afge the g standard

Table of Contents

Page 2A Message fromPresident Bobby L. Harnage

Page 4AFGE Economic Report

Page 9AFGE = Job Security +Homeland Security

0NEW Pet ServicesBenefit for AFGEMembers

Page 12AFGE Is FightingPrivatization

THE GOVERNMENTSTANDARD

for current and retired government workers and their families since 1933American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO

Vol. LXX, No. 3 June 2003

While the world watched a bronze statueof Saddam Hussein fall in Baghdad, topbrass at the Pentagon were pressuring

key members of Congress to rubber stamp a 205-page piece of legislation to tear down the exist-ing personnel system in the Department of Defense(DoD). The legislation, which passed the House onMay 22, specifically eliminates annual pay raises,step increases, appeal rights, bargaining rights, andreduction-in-force protections for some 700,000civilian DoD personnel.

“The Secretary of Defense is ramming a planthrough Congress that would scrap more than a

century of civil service law and replace it with anew spoils system that concentrates power in hisoffice,” said AFGE National President Bobby L.Harnage. “Civilian DoD employees at installationsall over the country have spent their entire careerspreparing, supplying and mobilizing our troops—this is the thanks they get?”

The Pentagon plan doesn’t stop at annihilatingthe rights and protections of DoD’s civilianworkforce, it will also do away with thousands ofother regulations designed to protect the healthand environment of their community.

...MORE ON PAGE 6

AFGEAFGE

Pentagon Set to AnnihilateRights & Protections ofDoD’s Civilian Workforce

2003 AFGE National ConventionAFGE’s 36th National Convention will be held Monday, August 18, through Friday, August 22, 2003, at: MandalayBay Resort & Casino, 3950 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, Nev. 89119-1006, (702) 632-7777.

NOTE IMPORTANT CHANGES

Important changes for the 2003 AFGE National Convention:

1) NO ON-SITE REGISTRATION! PRE-REGISTRATION ONLY and must be post-marked by July 21, 2003;2) All delegates must be elected by July 18, 2003; and3) Those who merely show up will not be seated.

Check your mail for complete 2003 Convention details and information.Notice of Nominations & Elections

AFGE will hold nominations and elections for the offices of National President, National Secretary-Treasurer andDirector of Women’s Department at its 36th National Convention, which is being held on Monday, August 18,through Friday, August 22, 2003, at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino. The Resort is located at 3950 Las VegasBoulevard South, Las Vegas, 89119-1006. Nominations and elections will be conducted, and protests filed, inaccordance with the “AFGE Rules of Conduct for an Election” as provided in Appendix A of the AFGE NationalConstitution, and with the Convention Rules, the current version of which is set forth in Appendix C of the AFGENational Constitution. All offices are for a three-year term.

Nominations: The Convention will convene on Mon., Aug. 18, at 10:00 a.m. Nominations shall be made bydelegates in writing, stating the name of the candidate and signed by the delegate making the nomination. Undercurrent Convention Rules, nominations shall be received by the chair of the Election Committee before 4:00 p.m.on Mon., Aug. 18. No person may be a candidate for more then one office.

Qualifications: No person shall be a candidate for, or be elected to, national office unless he or she: has beena government employee for three consecutive years; has been a member in good standing of the Federation forthe three consecutive years immediately prior to the date of nomination; and is not a member in any labor organizationnot affiliated with the AFL-CIO.

Election: Under current Convention Rules, the polls will open to delegates for the election of officers from7:30 a.m. through 11:30 a.m. on Wed., Aug. 20. Any required run-off election will be held immediately followingthe tally of votes.

Legislation

Passes House in

Mere 23 Days

The Government Standard — June 2003 —www.afge.org

Once upona time, notlong ago,

we lived in a coun-try where the pur-suit of liberty was asacred cause,where smarts andhard work were thecurrency of ad-vancement. Andwith our liberty came a respect for pri-vacy; your business was your businessand mine was mine.

Today we live in a country where thegovernment has license to record ourevery move—our credit card transactions,our bookstore purchases, our e-mails, theWeb sites we visit, etc.

Our country is defended by a militarythat relies heavily on a quality civilianworkforce dedicated to America’sfreedom. Soon, in the civilian defenseworkforce, promotions and payadjustments could depend not on yourservice to your country or what you knowof the intricacies of the mission or yourjob. Instead, advancement could depend

The Assault on American Freedoms

Bobby L. Harnage

on who you know or how subservient youare to following political orders.

Virtually every government agency istargeted for total takeover by the prevailingpolitical leadership. From top jobs tojanitorial crews, each position could soonbe fair game in a political spoils system.

A former felon convicted of lying to theU.S. Congress has been selected by theDepartment of Defense (DoD) to head apreviously secret program called the TotalInformation Awareness (TIA) project. TIA

is a computer effort designed to collectmassive amounts of information abouteach citizen and non-citizen alike andshare that information with “outsideexperts” and “friendly allies,” in order to“create actionable options” for all mannerof civil and military authorities.

Never in modern history has such atotal assault on the U.S. Constitution—the source of the freedoms that defineAmerican values—been launched fromthe White House. From our vantage point,we, the regular working people of theU.S.A., could easily miss the totality ofthis assault. For while each of us focuseson the attack aimed most directly at ourjobs or agencies or families, we aresometimes too distracted to notice the

dozen more launched by the powers that be.

The Power GrabBeginning with the Patriot Act, which

was rushed to passage in the days thatfollowed the murderous acts of 9/11, thecurrent administration has engaged in anunprecedented power grab that not onlytargets the terrorists who seek to do usharm, but grants the executive branch ofgovernment powers that far exceed thoseenvisioned by our Founding Fathers.

Section 215 of the Patriot Act allowsinvestigators to obtain records fromInternet service providers, grocery stores,libraries, bookstores—just about anybusiness. The search warrants required toobtain your library records are now secretand not subject to appeal. And the Actforbids your librarian from informing youthat the government is monitoring you.The Department of Justice has alreadydrafted Patriot Act II. This Act goes muchfurther in eroding our most basicfreedoms.

