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NTEU Seeks Support for Lawmakers’ Letter To TSA’s Pistole on Employee Rights
NTEU urged a number of key members of the House of Representatives to sign on to a letter asking John Pistole, Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), to quickly review current policies at his agency and strongly consider granting comprehensive workplace rights to TSA employees.
 The letter was sent by NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley in support of an effort by two leading members of the House seeking quick action on the part of TSA’s Pistole in completing his announced review.
Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, and Rep. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.), sponsor of legislation that would provide TSA employees with collective bargaining rights are asking co-sponsors of H.R. 1881 to sign a letter they intend to send to Administrator Pistole next week.
President Kelley asked that all the co-sponsors of the bill sign on to the Thompson-Lowey letter.
As a co-sponsor of this important legislation, President Kelley wrote, “you have demonstrated your support for providing basic civil service and collective bargaining rights to the employees of TSA. We ask you to continue to show your support for TSA employees by signing on to this letter.” More
Message from the NTEU President |
 When Customs and Border Protection unilaterally suspended the Foreign Language Awards Program (FLAP) earlier this year, NTEU took quick, forceful—and now successful—steps to have CBP change its ill-considered and damaging decision.
Thanks to NTEU, FLAP is back in force, retroactive to the Feb. 4 date of the original CBP decision to suspend it. No eligible employee will lose so much as one penny of award money they have earned. This is a huge victory for CBP employees and for NTEU.
Immediately after the agency said it would suspend the program, NTEU took the issue to members of Congress, and most particularly to Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee. At NTEU’s request, Chairman Thompson raised the issue with CBP, seriously questioning its wisdom and need.
At the same time, NTEU filed a national grievance challenging the suspension of FLAP for CBP Officers and Agriculture Specialists. Interestingly, on the very day CBP had to answer our grievance, it announced its decision to rescind the suspension of FLAP. More |
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Lack of Resources Undermining CBP Trade Function
Understaffing and insufficient resources are undermining the ability of the CBP workforce to fulfill its dual mission of regulating and facilitating international trade, NTEU told lawmakers.
 “NTEU is deeply concerned with the lack of resources, both in dollars and manpower, devoted to CBP’s trade functions,” NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley said. “Lack of sufficient focus and resources costs the U.S. Treasury in terms of customs duties and revenue loss and cost American companies in terms of lost business to unlawful imports.”
Kelley submitted her remarks to the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade. Working under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the NTEU-represented CBP staff includes Officers, Agriculture Specialists, Seized Property Specialists and trade enforcement and compliance personnel. In addition to securing the nation’s ports of entry, CBP facilitates more than a trillion dollars of trade annually. Customs fees are the second largest source of federal government revenue.
In its fiscal year 2011 budget request, CBP asked for $25 million for Intellectual Property Rights enforcement, including $14.1 million in human capital investment. This request, however, includes no increase in staff, such as Entry and Import Specialists, to implement this program. Kelley urged Congress to dedicate this additional funding to increase the number of CBP trade operations personnel at the ports of entry. More
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