September
24, 2008
NTEU Makes a Difference
Union Secures Jobs for Two TSOs; Reduces Suspension for Third
NTEU recently helped two TSA employees regain their jobs after they were fired last year for failing to pass the required passenger screening exam. The employees were not given the opportunity to return to their previous baggage screening positions, even though both were certified to do so. The union successfully argued, before TSA’s internal board, that the agency did not follow its own internal directives that require cross-trained employees who fail testing in their new positions to be moved back to their former positions before any dismissal is initiated.
Both employees returned to work last month—and received a full year of back pay for time missed.
NTEU also successfully fought to reduce the suspension of a TSA employee who allegedly got into a verbal altercation with a passenger. When management tried to impose a five-day suspension, NTEU argued the punishment was unwarranted and provided two witnesses who backed up the employee's version of events and testified to his innocence. TSA relented, the suspension was reduced and the employee was granted full back pay for time missed.
These are only a few examples of the difference NTEU is making through our chapters at JFK, LGA and ATL. For more information, contact your chapter president or your local NTEU representative.
In Memoriam
Russell Campbell
NTEU is saddened by the passing of Chapter 311 (TSA LaGuardia) Interim Secretary Russell Campbell of Yonkers, N.Y.
Campbell
was a charter member of Chapter 311,
working closely with Interim Chapter
President Yasir Sheikh.
Our thoughts and
prayers are with the Campbell family during this
difficult time.
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NTEU
Fights Back
Kelley Responds to 'Irresponsible Comments'
NTEU quickly responded
to outrageous comments that Robert Stephan recently
made at the National Defense Industrial Association’s
2008 Homeland Security Symposium and Exhibition in
which he labeled 'bureaucrats' "more clever than
al Qaeda in many respects" and the "No.
1 killer in the United States." Stephan is the
Assistant Secretary of Infrastructure Protection at
the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
In a strongly-worded letter, President Colleen M.
Kelley reminded Stephan that DHS's continued success
is mainly due to the contributions of its employees,
who work hard every day despite management failings
and a lack of effective leadership, problems highlighted
in an employee
survey earlier this year.
"Remarks like these, that perpetuate a negative stereotype of federal employees and, in particular, DHS workers, should not be made by anyone, let alone one of the Department’s top leaders," she wrote. "These are irresponsible comments and the 200,000 employees who work at DHS deserve better."
Along with her letter, Kelley also enclosed a
copy of NTEU's public service campaign, Federal
Employees...They Work for U.S., aimed at countering
negative stereotypes about the federal workforce and
building public awareness of the important work of
federal employees.
Lending a Helping Hand
Hurricane Assistance Available for TSA Employees
Federal employees and their families who have been impacted by the recent hurricanes to hit the Gulf Coast can turn to the Federal Employee Education and Assistance Fund (FEEA) in their time of need.
FEEA provides grants and no-interest loans to help
with temporary shelter, clean-up, rebuilding, and
other expenses. Download an Emergency Assistance application
from FEEA's web site (www.feea.org)
or call FEEA at 800-323-4140 or 303-933-7580.
Over the past few weeks, FEEA has distributed more than $275,000 in grant checks to more than 700 federal employees affected by the storms, with hundreds of additional requests still pending. If you can help FEEA to help federal employees, make an immediate donation today at www.feea.org. NTEU is proud to be a founding member of FEEA. “For more than 20 years, FEEA has helped federal employees in times of need and NTEU has played a role in that,” said President Kelley, who is also a FEEA Board member. “FEEA was founded by federal employees to help federal employees, and that mission still holds true today.”
Tell
a TSA employee about NTEU’s DHS Update.
It’s free and keeps NTEU’s newest
members
informed about issues important to them.
If you’ve received this from a
friend or colleague
and would like to sign up for your own copy, click
here.
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