Capitalizing on the reasonable fear ofterrorist activities, the administrationcreated TIA and tapped Admiral JohnPoindexter (Ret.) to lead it. Yet during the1980’s, Poindexter attempted tocircumvent the Constitution in the illegalarms-for-hostages Iran-Contra scandal,lied to Congress and was convicted on afelony charge. (President George H.W.Bush later pardoned him.)

Even when forced to accept thedemands of the American people forprotections from real threats—those facedat airports, national borders, etc.—theadministration has used thosecircumstances to implement other, power-grabbing agendas like the dismantling ofthe civil service and the busting of unions.When the American people demandeda federalized screener workforce at ournation’s airports, the administration usedthe new Transportation Security

AFGE-The Government StandardVol. LXX, No. 3 June 2003

AFGE-The Government Standard (USPS 003-219, ISSN 1041-5335) ispublished bimonthly and is the official membership publication ofthe American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO, 80 FStreet, NW, Washington, D.C., 20001 Phone: (202) 737-8700,www.afge.org. Bobby L. Harnage Sr., National President, Jim Davis,National Secretary-Treasurer, Andrea E. Brooks, Dir., Women’s/FairPractices Depts. National Vice Presidents: District 2-Derrick F.Thomas; (732)828-9449; NY, NJ, CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT. District 3-Jeffrey R. Williams; (610)660-0316; DE, PA. District 4-Joseph Flynn;(410)480-1820; MD, NC, VA, WV. District 5-Charlotte Flowers; (770)907-2055; AL, FL, GA, SC, TN, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico. District 6-ArnoldScott; (317)542-0428; IN, KY, OH. District 7-Dorothy James (312)421-6245; IL, MI, WI. District 8-Terrence L. Rogers; (612)854-3216; IA, MN,NE, ND, SD. District 9-Michael Kelly; (405)670-2656; AR, KS, MO, OK.District 10-Roy Flores; (210)735-8900; LA, MS, TX, NM, Panama.District 11-Gerald D. Swanke; (360)253-2616; AK, CO, ID, MT, OR, UT,WA, WY, Guam, Okinawa. District 12-Eugene Hudson; (760)597-2100;AZ, CA, HI, NV. District 14-Russell Binion; (202)639-6447; District ofColumbia, Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties in Maryland;Arlington and Fairfax Counties and the City of Alexandria in Virginia,Europe.

Produced by the AFGE Communications Dept.: Assistant Director,Diane Witiak; Managing Editor & Communications Specialist, JohnIrvine; Web Site Developers Ben Morris & Kurt Gallagher; Staff Assis-tant, Kim Kennedy. Designed & union printed by Mount Vernon Print-ing Co., Landover, Md. Periodicals Postage Paid at Washington, D.C.Postmaster: send address changes to AFGE Data Processing Dept.,80 F Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20001.

“We are to guardagainst ourselves;

not against ourselves as we are, but as we

may be. For who can imagine what

we may become undercircumstances not now

imaginable?”—Thomas Jefferson

A Message from National President Bobby L. Harnage


Administration (TSA) to set the precedentfor a federal workforce deprived ofselection based on merit, appeal rightsbefore the Merit Systems Protection Board(MSPB), and other civil serviceprotections. (Nevertheless, AFGE is hardat work organizing the TSA screeners.)

When Congress, over the objections ofthe White House, insisted on the creation

of a Department of Homeland Security,the administration seized the opportunityto write legislation that could effectivelytake away your freedom to belong to yourunion, and deprive employees of theirright to collective bargaining, fairrepresentation, and civil service pro-tections. The administration hoped toshove its version of the legislation quicklythrough Congress but, together with ourallies in the labor movement and in theSenate, we were able to slow down thepassage long enough to negotiate a lessdamaging bill.

Gutting the Civil ServiceAs the President announced to the

nation our victory in Iraq, DoD waswaging a stealth war on the civiliandefense workforce.

The Pentagon plan for a new“National Security Personnel System”in DoD will essentially gut Title 5, thesection of the U.S. Code that governs

federal employment and governmentorganization. And if DoD succeeds inwaiving the Code that shields over700,000 civilian employees from thepolitical winds, what’s to stop otheragencies from doing the same?

During Congress’ spring recess,Pentagon officials dumped the 205-pagebill on the desks of House members andthen pushed the House leadership intorushing it through the committeeprocess so that it could be attached tothis year’s Defense Authorization Act.This rush to passage is not based on

merit or national security, but on a desireto dismantle the Civil Service System thathas kept our country’s progress operatingat a high level, regardless of what politicalparty ruled the White House. It’s aboutmoney and power, not security.

This legislation legalizes waste, fraud,and abuse and sets into law a spoilssystem. It creates a return to the era of apatronage workforce, eliminating dueprocess in adverse actions and the EqualEmployment Opportunity (EEO) appealprocess. And, yes, it takes away the lawsthat guarantee union rights and collectivebargaining. Freedom of association is acornerstone of our democracy.

Act to Save AmericaTaken together, these actions amount

to nothing less than an assault on theAmerican way of life and on the freedomsfor which our men and women in uniformput their lives on the line every day. Longafter this administration passes into history,the legacy of its actions will live inAmerican law. But you can help to stopthe advance on your liberties.

In these perilous times, it is imperativethat you reach out to your Senators andRepresentatives in Congress to demandthat they protect the Constitution they havesworn to defend. Tell your neighbors of thethreats to their liberties and pursuit ofhappiness that are part and parcel of theadministration’s overall agenda. Writeletters to the editor of your local newspaperand call into your favorite radio talk shows.The future of all America is at stake—it isevery bit as patriotic to protect ourConstitution as it is to protect our borders.

Thomas Jefferson warned us of theperils of straying from the American visionwhen he said, “We are to guard againstourselves; not against ourselves as we are,but as we may be. For who can imaginewhat we may become under circum-stances not now imaginable?”

