| Welcome DHS Employees
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Budget Blueprint Proposes
Staffing Improvements for TSA, CBP
The White House budget proposal for the coming fiscal year calling for additional staffing at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reflects welcome and broad understanding of the need to ensure that homeland security agencies have adequate personnel.
 The White House proposal includes a call for 2,000 additional Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) at TSA. Increased TSA staffing, in fact, is part of NTEU’s five-point plan for improving working conditions for TSOs, including higher pay—they presently are among the lowest paid federal workers—as well as fair scheduling, improvements in training and recertification and whistleblower rights by statute.
“The White House proposals for additional staffing for TSA and CBP reflect the reality of today’s dangerous world, and are wise investments in our nation’s security,” said NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley.
For CBP, the White House is asking for sufficient funds for 300 new CBP Officers for passenger and cargo screening at ports; additional intelligence officers; and expanded pre-screening efforts operations at foreign ports. “That would be a start on meeting CBP staffing needs,” Kelley said. More
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Message from the President |
There is a standard practice among
television and radio announcers at sporting events where
thousands of new listeners may tune in at any time:
Keep telling them the score.
In case you are just tuning in, here
is the up-to-date score: CBP Officers and Agriculture
Specialists now have journeyman GS-12 pay. NTEU is very
pleased that these frontline employees have finally
been granted an increase in their journeyman level.
We believe it is long overdue and well deserved and
we believe this would never have happened without NTEU’s
work on this issue.
Usually, right and reason prevail;
but at NTEU, we understand that right and reason often
need a firm push—or two—in the proper direction.
We understand that many things that appear to happen
suddenly actually take a long time, and even then don’t
occur unless a lot of hard work is done first.
And just as we worked diligently, and
successfully, to secure a GS-12 career ladder for these
two groups of employees, we are continuing our efforts
to see that other deserving CBP employees get a career
ladder increase as well. More
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MORE NEWS
NTEU Efforts Result in Delay to Parking Fee Hike for TSA, Other LAX Employees
Thanks to continuous efforts by NTEU to mobilize employees at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) against a proposed hike in parking fees, airport officials have delayed implementing the increase for four weeks.
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| Read NTEU's recommendations to address serious TSA workplace
issues including PASS. |
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Employee parking rates were originally scheduled to jump from $15 to $30 per month on Monday, but the Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) announced it will delay the proposal until March 1 to better address employee concerns. Officials also decided to postpone another plan to close and consolidate other employee parking lots at the airport until March 1. NTEU has repeatedly argued that these moves will substantially impact TSA employees and many others.
“Hundreds of airport workers have expressed their dissatisfaction with the proposals to us,” said NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley. “Airport officials made the right choice in listening to frontline employee concerns. I encourage them to take these plans off the table permanently.”
For nearly two months, NTEU has mounted a proactive campaign against LAWA’s proposal, including: building a coalition of airport employee groups to fight against the plan; meeting with LAWA’s top parking official; circulating a petition among airport workers protesting the increase; and sending a letter to the LAX Board of Commissioners seeking a roll back of the rate hike.
NTEU Uses Every Tool on Your Behalf
The latest edition of Working for You features an update on contract negotiations and news briefs on a number of important issues, including our ongoing work to boost your bottomline. Here is what you can read about:
- NTEU's decision to declare an impasse in negotiations for a new contract covering all CBP bargaining unit employees.
- The introduction of NTEU-supported legislation to protect overseas employees.
- Updates on NTEU efforts to secure premium pay for CBP technicians and back pay for non-uniformed employees.
- NTEU's defense of CBP employees along the southwestern border after a New York Times story detailed corruption by drug cartels.
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