#13b>.

Scholarship Fund Gets a Big Check for Its 20th Birthday
The Washington Post, October 12, 2006
When the Federal Employee Education & Assistance Fund began 20 years ago, it was a place for federal and postal employees to turn for help when they got behind on their bills or needed a plane ticket to attend to a family crisis. The fund has steadily grown and got a big boost yesterday from the National Treasury Employees Union.

At a breakfast marking the fund’s 20th anniversary, NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley announced that the union had given it $726,363. The donation came from administrative funds that had not been spent during a 22-year class-action lawsuit, dubbed the special rates case, brought by the NTEU against the government.

The union donation will create an endowment for five annual scholarships of $5,000 each, she said.

For the complete story, click here or visit <www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content
/article/2006/10/11/AR2006101101830.html>.

New on NTEU.org
October Bulletin Highlights NTEU’s Work on Behalf of Taxpayers
The October edition of the NTEU Bulletin features two excellent examples of how the work NTEU does on behalf of our members and federal employees also benefits America’s taxpayers. One story in the Bulletin outlines the growing opposition among lawmakers and public interest groups, not to mention the country’s editorial writers, to the IRS’s implementation of it program to use private-sector debt collectors rather than federal employees to collect federal tax debt. The second story summarizes NTEU’s vocal opposition to reorganization at the Department of Energy that could diminish the department’s environmental safety and health functions.

The new Bulletin also contains an update on the status of the 2007 pay raise for civilian and military employees and continuing NTEU victories in our ongoing battle against the new personnel regulations at the Department of Homeland Security. In addition, you can learn about new agreements at the Agency for Children and Families (ACF) and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC).

To read this month’s Bulletin online, click here or visit <www.nteu.org/UnionOffice/
NTEUBulletin/>.