Chicago, ILWHEREAS, the American labor movement stands foursquare with the President in the fight against terrorism, as do the thousands of federal employees who have been and remain committed to putting their country first in performing important functions related to homeland security; and
WHEREAS, the President has proposed and Congress is considering legislation to create a Department of Homeland Security, which consolidates functions of and transfers staff from several agencies and departments; and
WHEREAS, upon taking office, President Bush issued an Executive Order abolishing well-established Labor-Management Partnerships designed to reduce conflict and promote constructive relationships between federal unions and federal agency management; and
WHEREAS, President Bush has threatened to veto any legislation establishing a Department of Homeland Security that fails to eliminate collective bargaining rights and a broad range of civil service protections for the federal employees who would be placed in that agency, citing a need for "flexibility" to exercise unchecked power over federal workers; and
WHEREAS, the American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO (AFGE) and other unions represent approximately 50,000 federal employees who would lose their collective bargaining rights under the President's plan; and
WHEREAS, union members employed throughout the government, including civilian employees of the Department of Defense, have for 40 years had collective bargaining rights, whose exercise has never interfered with an agency's or department's ability to carry out its mission or protect our national security interests; and
WHEREAS, the Administration has stated its intention to seek identical "flexibilities" in all Executive Branch agencies, thereby revealing the cynical nature of its arguments regarding national security; and
WHEREAS, the Bush Administration has claimed falsely that existing civil service protections and collective bargaining agreements that would impose due process and managerial accountability upon the political appointees and managers who will run the proposed Department of Homeland Security would make it impossible to protect the national security of Americans; and
WHEREAS, the provisions of civil service law targeted for elimination by the Bush Administration reflect the core merit system principles that assure Americans that federal government jobs will be awarded solely on the basis of merit, and that decisions involving pay, performance appraisal, promotions, assignment of duties, and removals will also be made solely on the basis of merit, and not politics; and
WHEREAS, the Bush Administration has claimed falsely that civil service law and collective bargaining agreements would interfere with the effective and efficient management of an agency with national security responsibilities; and
WHEREAS, members of AFGE and other unions have performed heroically before and since September 11, guarding our nation's borders, fighting fires, performing rescue and relief operations, protecting the security of our transportation system, and enforcing our laws; and
WHEREAS, members of AFL-CIO affiliates in numerous private-sector industries including aviation, aerospace, electronics, shipbuilding, construction, telecommunications, weapons manufacture, chemical, and nuclear power are covered by collective bargaining agreements that require them to acquire and retain security clearances for work related to national security; and
WHEREAS, OMB Director Mitch Daniels and Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge have repeatedly cited their belief that the managerial flexibility they seek in the Department of Homeland Security needs to be commensurate with the nature of the terrorist threat in order to respond effectively to the challenges before us; and
WHEREAS, the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, under the Chairmanship of Senator Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.), has passed S. 2452, a bill that updates the current formula for excluding federal employees from collective bargaining rights when their jobs are primarily involved with intelligence gathering or anti-terrorism initiatives in ways that are consistent with the President's stated intentions regarding the creation of the Department of Homeland Security; and
WHEREAS, this provision of S. 2452 also ensures that political affiliation or prejudice will not be allowed as rationales for eliminating collective bargaining rights for the employees of the Department of Homeland Security.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the AFL-CIO Executive Council supports S. 2452, and condemns the Bush Administration's efforts to strip 170,000 federal employees of the right to union representation through collective bargaining;
THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the AFL-CIO salutes the contribution of the millions of dedicated and patriotic unionized employees who put their lives on the line every day protecting and serving our nation. We denounce the Bush
Administration's use of untrue and misleading hypothetical scenarios of misconduct by federal law enforcement personnel in order to rationalize an attack on collective bargaining and civil service protections that is nothing other than a bold attempt to dilute management accountability by eliminating rights, reducing protections and silencing the voices of federal employees;
THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the AFL-CIO will communicate to its affiliates, state federations, central labor councils and allies about the threat to federal employee rights and the labor issues at stake in the legislative battle over the Department of Homeland Security, and will urge them to mobilize their members to support S. 2452 and oppose the Administration's efforts to eliminate collective bargaining rights;
THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, in coordination and consultation with its affiliates, the AFL-CIO will explore strategies and take appropriate steps to highlight the heroism, patriotism, and dedication of American union members who provide a broad range of emergency services and public safety protections, along with law enforcement, border safety, and other national security functions.