FederalDaily - December 12, 2007
NTEU Supports Call for More SSA Funding, Staff
The National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) on Dec. 10 urged lawmakers debating the omnibus government
spending bill to include a $150 million increase for the Social Security Administration (SSA) to hire
additional personnel to deal with a large claims backlog. The labor union was reacting to a bipartisan
letter, signed by 54 members of the Senate, seeking a Fiscal Year 2008 SSA increase to address a backlog
of about 750,000 disability claims. The Senate contingent supports an SSA administrative funding level
of $9.9 billion, which includes the $150 million increase adopted this fall by a Senate vote of 88
to 6. The senators blamed the backlog—which is setting back some claims processing up to four
years—on “insufficient administrative funds to hire (SSA) staff.” NTEU President
Colleen Kelley said: “It is vitally important that the additional $150 million in SSA funding
for this critical purpose contained in the Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations bill be
included in any new appropriations measure.” To see more, go to: www.nteu.org/PressKits/PressRelease/PressRelease.aspx?ID=1189
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USPS Rescinds Policy Following Union Complaint
Following an American Postal Workers Union (APWU) protest, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) rescinded
new guidelines that would have allowed some mail to bypass the biohazard detection equipment on Advanced
Facer Cancellation System (AFCS) machines. The USPS noted in October that Biohazard Detection System
devices—developed in the aftermath of the 2001 anthrax attacks—had just been installed
on all AFCS machines. In guidelines issued in October, USPS said that stamped mail could be canceled
on alternate equipment during peak cancellation periods or when volume exceeded capacity on AFCS machines.
When word of the new policy made its way to the union, APWU President William Burrus objected in a
letter to Postmaster General John Potter. “These instructions will increase biohazard exposure
to employees, customers, facilities, and mail,” he wrote. “The instructions represent a
major change in the USPS policy, which previously assured that all stamped mail would be processed
on the AFCS.” After receiving Burrus’ letter, Potter on Dec. 6 reversed the policy and
mandated that all mail meeting the processing specifications for the AFCS be processed on it. To see
more, go to: http://apwu.org/news/webart/2007/webart07112-safety_bds-071210.htm.
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ATF Opens New Field Division in Denver
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) on Dec. 10 announced the opening of
a new Denver field division office that will be headquarters for more than 100 special agents and industry
operations investigators. The office—which will serve a new field division that includes Colorado,
Montana, Wyoming and Utah—will mean some realignment from other field divisions, but it will
improve ATF’s ability to manage programs and resources in the western part of the country, said
ATF acting Director Michael J. Sullivan in a statement. Additional benefits to the region from the
new field division office include more efficient response time and better working relationships with
state and local partners, as well as with other federal agencies currently located in Denver, Sullivan
said. To see more, go to: www.atf.gov
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