American’s clear choices to run the Federal Government


During the late 1990’s, the U.S. beganto pay down its national debt whilethe living standards for working fam-

ilies improved. For the first time since the1970’s, the real value of wages went up.More people were employed. Retirementfunds got larger. Today, that situation haschanged.

In 2003, many Americans struggle to keeptheir jobs. Unemployment is at its highestlevel in almost a decade. Healthcarecoverage is increasingly rare. Savings forretirement fell almost 40 percent becauseof accounting scandals and the drop in thestock market. As a result, today people workharder for less and cannot guarantee a betterfuture for themselves or their families.

Why did everything change?Since President Bush took office in 2001,

national priorities shifted—and not justbecause of the terrorist attacks. In the lasttwo years, the trend toward inequality thatstarted in the 1980’s and moderated a bit inthe 1990’s, has again worsened. Because ofmassive tax cuts that turned record surplusesinto record deficits, government programsthat benefited working families will be lessgenerous. Our outlook for the future is lesshopeful. Today, more Americans are out ofwork, need healthcare, and worry abouttheir retirement. In George W. Bush’sAmerica, government fights for the wealthy,not working families.

Since the start of 2001, there are 2 millionfewer jobs in the U.S. Almost 9 millionAmericans are out of work. That matchesthe highest rate in nine years. Additionally,4.8 million workers who want fulltimeemployment cannot find it and are forcedto work only part time. To recover all thosejobs, the national economy would need toadd 140,000 new positions each monthuntil the 2004 presidential election.

Unemployment affects all Americans, buthas fallen especially hard on minoritycommunities. Among African-Americans,unemployment is 10.9 percent, an increaseof almost one percent over the last year. ForHispanics, the rate is 7.5 percent.

President Bush could become the firstpresident to lead the country into a dropin employment since the 1930’s. The lastpresident to oversee this type of job loss wasHerbert Hoover in 1928-1932, during thefirst years of the Great Depression.

Health insurance andretirement savings

Health insurance is becoming not onlymore expensive, but less secure. Over 47million Americans are uninsured. Over halfof them work full time. The number ofemployers that help pay for health insurancehas fallen. Most people over age 65 arecovered by Medicare, which provides healthcare to the disabled and elderly. But thosewho are younger often lack coverage. Onein five Americans will go without healthinsurance at some point this year.

Federal employees and others with 401(k)-type retirement plans face serious problemswith their retirement security. All three of itsstock-based TSP funds have suffered seriouslosses since President Bush took office. TheC Fund dropped over 30 percent from 2000through 2002. It fell 22 percent in 2002alone. In May 2001, TSP created the S Fundand I Fund. From that point through 2002,the S Fund went down 19 percent.Meanwhile, the I Fund dropped 31 percent.Many federal employees have had topostpone retirement because of these losses.

The Office of Personnel Management(OPM) projected 51,000 federal employeeretirements in fiscal year 2002. Over 20percent of those projected retirements did

not happen. Even OPM acknowledges thatthis is because many workers simply couldnot afford to retire.

State and Local Fiscal TroublesThe public sector is in dire straits not only

at the federal level but at the state and locallevels as well. Slow growth combined withBush’s tax cuts for the wealthy have forcedthe federal government to slash aid to statesand cities. As a result, governments acrossthe country are cutting services and raisingtaxes. States are facing their worst budgetsin almost 60 years. California may needto cut $30 billion from its budget for fiscalyear 2004. New York is looking at a $9.3billion deficit. In Washington state,legislators have to fill a budget gap of over$2.5 billion.

Around the country states are realizingthat there are only two ways to balance statebudgets: revenue increases and spendingcuts. Fifteen states will increase taxes infiscal year 2004. Many will target things likecigarettes and alcohol, but may also increasesales, property, and corporate taxes. Stateswill also cut back employees and programs.Public employees face cut backs inCalifornia, Colorado, Connecticut, Massa-chusetts, Oregon, South Carolina, Utah, andVirginia. Twenty-six states have cut programslike education, Medicaid, and health andhuman services.

The CausePresident Bush chose to aid the rich rather

than help working families. His tax cutsfocus on the wealthy. This year householdsmaking over $1 million a year will get a taxcut of $93,500 on average. Meanwhile,middle income households will get a $217cut. His tax cuts mean less money forimportant federal programs, homelandsecurity, or Medicare. Jobs, affordablehealthcare, or a secure retirement forworking families are not part of his agenda.His policies are causing pain today and willcost over one trillion tomorrow.

The total cost of the law will be $1.5trillion over the next ten years. Federalemployees in particular will pay the pricefor President Bush’s irresponsible leadershipboth now and in the years to come.

AFGE ECONOMIC REPORT

TheEconomyWorsens

TheEconomyWorsens


The Bush Administration’s effort to privatize governmentwork continues at breakneck speed. Agencies haveannounced plans to turn over jobs to firms that put prof-

its over service to the country. AFGE continues to fight on thefront lines of this war from coast-to-coast. Here’s some of thelatest news from federal agencies.

The Director of the National ParkService admitted that the Bushprivatization quotas take money awayfrom programs and target minorities.

In an internal Interior Department memo, which was leakedto the press, Park Service Director Fran Mainella said the highcosts of privatization will have “serious consequences for visitorservices and seasonal operations.” She also admitted thatprivatization targets minorities. In Washington, D.C., minoritieshold nine out of ten positions scheduled for contracting out.Privatization plans in San Francisco and Santa Fe, N.M., wouldalso force many minority employees of the Park Service to losetheir jobs.

The National Oceanic and AtmosphericAdministration (NOAA) wants to privatizeits Seafood Inspection Program. Thisprogram protects the public from disease

by maintaining strict health standards. Every year seafoodinspectors examine 17 percent of the seafood in the U.S. Theyinspect products for 2,500 businesses around the country.Seafood inspectors examine food provided to American soldiersand to children through the School Lunch Program. Ignoring therisks, NOAA would like to turn this work over to a privatecompany that focuses on profit, not services.

