NTEU concerned about fed worker safety

Today marks day two of the National Treasury Employees Union annual legislative conference here in Washington. While lobbying for the union's priorities on Capitol Hill is one of the main reasons for the meeting, representatives are also expressing concern about a recent rash of violent acts against Federal workers.

In the wake of the recent attack on the IRS building in Austin, Texas, and more recently, attacks by an apparent lone gunman at the Pentagon, NTEU President Colleen Kelley told her members at the opening of their legislative conference that it's a difficult -- some would say a dangerous time -- to be a fed.

In her welcoming remarks to hundreds of chapter delegates meeting at the L'Enfant Plaza Hotel in Southwest Washington, Kelley related details about her trip just two weeks ago to Austin, Texas and the destroyed offices of the Internal Revenue Service where a man flew his private plane into the building. One IRS worker was killed.

Kelley also read a letter sent to her by President Obama, expressing his support for the IRS workers and their families in Austin, and vowing to do what is needed to safeguard feds everywhere.

During a midday press conference, Kelley discussed an even more disturbing outgrowth of the Austin IRS attacks: a fresh round of as many as 70 telephone threats to IRS workers since that event.

There were calls where taxpayers said they were thinking of "taking flying lessons" in the context of an audit or a collection. There are 70 that have been reported. I have to tell you that the first time I heard the one about "taking flying lessons," I cannot imagine in any scenario, following the Austin attack, where that's an appropriate comment to make.

Kelley told reporters that IRS workers are instructed to immediately contact the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) when they receive what could be construed as a threatening telephone call.

A spokesman for TIGTA told Federal News Radio that he could only confirm that threats against IRS staffers are being investigated, but declined to say how many threats are being looked into at this time. The spokesman also says TIGTA investigates threats against IRS employees almost every day.

Two lawmakers who have been supportive of NTEUs efforts in recent years delivered remarks to the opening day of the conference.

Senator Barbara Mikulski (D.-Md.) voiced her concern for the ongoing safety of federal workers, and also discussed her legislation to rein in the use of contractors by government agencies, and return the work to full-time federal workers.

Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY) came to stump for her bill, HR 1881, which would permanently grant collective bargaining rights to airport screeners with the Transportation Security Administration, which is a top legislative priority for the NTEU.

Kelley also says that the Obama Administration is awaiting the confirmation of a full-time administrator for the TSA before proceeding with an executive order which would be the first step in granting collective bargaining rights to TSA screeners. The President nominated retired Major General Robert Harding to head the TSA last Monday.

Later today, the luncheon address at the NTEU Legislative Conference will feature Jeffrey Zeints, Deputy Director for Management at the Office of Management and Budget, and White House Chief Performance Officer.

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For more on the nomination of a new TSA administrator, and advice the former nominee, Erroll Southers, has for Robert Harding, click here.
And for more on "Danger Zone: Your Office" from Mike Causey's Federal Report, click here.

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