FederalDaily - January 12, 2007

House OKs Measure to Allow Union Rights for TSA Workers

The House approved a measure to enact most of the remaining recommendations of the 9/11 Commission—including a provision that would grant employees of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) collective bargaining rights. On a vote of 299-128, the House passed H.R. 1—Implementing the 9/11 Commission Recommendations—on Jan. 9. Language in the bill requires the government to grant to TSA employees the same employment rights—including collective bargaining—as other federal employees. Union leaders applauded the vote. “TSA employees should be afforded full civil service and collective bargaining rights,” said Colleen Kelley, president of the National Treasury Employees Union. “Unfortunately, these rights have been denied them since the creation of the agency.” American Federation of Government Employees President John Gage concurred: “The new House has begun the process of righting a terrible wrong.” To see more, go to: www.afge.org/index.cfm?fuse=content&contentID=923.

:: Back to Top ::

Advocacy Group Targets Dudley Re-Nomination

President Bush’s re-nomination of Susan Dudley to be the regulatory czar at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) fails to heed the president’s own post-election call for bipartisanship, an advocacy group said on Jan 10. Public Citizen, which opposed Dudley’s nomination last year because of her close ties to industry and laissez-faire approach to regulation, renewed its efforts in opposition to the nomination this week. Dudley was named to head OMB’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, a low-profile but powerful office which can set government-wide policies and work with agencies to draft rules. “The White House is wasting the Senate’s time by sending back this radical extremist,” J. Robert Shull, Public Citizen’s deputy director for auto safety and regulatory policy said. “The president struck a note of bipartisan cooperation after the November elections. Re-nominating Dudley shows that it’s back to highly partisan business as usual for the White House.” To see more, go to: www.publiccitizen.org/pressroom/release.cfm?ID=2352

:: Back to Top ::

Group Aims to Fill Shoes of Retiring Feds

A group called the Partnership for Public Service (PPS) Wednesday announced the launch of new program that aims to recruit retiring baby boomers into second careers with the federal government. “Millions of well-educated boomers who want to do something meaningful will be retiring from their current jobs and looking for new professional opportunities,” said PPS President Max Stier. The program, called Fed Experience, is “a win-win,” Stier said. “Boomers get their second career where they can make a difference, and our government gets the talented individuals it needs to fill looming shortages.” The group said the initiative will look at ways to enlist retiring private, non-profit and public-sector workers to help fill an anticipated dearth of seasoned workers as today’s feds begin to retire. According to a report released by the group, the government is projected to lose more than 550,000 workers within the next five years—more than one-third of its permanent, full-time workforce. Stier said Atlantic Philanthropies has committed $250,000 to fund the project’s initial research phase, which will be followed by a pilot project and large-scale implementation across the federal government. For more, go to: www.ourpublicservice.org/pressroom/pressroom_show.htm?doc_id=441426.

:: Back to Top ::