AFGE is fighting back. Members of AFGE Local 2594, whoare located in various states across the U.S., filed a challengeto the privatization plans using the FAIR Act. Then they reachedout to members of Congress. The agency has not made a finaldecision on the issue, but it knows that the Seafood Inspectorswill fight to protect their jobs and American consumers.

The Department of Labor wants to getrid of thousands of jobs across thecountry. These workers protectAmerican workers’ pensions, wages,

and job safety. The agency targeted Mine Safety and HealthInspectors, Occupational Safety and Health Compliance Officers,Wage and Hour Investigators, Federal Workers CompensationClaims Examiners, Office of Federal Contract ComplianceOfficers, Pension and Welfare Benefits Administrators, Bureauof Labor Management Standards and the indispensable andexperienced support staffs upon whom they rely.

The National Council of Field Labor Locals (NCFLL) fought back.Using the FAIR Act, it challenged this wholesale attempt to turn

the public trust over to the private sector. In response, the agencyagreed to informally consult with the NCFLL regarding the positionsthat would be subject to competition. This process provides theunion with information about which positions will be targeted. Itwill give the union the information necessary to fight to protectimportant government services and good union jobs.

The Coast Guard planned to privatize buildingservices functions in the Facilities Design andConstruction Center, Norfolk, Va., (FDCCLANT).The architects and engineers in these positions

operate as contract managers. They ensure that Coast Guard andpublic interests are met during planning, design, andconstruction. As such, they exert tremendous influence, direction,control and authority in making sure public funds are budgetedand used to satisfy mission needs and ensure public trust. At anyone time FDCCLANT may be monitoring as much as $350million in active design and construction projects.

AFGE Local 2747, which represents Coast Guard employees,registered a victory in the privatization fight. Ultimately, theagency agreed that these positions should remain in-house.By leading this fight, Local 2747 guaranteed that federal taxdollars would be protected by independent governmentemployees—and they also preserved good union jobs.

The Federal Aviation Admin-istration (FAA) wants to privatize221 positions in the NationalAeronautical Charting Office(NACO). Since 1926, NACO has

produced aeronautical charts, books, and data for airnavigational use by the public, private, and military aviationcommunities of the United States and beyond. The generalpublic and private companies rely upon NACO services anddata, which is available at no cost in the public interest, toproduce aeronautical charts and products that enable pilotsto fly safely through our nation’s airspace. The air traffic controlsystem of the FAA depends on NACO services, products, anddata to control air traffic in the national airspace system. Thehigh quality and accuracy of the products, services, and dataproduced by government employees has always been anintegral factor in maintaining the high degree of flight safetyin our nation’s airspace.

When it heard that the FAA planned to privatize this work,Local 2703 went into action. It held a Lunch & Learn to educateemployees about the privatization risk and organize new unionmembers. It issued a FAIR Act challenge to the agency to provethe work should remain in-house. Then the Local took the fightto Capitol Hill. Local President Ron Carberry visitedCongressional delegations from the D.C. metro-area to tell hisworkers’ story. Stay tuned for updates in this ongoing battle asthe Local continues to tell its story to key lawmakers.

P R I VAT I Z AT I O N N E W S F L A S H

NATIONAL PARKSERVICE

SEAFOODINSPECTION

COASTGUARD

THE NATIONALAERONAUTICALCHARTING OFFICE

DEPARTMENT OFLABOR


The Civil Service &National Security

Personnel System Act(H.R. 1836), whichwill place some700,000 civilianDepartment of De-fense (DoD) em-ployees under acompletely new per-sonnel system, wasinserted into the 2004

House Defense Authorization Bill that passed on May 22. On theSenate side, the Act was not inserted in the Senate Defense Autho-rization Bill that also passed on May 22. At press time, the sweep-ing personnel changes were slated to be discussed between Houseand Senate leaders in the Conference Committee for the 2004Defense Authorization Bill.

AFGE opposes The Civil Service & National Security PersonnelSystem Act for two fundamental reasons. First, the act creates acompletely new civilian personnel system at DoD by allowing theDepartment to waive 11 major federal civil service protections forworkers that are contained in Title 5 of the U.S. Code. Major areasthat could be waived include Pay and Position Classification Systems(Chapters 53 and 51), Performance Appraisal System (Chapter 43),Due Process and Appeal Rights for Disciplinary Actions (Chapters75 and 77), and Collective Bargaining Rights (Chapter 71).

The second fundamental reason why AFGE opposes the act isbecause the sweeping federal civil service changes it is going tocreate deserve far more careful and deliberative consideration by

Congress—it should not be rifled through the legislative process.It took Congress over 100 years to create the current civil servicesystem. Because this act will affect one-third of the entire civilianfederal workforce, additional hearings are necessary, as well asconsultations with outside experts, interest groups, and labor unions.

HouseWhat took a century to create, the House destroyed in 23 days. Rep.

Tom Davis (R-Va.), Chair of the House Government Reform Committee,introduced H.R. 1836 on April 29. Eight days later, on May 7, theGovernment Reform Committee approved the bill after rejecting variouspro-DoD civilian employee amendments offered by the panel’s Democrats.Seven days later, on May 14, the House Armed Services Committeealso approved H.R. 1836 and inserted it into the 2004 House DefenseAuthorization legislation, again after rejecting several pro-DoD civilianemployee amendments offered by that committee’s Democratic lawmakers.The House passed H.R. 1836 as part of the 2004 House DefenseAuthorization bill on May 22 - exactly 23 days after it was introduced.

