Federal Daily - April 22, 2008

Survey Indicates CBP, TSA Employees Dissatisfied with Leadership

The results of an internal survey conducted within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) seems to demonstrate that few employees with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) are satisfied with the senior agency leadership within their respective agencies, according to the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU). The union—which represents the CBP bargaining unit, as well as TSA employees at three airports—detailed some of the survey results April 18 on the NTEU Web site. According to the survey, only about 27.1 percent of CBP employees said that they believe their leaders generate high levels of motivation. Also, less than one-third of CPB employees surveyed said they are satisfied with the policies and practices of senior agency leadership—and only 30 percent said they are satisfied with their involvement in decisions affecting their work. TSA employees showed similar dissatisfaction: while 93 percent of TSA employees said they believe their work is important, only 21 percent said they think promotions are based on merit, and just 30.6 percent said they were satisfied with the policies and practices of their senior leaders. To see more, go to: www.nteu.org/PressKits/PressRelease/PressRelease.aspx?ID=1256.

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DOJ Announces USERRA Settlement in Military Pilot Case

The Department of Justice (DOJ) on April 17 announced that it has reached an agreement with American Airlines over claims the company had violated portions of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) regarding a class of military pilots. The agreement covers three named plaintiff pilots—and a class of similarly situated pilots—who alleged that the airline prevented them from accruing vacation and sick leave benefits while on military leave to the same extent as pilots on comparable forms of non-military leave. DOJ filed the USERRA claim in 2006. The agreement mandates that American Airlines pay the class of 353 pilots a total of $345,772 for the loss of vacation and sick leave benefits, and provide currently employed pilots with sick leave credits with an estimated value of $215,000. The agreement also calls for American to modify its existing policies and practices to ensure that military pilots aren’t shortchanged again, DOJ said. The settlement is still subject to the approval of a federal judge overseeing the case in Dallas, DOJ said in a statement. To see more, go to: www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2008/April/08_crt_309.html.

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DoD Records First Enlistment Contract with Biometric Signature

As part of a move to go paperless, DoD announced on April 17 that it had processed its first military enlistment contract via a biometric fingerprint “signature” rather than the normal ink signature. With the new method, the applicant places an index finger on a special reader that records the fingerprint on an electronic enlistment contract, making the enlistment official, DoD said in a statement. The biometric signing of the contract is the first step in a multi-year effort by the U.S. Military Entrance Processing Command to streamline applicant enlistment processes and eliminate the more than 70 million pieces of paper the process consumes each year. The new biometric signature protects the integrity of the enlistment process, as well as paves the way to paperless enlistment recordkeeping, DoD said. To see more, go to: www.defenselink.mil/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=11844.

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