NTEU Likes Obama On TSA Screeners, IRS Farmouts, 4-Day Week

With Barack Obama set to take over as President and the Democratic Party expanding its congressional majority in January, Federal employee unions are hoping for workplace improvements.

COLLEEN M. KELLEY: Expects more-sympathetic ear.

The National Treasury Employees Union sent President-elect Obama's transition team a list of issues it would like addressed, including giving U.S. Transportation Security Administration screeners collective-bargaining rights and ending outsourced tax collection at the Internal Revenue Service.

'He's in Synch With Us'

NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley told reporters in a Nov. 19 conference call that she was confident that "President-elect Obama is very much in synch with the NTEU on these issues."

The NTEU, one of the many unions that endorsed Mr. Obama, added that it would be willing to examine his plan to cut Federal middle management and return more work to field offices, even if that meant more Federal employees having to relocate.

"I do think it should be something that should be looked at," Ms. Kelley said. "We would like to see the least disruption for any employee."

BARACK OBAMA: Unions have high hopes.

The NTEU plans to again seek 10-hour, four-day workweeks. U.S. House of Representatives Majority Leader Steny Hoyer urged the U.S. Office of Personnel Management in August to mandate a four-day workweek for its employees in an effort to boost morale and cut down on commuting costs for workers. Acting OPM Director Michael Hager rejected the Maryland Democrat's call, saying such a plan would be "detrimental to the Federal Government's ability to provide essential services" and weaken national security.

"We think it should be voluntary," Ms. Kelley said.

Will Try Again

Congressman Hoyer said that with a Democratic administration he will make the push again, hoping for a better outcome, the Washington-based Federal Times reported last week.

In August, he wrote that "staggering 10-hour-a-day work schedules would reduce road congestion, decrease commuting times, and reduce gasoline-wasting vehicle idling. On any given day of the workweek, the policy could be managed such that only 80 percent of Federal employees would be commuting to their offices."

Unions have also supported this plan in order to give members three days off each week while remaining full-time workers.

Congressman Hoyer has said that such a plan if implemented would be flexible enough to exclude certain workers from the four-day week if was problematic for Federal agencies.

Ms. Kelley said that there recommendations including draft language for executive orders and legislation that would serve the union's agenda.

"This is not a wish list," she said. "This is a framework as we see it for a very serious discussion."