SenateSenators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and George Voinovich (R-Ohio)

drafted an amendment that would have inserted DoD’s personnel planinto the 2004 Senate Defense Authorization bill (S. 1050)—with twoimportant changes. One of the changes involved protecting DoDcivilian employees’ collective bargaining rights; the other changeeffectively maintained their due process and appeal rights for disciplinaryactions. The Collins-Voinovich amendment, however, was judged tobe “not relevant” by the Senate parliamentarian and was not insertedinto S. 1050. The Senate passed the 2004 Senate Defense Authorizationbill on May 22.

“Local 43’s fight started back in September 2002, when the Sen-ate was in the hands of the Democrats and the Senate Appro-

priations Committee was controlled by Senator Robert Byrd (D-W.V.).I contacted the AFGE National Office and was directed to speakwith staff in the Legislation Department. They took an immediateinterest in our predicament and suggested that the Local organizea trip to D.C. to meet with legislators.

“The Local worked with staff in AFGE’s Legislative Departmentto compose a Fact Sheet that outlined all the reasons why the Coast

Guard’s National Vessel Documentation Center (NVDC) should notbe made a government corporation. We researched case studies ongovernment corporations and some think tank articles and did agreat job presenting our case on paper.

“Next we prepared to descend on the capital. AFGE’s LegislativeDepartment contacted all the appropriate Capitol Hill staffers andcoordinated the visits for the same day, Sept. 12, 2002. All that wasleft was for 12 people to submit their request for annual leave andpile into three cars, drive to a metro station, and head into town.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★AAROUNDTHE HILL

Coast Guard Local 43 Fought and WonA Letter Worth Reading from Demetrios Stroubakis

DoD Personnel Plan Heads toConference CommitteeWill Affect One-Third of Total Civilian Federal Workforce

Senator Byrd (D-W.V.) Discourages BushNominee from Privatizing Federal Jobs


★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★For some, it was their first trip toWashington, D.C., so the Local also madearrangements to tour the Capitol.

“An AFGE Legislative Representativespent the entire day guiding us throughthe halls of Congress. He attended themeetings at Rep. Nick Rahall’s (D-W.V.)and Byrd’s offices, fully understandingthe complexities of vessel documentationand how it was an inherently govern-mental function that could not beprivatized. AFGE members werethoroughly impressed with the professionalism and knowledge ofAFGE staff and were thrilled to see how receptive the legislatorswere to our concerns. The Hill staffers promised to work with theemployees to fight back against privatization.

“The whole trip was an exercise in empowering the employees.We no longer felt that we were alone. We no longer felt thatmanagement was invincible. We knew that we had an ally thatwe could count on—one that was even stronger than management.This was a great feeling for AFGE members. It was reassuring toknow that someone would fight for our jobs. It took the concertedefforts of the AFGE National Office and the dedicated members ofour Local to pull the whole thing off.

“AFGE’s Legislative Department helped us organize a second tripto D.C. in October. That time we scheduled visits with Senators JohnRockefeller (D-W.V.) and Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) in addition torevisiting Byrd. We secured a commitment from Rockefeller’s office

to send a letter to the Coast GuardCommandant’s office and a letter thatcriticized the Coast Guard’s effort toprivatize such an efficient and award-winning facility. The Senator camethrough with the letters. We posted themon Local 43’s bulletin board where theyremain to this day—a symbol of ourvictory over despair and inaction.

“To date, we have derailed the CoastGuard’s effort to privatize our workplace.We survived not only that but also an effort

to decertify Local 43. Employees began to see how effective andimportant an ally AFGE was in fighting to keep our jobs. Of course,not everyone is happy with our success. The Director of the NVDCis quite upset that AFGE opposes turning the NVDC into a governmentcorporation. We wear his dissatisfaction as a badge of honor.

“We continue to maintain contact with the offices of Byrd andRockefeller and were surprised to hear that during a recent SenateAppropriations Committee meeting, Byrd asked the Coast GuardCommandant if he was going to change the motto from ‘AlwaysReady’ to ‘Always Privatize.’ Of course the workers were thrilledthat Senator Byrd asked the tough questions.

“We hope that our story will serve in reminding our membersthere is hope when we fight back.”

Editors’ note: Want to know more about Local 43’s fight? AFGEmembers can visit the Members-Only Privatization page atwww.afge.org.

“We no longer felt that we werealone. We no longer felt that

management was invincible. Weknew that we had an ally that

we could count on—one that waseven stronger than management.

This was a great feeling.”

U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd (D-W.V.) recently pressed a top BushAdministration nominee, Clay Johnson, about the President’s

plans to contract out federal jobs. Johnson is the President’s nom-inee to be Deputy Director for Management at the Office of Man-agement and Budget and currently serves as the White HousePresidential Personnel Director. He was President Bush’s Chief ofStaff when Bush was Governor of Texas.

If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Johnson would oversee theimplementation of thePresident’s ManagementAgenda. Since theagenda was unveiled inAugust 2001, Byrd saidthe White House hasdirected agencies toadopt a competitivesourcing initiative to letprivate contractorscompete for at least halfof all federal jobs deemednot to be “inherentlygovernmental.”

“The Administration’sefforts to overhaul the

federal workforce have so far beenundertaken without meaningfullegislative oversight or input fromCongress,” stated Byrd. Beforeagencies turn over work to theprivate sector, “we need to lookmore closely at other factors inaddition to cost, such as the qualityof the services performed bycontractors and the ability ofagencies to recruit and retain thebest possible workers.

“Many federal workers have devoted their lives to public service.To reward their service by blaming them for the problems ofgovernment, by privatizing their jobs and threatening their healthcare and retirement benefits is terrible management policy and aprescription for high turnover and lower quality service,” statedByrd.

Byrd, who serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee, saidhe has questioned top agency and department heads about jobprivatization plans. Before meeting with Johnson, Byrd discussedthe proposal with the new IRS Commissioner, the Commandantof the Coast Guard and the Secretary of the Department of HomelandSecurity.

Sen. Robert C. Byrd(D-W.V.)“Many federal workers have

devoted their lives to public

service. To reward their service by

blaming them for the problems of

government, by privatizing their

jobs and threatening their health

care and retirement benefits is

terrible management policy and a

prescription for high turnover and

lower quality service.”


