NTEU Applauds Senate Committee’s Recognition
of CBP Agriculture Specialists’ Vital Mission
NTEU commended a Senate committee for approving legislation that recognizes the important work of CBP Agriculture Specialists and provides them the structure and support they deserve.
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“We saw an important step toward providing CBP Agriculture Specialists with the support they need to strengthen their vital mission of safeguarding our nation’s food and agriculture from invasive foreign pests and disease,” said NTEU Colleen M. Kelley.
In marking up the Safeguarding American Agriculture Act (S. 1673), the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee approved by voice vote an amendment by Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii) that creates an Agriculture Specialist’s career track within CBP that includes criteria for qualified CBP Technicians to be promoted to CBP Agriculture Specialist positions.
Prior to the vote, Kelley sent a letter to each committee member asking for their support of the Akaka amendment. More
NTEU Calls for Eliminating Waste in Workers’ Comp at CBP, Not Cutting Benefits
Congress should support the implementation of sensible reforms to address mismanagement of workers’ compensation at CBP, NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley said in a letter to members of a Senate committee.
The Faces of NTEU
Chapter leaders at a recent NTEU training event show their union pride as part of a new campaign titled "I Am NTEU." |
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“Compared to most other federal and private sector employment, there are serious risks of injury [at CBP],” wrote Kelley. “Safety must and should be priority one… But reality is that every day, CBP employees will be injured on the job. This is why the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA) is such an important protection for CBP employees.”
In the wake of an Office of the Inspector General (IG) for the Department of Homeland Security report on CBP’s mismanagement of the FECA program, Kelley sent a letter to Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Ranking Member Susan Collins (R-Maine) and to the Subcommittee on Oversight and the Federal Workforce Chairman Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii) and Ranking Member Ron Johnson (R-Wis.).
The IG report found millions of taxpayer dollars are being misspent because of poor management of FECA claims at CBP. Additionally, the Inspector General made six recommendations, ranging from improving procedures ensuring chargeback billing to developing a single record system to conducting workload analysis. More