FederalDaily.com > Dollars, Manpower at Root of FPS Woes, Union Says

Federal Daily - November 19, 2009

Dollars, Manpower at Root of FPS Woes, Union Says

Problems at the beleaguered Federal Protective Service—the agency responsible for protecting federal buildings—may boil to two things: Money and manpower.

While several recent reports from the Government Accountability Office have revealed huge gaps in FPS security, one union leader says the shortcomings detailed in those reports are symptoms of larger systemic problems plaguing the agency, including insufficient funding and an over-reliance on often poorly trained contract guards.

American Federation of Government Employees Local 918 President David Wright, head of the national local representing FPS employees, supported this perspective with testimony before the House Homeland Security Committee Nov. 18—and presented a laundry list of requirements he said are necessary for the service to succeed at securing federal buildings. Wright asked Congress for:

Sufficient FPS staff to meet mission requirements.

Full “law enforcement officer” status, pay and benefits for FPS officers.

Direct authorization and appropriation of funds to cover security costs for FPS, ending the current fee-based funding scheme.

Federal police officers—rather than contract guards—at high-risk sites.

Restoration of FPS membership in the Interagency Security Committee.

Wright also called for immediate action on the FPS manpower shortage in New York City—especially in light of upcoming terrorist trials. Wright compared the state of FPS today to that of airline security prior to 9/11.

“There, a reliance on poorly trained, unmonitored contract guards with no law enforcement authority; security implementation by conflicting entities; an unworkable funding structure; and a perception of security through inspections, instead of protection by boots-on-the-ground federal officers, proved disastrous,” Wright said. “It should not have happened then, and it should not be allowed to happen now.”

Army Suicides to Set Record This Year

The number of Army suicides is expected to reach a new high this year, Army officials said Nov. 17, but noted that a recent decline in the pace of such deaths may mean that prevention programs are beginning to work.

With 140 suspected cases reported among active-duty soldiers so far this year, the final tally for the year will surely be higher, Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Chiarelli said at a press conference. There were 140 suicides reported for all of 2008, and 115 in 2007.

However, the pace of self-inflicted deaths among Army personnel seems to be tapering off in recent months, compared to the large numbers reported in January and February, Chiarelli said.

For example, there were 18 suicides reported this year at Fort Campbell, Ky., but 11 occurred in the first four months of the year, Chiarelli said. At Schofield Barracks in Hawaii, seven self-inflicted deaths were reported this year, but five occurred in the first five months of 2009.

Army officials said they were hopeful that new prevention programs—such as the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program launched Oct. 1, and other efforts beefed up earlier this year—are starting to stem the tide of suicides. Chiarelli noted that while the Army is stressed by fighting two overseas wars, it is difficult to link the conflicts to a climbing number of suicides. In fact, about one-third of those who committed suicide this year have no deployment history, Chiarelli said.

Postal Union Rebukes Critics Calling for More Sacrifices

As the U.S. Postal Service struggles with mounting financial losses, American Postal Workers Union President William Burrus responded to critics who have been calling for additional reductions in postal workers’ wages and benefits.

Burrus noted that the USPS has eliminated 125,000 craft jobs as part of its cost-savings efforts, and challenged other entities in the postal arena to match the sacrifices already made by the USPS workforce. Burrus also pointed out that critics continue to call for management to be given greater flexibility in the assignment of employees. Such calls are wrong-headed, he said.

“To the charge that postal management is overly restricted in the daily assignment of work,” Burrus said, “I suggest that the critics look at the 20,000 post offices where postmasters and supervisors routinely perform craft work and craft employees regularly serve as replacements for supervisory personnel.”

USPS this week filed its 2009 fiscal year-end financial results, showing a net loss of $3.8 billion—despite cost-cutting efforts resulting in $6 billion in cost savings and a $4 billion reduction in required payments for retiree health benefits. Cost savings reflect a reduction of 40,000 career USPS employees—as well as reductions in overtime hours, transportation and other costs.

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Federal Daily - November 19, 2009