★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★AROUND THE HILLAROUND THE HILL CONTINUED

AFGE filed an opposition brief on May 9, in response to theTransportation Security Administration’s (TSA) request that

the District Court dismiss AFGE’s lawsuit. AFGE originally filedsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia onJanuary 10, 2003, charging that the TSA Administrator did nothave the authority under the Aviation and Transportation Secu-rity Act to prohibit screeners from organizing.

AFGE’s response brief rebuts TSA’s assertions that the TSAAdministrator’s decision is not reviewable by the District Courtand that AFGE’s complaint should be dismissed for lack ofjurisdiction.

AFGE has held the position that TSA officials do not havethe authority to deprive workers of their right to join a laborunion and that its broad and highly questionable personnelauthority certainly does not include taking away FirstAmendment rights.

To date, AFGE has filed 14 petitions with the Federal LaborRelations Authority (FLRA) to represent airport screeners at thefollowing airports: Baltimore-Washington; LaGuardia; PittsburghInternational; Chicago Midway; Greensboro (N.C.); Harlingen(which includes three small airports in South Texas—Harlingen,McAllen and Brownsville); John F. Kennedy; Orlando; Cincinnati;

Columbus; Dayton; Detroit; Charlotte; and Atlantic City (whichincludes three small airports—Trenton, Atlantic City andSalsibury, Md.).

When the first petitions were filed, TSA warned the FLRA thatit did not have jurisdiction over the TSA Administrator and thatany election order would not be enforceable. Now, adding newmeaning to the term blatant hypocrisy, TSA is asking the Courtto dismiss AFGE’s lawsuit because the issue is before the FLRA.In a ‘heads-we-win, tails-you-lose’ argument, TSA is tellingthe Court that it will honor the FLRA’s ruling only if it agreeswith the TSA Administrator.

On March 3, AFGE established a new nationwide Local forTSA employees with 13 charter members. AFGE continues tostrongly believe that if airport screeners and baggage handlersare to keep our skies safe, working conditions must improve—and improve dramatically. AFGE also contends that TSA’s recentannouncement to reduce the number of screeners protectingthe American public raises serious security questions.Maintaining an adequate and stable workforce of screeners isessential to protecting our nation’s skies.

For a copy of the brief and more federal screener information,log onto www.screenersunion.org.

AFGE Applauds DVA Bill

AFGE Files Response Brief in TSA Lawsuit

The VA Medical Workforce Enhancement Act of 2003 (H.R. 1951)was introduced on May 6, in recognition of Nurses Day by U.S.

Representatives Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) and Jack Quinn (R-N.Y.).AFGE applauded the bill’s introduction, pointing out that the Depart-ment of Veterans Affairs’ (DVA) staffing ratios, like many private hos-pitals, are unsafe and placing veterans at unnecessary risk. Healthcareworkers are also concerned that when they are forced to care fortoo many patients, they do not have adequate time to provide eachveteran with high quality and compassionate care.

This bipartisan bill would give dedicated DVA health careprofessionals the tools to work within the DVA to establish agreedupon nurse-to-patient ratios and patient caseload levels for otherhealthcare givers and providers that would reduce the risk of patientdeaths or serious complications and enhance the quality of care.

A recent article in the Journal of the American Medical Associationestablishes that there is a clear link between nurse-to-patient ratiosand patient successes. For every additional patient over four in aRegistered Nurse’s (RN) workload, the risk of death increases byseven percent for surgical patients. Unfortunately, many DVA facilitiesdo not meet the threshold safe ratio of one RN to fourmedical/surgical patients.

AFGE noted that at both the DVA Medical Center in Gainesville,Fla., and in the DVA’s Boston Health Care System, nurse-to-patient

ratios for surgical patients run anywhere from one to six during dayshifts to as high as one to 13 on night shifts.

H.R. 1951 would help improve the quality of care and staffinglevels on weekends by authorizing the DVA to pay Saturday premiumpay to all Title 5 employees who work in DVA hospitals. The billensures that the DVA is able to retain highly skilled and qualifiednurses by improving promotion opportunities for nurses and other

workers. It also strengthens theclinical performance-based criteriafor rewarding and recognizingnurses, and advances the DVA’sefforts to mentor and support nursesat the beginning of their careers.

AFGE believes that theprovisions in H.R. 1951 will greatlyenhance the quality of patient careby giving the DVA’s caregivers thetools they need to be moreeffective advocates for patients andenhancing the DVA’s ability toretain and recruit key hospital staff.

AFGE represents some 150,000DVA employees nationwide.

TSA UPDATE


Within DHSSince the legislation passed, AFGE has aggressively promoted

the employees’ voice through numerous meetings with top DHSand Office of Personnel Management (OPM) officials includingSecretary Tom Ridge, Director Kay Cole James, Under Secretaryfor Management Janet Hale, Under Secretary Asa Hutchinson,and others. In all of these meetings, DHS and OPM officials haverepeatedly stated that they want to work with AFGE in thisprocess of establishing a new personnel system for DHS.

AFGE played a large role in negotiating with DHS and OPMofficials in how the process to design a new personnel systemwould be structured. AFGE was able to obtain a process in eachof the three stages where we will be fully involved in research,analysis and developing options for a new system.

AFGE has one-half of OLMR working full time with OPM,DHS and other representatives in designing the new personnelsystem in Stage 1. The three permanent AFGE staff membersfrom OLMR are Phil Kete, Charlie Bernhardt, and Terry Rosen.The fourth member—formerAFGE NVP David Schlein—isworking on a term basis. Alsoinvolved in Stage 1 are eightAFGE Council/Local leaders,a.k.a. the Field Review Team,who will provide analysis andfeedback during the designprocess. The Field ReviewTeam includes T.J. Bonner(Border Patrol), Rich Pierce(Border Patrol), Iggie Gentile(INS), Brenda Neuerburg(INS), Ivan Lebron(Immigration Inspector), JaniceMontana (Local 511),Demetrios Stroubakis (CoastGuard Local 43), and a FEMAmember to be named.

