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FederalDaily - July 18, 2007

Nicholson to Leave VA

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Jim Nicholson said on July 17 that he had tendered his resignation, effective no later than Oct. 1, 2007. “The VA is a dynamic organization dedicated to serving our nation’s finest citizens—our veterans,” Nicholson said. “It has been an honor and privilege to lead the VA during this historic time for our men and women who have worn the uniform.” Nicholson, who will turn 70 next February, said he had no definite plans, but wanted to “get back into business, while I still can.” Over the last several years, as VA faced increasing pressures from aging vets—and new vets entering the system from the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq—Nicholson had become the target of growing criticism. Rep. Phil Hare , D-Ill., who called for Nicholson to step down after he approved bonuses for senior VA personnel in the midst of flagging performance at the VA, said in a July 17 statement that “the next secretary will inherit a disability claims backlog of 600,000, staffing shortages at our vet centers, and ongoing challenges at Walter Reed and other medical facilities that care for our wounded soldiers.” Hare urged President Bush to nominate as Nicholson’s replacement “a veterans’ veteran—someone in the mold of former Republican VA Secretary Anthony Principi—who will put the needs of our fighting men and women above any political ideology.” For more, go to: http://www1.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=1360.

Capitol Tunnel Workers Win Settlement

Ten workers who service the utility tunnels beneath the U.S. Capitol complex have won an out-of-court settlement resolving claims that their employer, the Architect of the Capitol (AoC), retaliated against them after they complained about unsafe working conditions. Settlement details were not disclosed. But the agreement did address workers’ claims that AoC managers conducted a campaign of retaliation against them, including, harassment for seeking independent medical examinations, according to a statement released July 16 by the Government Accountability Project, a whistleblower group which represented the workers. The so-called “Tunnel Shop” workers went public with their complaints of an unsafe working environment—which included falling slabs of concrete, the absence of emergency communications and the lack of emergency exits—after years of complaints to AoC went unheeded, GAP said. The agreement does not cover any physical injuries the workers may have suffered as a consequence of their employment, GAP said, and they plan to seek congressional intervention for compensation. The settlement is “a big victory for federal workers, and in particular for workers in the Legislative Branch, who have historically had little protection when blowing the whistle on unsafe working conditions.” said attorney David J. Marshall, who also represented the workers. To see more, go to: www.whistleblower.org/content/press_detail.cfm?press_id=1092

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ACLU Calls for Independent FBI Oversight

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) urged the creation of an independent FBI oversight body to guard against privacy abuses in the wake of reports that FBI agents had misused their authority when issuing National Security Letters (NSL). The call for an independent body came in a July 13 ACLU statement reacting to the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) creation of two new internal oversight offices. DOJ has said it is setting up an Oversight Section for its National Security Division and a bureau-wide Office of Integrity and Compliance for the FBI. Caroline Fredrickson, director of ACLU’s Washington legislative office, was skeptical. “Though it is commendable that the Department of Justice is pointing its investigative arm inward, its track record on internal regulation is shaky at best,” she said. To see more, go to: www.aclu.org/safefree/general/30569prs20070713.html

NALC, USPS Reach Tentative 5-Year Accord

The National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) last week announced a tentative agreement with the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) on a new five-year contract that will guarantee an 8.85 percent wage hike over the life of the deal. The agreement, covering all 222,000 active city delivery carriers throughout the nation, will be submitted as soon as possible for ratification, NALC said in a statement. In addition to the yearly wage hikes, the contract calls for nine cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) as well as a one-time COLA cash payment of $686 upon ratification, the union said. Also, USPS will pay a decreasing proportion of employee premiums under the Federal Employee Health Benefit Program, from 85 percent currently to 80 percent by 2012. Notably, the proposed contract includes new protections against contracting out city carrier work, including a prohibition of the outsourcing of any existing city delivery services over the term of the agreement. To see more, go to: www.nalc.org/news/bargain/tentagreehigh2007.html