FederalDaily - May 14, 2007
Bill Would Dismantle Controversial DHS Personnel System
The House approved a Fiscal Year 2008 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) authorization
bill that includes provisions that would repeal the department’s controversial
personnel reforms, as well as grant Law Enforcement Officer (LEO) status to Customs
and Border Protection employees. The bill, H.R. 1684, cleared the House by a 296-126
vote on May 9. It authorizes nearly $40 billion in DHS spending next year, about
$2 billion more than the White House requested. The House included the repeal measures
despite a White House threat to veto any bill that included them. President Bush
also was unhappy with extending LEO status to CBP officers. National Treasury Employees
Union (NTEU) President Colleen Kelley said it was time to shut down the DHS personnel
reforms. “The four-year DHS personnel experiment has been a litany of failure
because the law and regulations effectively gut employee due process rights,” Kelley
said. She also noted the bill’s broad support in the face of White House threats. “This
veto threat shows that this administration is willing to put its animosity toward
fair treatment for workers over the interest of national security,” Kelley
said. To see more, go to: www.nteu.org
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Controllers Flee Oakland Center Over FAA Work Rules
Onerous Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) work and pay rules are contributing to a worsening staffing
crisis at the Oakland Air Route Traffic Control Center, said the National Air Traffic Controllers Association
(NATCA). The Fremont, Calif., center—one of the country’s main air traffic control routing
facilities—has lost 19 controllers and trainees since Oct. 1, NATCA said in a May 10 statement.
Of the seven who have resigned—including three trainees—all cited the FAA work and pay
rules imposed on controllers as the primary reason for their resignations, NATCA said. The organization
said four more resignations are likely in the next few weeks. The facility has 162 fully certified
controllers on staff, along with another 119 controllers who are in various stages of their training,
NATCA said. The large number of trainees on staff impedes their development, according to NATCA, and
the group said it expects at least a quarter, or 30, to wash out before being certified. NATCA also
said the FAA is now recommending reduced staffing levels of 213 controllers at the facility, rather
than the 268 controllers it had previously acknowledged as necessary. To see more, go to: www.natca.org/mediacenter/press-release-detail.aspx?id=421
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OSC Says Whistleblower Complaints Resolved in CBP Case
The Office of Special Counsel (OSC) said that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has taken the appropriate
administrative action in response to whistleblower complaints about a breach in passenger screening
security measures at Sanford International Airport in Florida. The whistleblowers—six CBP Agricultural
Specialists—complained they were ordered by supervisors to enter generic passenger information
regarding race, length of stay and number of bags into the CBP database. The whistleblowers also were
also told to share secure computer passwords to expedite the data entry, OSC said. The Department of
Homeland Security ordered the CBP Office of Internal Affairs to investigate the complaints, which it
later substantiated. CBP took disciplinary action against those involved, and put security remedies
into place, OSC said. OSC concluded on May 9 that no further action was necessary. To see more, go
to: www.osc.gov
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