| “As you know, after 10 months of budget and appropriations deliberations, Congress this weekend approved a $388 billion omnibus spending bill. |
| I am delighted to report that the spending bill included a 3.5% pay raise for federal employees, more than double the 1.5% originally proposed by the administration. I am especially pleased to report that pay parity received strong bi-partisan support despite last ditch efforts to derail it. |
| NTEU applauds Congress' recognition of the fact that adequate federal pay is critical to attract and retain high quality workers, particularly in the face of the increasingly-complex tasks federal employees are being asked to perform on behalf of the public. |
| Other major legislative victories for NTEU members during 2004 include: |
| Approval of legislation providing federal employees with compensatory time off for the time spent in business travel outside their normal work schedules. The compensatory time provision is contained in S. 129, legislation dealing with federal employment policy issues and provides employees with much more flexibility in balancing their work and personal lives. Comp time will apply when overtime is not available. Rules implementing this new law will take effect no later than Jan. 28, 2005. Approval of legislation fixing COPRA. This legislation raised the overtime earnings cap for fiscal year 2004 for legacy Customs employees and new CBP Officers to $30,000. In addition, the legislation also increased the overtime cap for fiscal year 2005 to $35,000 enabling officers to apply their overtime earnings in 2004 and 2005 towards their base pay for retirement purposes. NTEU continues to work with CBP and Congress to work out the details of how CBP employees will have the opportunity to increase their CSRS and FERS retirement contributions, as well as their voluntary TSP contributions before the end of the calendar year as a result of the increase in the overtime cap for fiscal year 2004. |
| Sometimes, the legislation that does not get approved is just as significant as the legislation that does. NTEU was successful in having language removed from the intelligence bill that would have given the president the right to exclude certain federal employees from the right to union representation. Another legislative effort was aimed at imposing harsh post-employment restrictions on federal bank examiners. NTEU was successful in mitigating the negative language in that proposal. |
| That being said, there were also a number of disappointments in this session. |
| Despite the tireless efforts of Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), an amendment they each offered in their respective chambers to make OMB's competitive sourcing process fair for federal employees was stripped from the final Omnibus Appropriations for FY '05, at the behest of the administration. |
| The fact that our contracting out language became a pivotal issue in the passage of this bill speaks volumes about how far we have come in winning Congressional support on behalf of a level playing field for federal employees and a better deal for American taxpayers. The only reason the language was not included as originally approved by Congress is that the White House threatened a veto. The language limiting contracting out was not dropped until late into the conference process. This demonstrates the significant support NTEU has garnered for federal employees. |
| Meanwhile, NTEU will continue to fight for a level playing field and fair treatment for federal employees on contracting out issues. We are working in the courts and in negotiations with the agencies. Our chapters are working at the grassroots level to make our views known. And, I'm convinced that there continues to be strong bipartisan support in Congress for a level playing field for federal employees on contracting out policies. |
| In another disappointment, the Capitol amendment which would have prohibited the IRS from using its funds to hire private collection agencies for the purpose of collecting tax debt was stripped from the omnibus bill during the conference. Again, this language was pulled from the bill despite strong bipartisan support in the House. Prior to the 2004 election, the corporate tax bill was approved by Congress and signed by the president. That bill included a provision giving the IRS private tax collection authority. NTEU will continue to work with consumer groups and other allied organizations to highlight the dangers of turning private taxpayer information over to debt collection agencies. |
| We've had some major victories and some disappointments, but one thing is clear -- federal employees are viewed as an important constituency by lawmakers and a force to be reckoned with. That is a tribute to your involvement in your union and your involvement in the political process. I applaud your efforts and encourage you to keep the momentum going. Be sure to check www.nteu.org where you will find important legislative action alerts that provide specifics on how you can impact future legislation affecting federal employees. I look forward to working together to improve the federal workplace and ensure that your contributions are recognized and valued.” |