AFGE has aggressively been working simul-taneously on two fronts in relation to thenew Department of Homeland Security

(DHS). Within DHS, AFGE’s been involved in athree-stage process (outlined below) with officialsto design a new personnel system that includesan avenue where AFGE members’ views are voicedand promoted. On the grassroots and organizingfront, AFGE has put in place a working group com-prised of AFGE staff and Council and Local lead-ers in DHS to develop and launch a campaign

to inform and mobilize DHS workers. A numberof staff members from the Office of Labor and Man-agement Relations (OLMR), Political Affairs (PA),Membership and Organization (M&O), Legisla-tion, and Communications have been dedicatedto work on both fronts. At press time, that staff hasbeen deployed around the country to cover townhall meetings and focus groups related to the devel-opment of a new personnel system at DHS and tomeet with Local leaders and AFGE members atspecial AFGE meetings.

Three-Stage Process for DevelopingDHS Personnel System

Stage 1) Research and Option Development (April-August2003): During this phase, a wide variety of options forpersonnel systems will be developed. No recommendationsare made. AFGE has 12-total representatives at this level ofthe process. This stage includes town hall meetings andfocus groups in El Paso, Atlanta, Norfolk, Miami, Detroit,NYC, Seattle and Los Angeles;

Stage 2) Senior Review Committee (September-October2003): Includes AFGE President Harnage and top DHS andOPM officials where the options will be narrowed;

Stage 3) DHS Announces a Proposed System (November2003): Announcement initiates a 30-day comment periodfollowed by another 30-day meet and confer period with apossible Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS)process, followed by final notification to Congress of finaldecision.

Grassroots and Organizing FrontThe campaign for a strong voice is focused on building our collective power through an

organizing/mobilizing and communications strategy. While the workgroup has been meetingregularly in AFGE, AFGE has also been meeting regularly with leaders on the road. Forexample, meetings have been held with INS Council and Local leaders at various INS events,trainings and national board meetings.

The campaign workgroup is making great progress. They’ve constructed and launchedwww.DHSWorkers.org, conducted online surveys (see page 10), and developed acomprehensive mobilization, education, and media campaign that serves as a call to action.The campaign will ask every single DHS worker to get engaged in the process to help get thebest personnel system in place at DHS.

As part of the grassroots and organizing component, AFGEwill be providing regular updates on the Web site, workplaceflyers, local media training, as well as information on howmembers can participate in town hall meetings and focusgroups. Go to www.DHSWorkers.org for more information.

A Strong Voice . . .. . . for DHS Employees

AFGE =

Continued on page 10


NewsAFGE

The AFGE Members-Only BenefitsPage on the AFGE Web site has beenredesigned. More consumer tips havebeen added, along with new linksgiving members more information thanever before. More importantly, you’llfind information on several new benefitprograms such as: Pet services (seebelow); Goodyear Tire & service

discounts; Cellular telephonediscounts; Expanded union hoteldiscounts; Home computer discounts;and, movie rental discounts atBlockbuster & Hollywood Video. Takeadvantage of these benefits and savesome of your hard-earned moneytoday.

New Benefits Page onwww.AFGE.org

AFGE’s Pet ServicesProgram

About half of allunion householdsinclude a pet. Petrelated costs couldhave a substantialimpact on a house-hold budget.Overall, pet own-ers spend some$12 billion a yearon veterinary care

and $28 billion on pet products. The Dept.of Labor projects that the use of veterinaryservices will increase 44 percent by 2010.Pet health care coverage can provide sub-stantial savings.

AFGE members can now choose pethealth insurance to help cover the costs ofan illness or accident. For pets that do notqualify for pet insurance for reasons of ageor pre-existing conditions, a low-cost vet-erinarian discount plan can offer substantialsavings.

AFGE has selected Pethealth as theprovider of pet health insurance for the UnionPlus Pet Services Program. For discountedveterinarian services, AFGE has selected PetAssure, with a network of 2,900 participat-ing veterinarians. PETCO, one of the largest

pet product retailers, will offer online dis-count pet products for the program.

Program Features: 10 percent discount onpet health insurance premiums fromPethealth; 40 percent discount on cost to joinPet Assure; 25 percent discount on veteri-narian services at 2,900 veterinarians nation-wide; and, special discount promotions fromPetco.com. Program Access: AFGE memberscan access the programs online atwww.afge.org. PETCO discounts are onlyavailable online. AFGE members can alsouse the following toll-free numbers: UnionPlus Health Insurance 1 (866) 473-7387; andUnion Plus Health Savings 1 (888) 789-7387.Q: Of the following areas relating to

your employment in DHS, whatconcerns you the most?

Pay and benefits: 61%

Employment security: 50%

Job protections: 43%

Recruitment & promotion: 35%

Union representation: 31%

Contracting out: 20%

SURVEY RESULTS

Why Get Involved?We need AFGE members

involved in the process now toimpact the end product. Yourattendance at the town hallmeetings and focus groups,letters to members of Congress,and grassroots involvement withlocal media will shape theproduct that will be eventuallyreleased by Secretary Ridge.After the proposed rules andregulations are open forcomment, we’ll conduct a voteof AFGE members. This is akeystone of the grassroots andorganizing component becauseit will demonstrate to DHS thatthe employees are just asengaged and interested in fairtreatment and collectivebargaining rights as they are inprotecting U.S. citizens.

AFGE = A Strong Voice forDHS Employees

Continued from page 9

Do you have an AFGE-related storyyou’d like to share with 220,000 ofyour union brothers and sisters? If so,send your 300-words or less story to:“I Have a Story” c/o The GovernmentStandard, 10th Floor, 80 F St., NW,Washington, D.C. 20001. All storiesmust include a contact name, Localnumber, address and phone number.If including a photo, be sure everyoneis identified. Please, no Polaroids. Allstories and photos become propertyof the AFGE Communications Dept.

Do You Have a Story?


In the next four months, AFGE will under-take a major list update and voter regis-tration drive. Geared toward getting ready

for next year’s elections, list maintenance isnecessary because when our membershipfiles are compared to lists of registered vot-ers, AFGE members’ voter registration andmembership information ‘match’ only 58percent of the time. This grossly underesti-mates our actual voter registration and ourpower at the polls.

We ran a similar program for the first timelast year, but it was hampered by theoutdated nature of the membership list. Newdata has been compiled using the freshestinformation available, which should helpeliminate this problem.

The problem of a ‘non-match’, when amember shows up as unregistered, occurseither because the member is actually notregistered to vote or because the nameand/or address given to AFGE is not the sameas the name and address listed on themember’s voter registration. The lattersituation happens more often than you think.People move and forget to re-register to vote.Women marry and don’t update their nameson their voter registration card. Memberssometimes give their business address toAFGE instead of their home address. It’s ourhope that we can register members who arenot registered to vote and adjust themembership list for those whose informationon file does not match their voter card.

If AFGE doesn’t have your correct voterregistration data and home address, wecannot contact you with informationregarding candidates and the issues that willaffect your jobs. This project is not just aboutmaking our lists neat, this is about AFGE

It’s Your Civic DutyAre You Registered?

being able to getinformation into yourhands on issues thatmatter to federalemployees and theirfamilies. Commun-icating with ourmembers has alwaysbeen an important goal,but with the attacks ongovernment workersbecoming increasinglystrident, it is nownothing short of acrucial priority.

Many people maynot realize that they arecoming up asunregistered voters.Please take a fewseconds to compare theinformation kept byyour Local office toyour voter registrationcard. If the name andaddress do not match,you are showing up inour files as unregistered.This program will notbe successful unless thisdata is brought in sync, so if your voterregistration contains outdated information,e.g., your voter card reflects a formeraddress, please re-register. If it is your Localthat has the bad data—you registered to voteat your new house but your Local still hasyour old address on file—please inform yourLocal of your correct information so thatyour Local President or Treasurer can notifyus of your amended data.

Of course, if you are not registered tovote, we encourage you to register as soonas possible. Online links can be found atwww.afge.org, or you can call your localBoard of Elections. Remember to registerand vote—your job may depend on it! If youhave any questions, please call KristinNabers in the AFGE Political Dept. at (202)639-6407.

More than 1,200 AFGE and AFL-CIO union members from thePhoenix area rallied against the White House’s privatization

plans and Department of Defense (DoD) legislation to end civil serviceunion rights and the GS pay system. AFGE Locals 2382, 1547, 2401,3964, 2924 and 2991 were joined by National President Bobby L.Harnage and District 12 NVP Eugene Hudson on May 17, at whathas been called, “the largest rally in recent Arizona state history.”

The rally served its purpose in educating and informing Phoenixresidents about President Bush’s privatization plan—a plan that

would affect over 28,000 federal workers in Arizona, includingworkers at the Department of Veterans Affairs, SSA, the Bureau ofPrisons, and at Luke Air Force Base.

AFGE has been arguing that the privatization of jobs in everyfederal agency would negatively impact the quality of servicestaxpayers have come to rely upon while significantly reducing thetax base in states due to lost wages and benefits. Additionally, historyhas shown that privatization does not save money and does notmake government more efficient.

“This privatization plan will become a burden on the Phoenixcommunity,” stated Hudson. “As the pay and benefits of Phoenixworkers are cut, local businesses—like our dry cleaners and dentists—will see fewer customers, fewer dollars. And, our local and stategovernments will lose payroll and sales taxes while also pickingup the tab to increase social service programs.”

More than 50 AFL-CIO affiliated unions and community groupsfrom Greater Phoenix joined AFGE members and federal workersat the rally.


FightingPrivatization

White House privatiza-tion plans will cost

D.C., Maryland and Virginiaover 110,000 jobs. That’s whyAFGE and a number ofGreater D.C. environmental,civil rights and labor groupscame together and held ajoint press conference againstprivatization on May 20.

The press conferencewas held at Freedom Plaza,just two blocks from 1600Pennsylvania Ave., to educateand inform Greater D.C.residents that privatizationplans will affect the jobs ofsome 35,000 in D.C., 25,000in Maryland, and over 50,000 in Virginia.

Joining AFGE National Sec.-Treas. Jim Davis at the pressconference were representatives from the NAACP, AFSCME, theCoalition of Black Trade Unionists, the National Association of

Government Employees(NAGE), the National Fed-eration of Federal Employees(NFFE), and the National ParkConservation Association(NPCA).

The press conferencehighlighted how privatizationis: 1) Wasting tax dollars; 2)hurting the environment andcommunities; 3) eliminatingwell-paying jobs; 4) targetingwomen, minorities andveterans; and 5) jeopardizinghomeland security. Manyjobs in Greater D.C. will goto private companies thathave a history of paying less

in wages and benefits, and gouging taxpayers. Just two months ago,taxpayers were taken for $31.8 million when a DoD contract scandalwas uncovered. In the process, taxpayers lost their shirts andgovernment employees lost their jobs.

AFGE members know that government pri-vatization wastes tax dollars, jeopardizesthe livelihoods of government workers,

and disproportionately affects women, minori-ties and veterans. Here’s what your union hasbeen doing about it. For more information onhow you can fight privatization efforts in yourarea, go to www.afge.org and click on the pic-ture of Uncle Sam.

...MORE ON PAGES 5-6

AFGE Holds Press Conference in D.C. toSave 110,000 Area Jobs

AFGE Locals in Ariz. Rally 1,200+ to Save Government

AFGE Is

(L–R) NVPEugeneHudson,Central Ariz.CLC TedMurphree,NO JoeDiggs, Natl.Pres. BobbyL. Harnage

afge the g standard

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