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AFGEAFGE in in the thews News** Join the group that is connecting AFGE’s Writers, Editors, Bloggers and Web masters!! E-mail [email protected] for more information on joining our Yahoo group, AFGE’s Media Circle!!**Included Articles1. AFGE Lays Out Key Issues for 2010 | Federal Employees News Digest | November 23, 2009 | Article Attached 2. Most federal screeners to get bigger-than-usual raises | Federaltimes.com | November 23, 2009 3. Job searching for the recession-weary | Philadelphia Inquirer | November 24, 2009 4. Rank-and-file FPS officers speak out on federal facility security woes | FederalNewsRadio.com | November 23, 2009 5. Joint training to help improve labor-management relations | Edwards Air Force Base | November 23, 2009 6. New sub will call shipyard home: USS Virginia decision could stabilize future for facility | Citizen.com | November 22, 2009 7. Army Veteran Assists Others as President of Local Union Chapter | Stanford Who’s Who | November 22, 2009 8. Thank Union-Covered Government Employees | The Post-Journal | November 21, 2009 9. Most TSA employees are in line for performance-based payouts | GovExec.com | November 20, 2009 10. Schumer: Ray Brook, Other Prisons Overcrowded | North Country Gazette | November 19, 2009 11. Federal prison union endorses Gitmo transfers to U.S. | The Hill | November 19, 2009 12. Committee Postpones Southers Hearing | The Journal of Commerce | November 19, 2009 13. House panel uncovers surprise on fed building security | Federal News Radio | November 19, 2009 14. Bill to extend benefits to same-sex partners advances | Washington Post | November 19, 2009 ** Stay up to date with the latest AFGE legal wins through the Rep Wing. Available monthly through electronic distribution. E-mail [email protected] for more information.**** Follow AFGE on and ! ** 1. AFGE Lays Out Key Issues for 2010 Federal Employees News Digest | November 23, 2009 | Article Attached2. Most federal screeners to get bigger-than-usual raises By Stephen Losey | Federaltimes.com | November 23, 2009More than 32,000 Transportation Security Administration screeners will receive performance- based salary raises on top of the usual government wide pay raise in January.The rating distribution is essentially identical to last year's, as are raise percentages and bonus levels. About 7,200 transportation security officers who were rated highest on TSA's five-level performance rating system will get performance-based raises of 4 percent, plus one-time bonuses of $2,500, according to an internal report on the Performance Accountability and Standards System, or PASS.Roughly 13,600 screeners rated 4 out of 5 will get 2 percent performance raises and $1,500 bonuses.And about 11,400 screeners rated level 3 will get 1 percent performance raises and $1,000 bonuses.More than 10,000 screeners who were rated level 2 will get a $500 bonus, but will get no additional performance-based raise. Fewer than 10 screeners rated level 1 will not receive any performance-based raise or bonus.TSA said all screeners will receive the same cost-of-living increase, plus locality pay, that General Schedule employees will receive in January. That raise has not been finalized, although the White House is calling for a 2 percent raise. TSA said its more than 42,300 PASS employees do not receive the regular step increases GS employees receive.The American Federation of Government Employees said that PASS is a flawed, subjective system and criticized TSA for raising the number of points employees must earn on their tests to reach the next rating level.But TSA spokesman Greg Soule said the agency had to raise the point ranges — which vary by test — because screeners were getting better at their jobs and had to be held to a higher standard. "Employees are collectively raising the bar, so the PASS thresholds that have increased are commensurate with the overall improved performance of the workforce," Soule said. "This allows us to continue to make meaningful distinctions in the workforce."3. Job searching for the recession-weary By Bob Lankard | Philadelphia Inquirer | November 24, 2009The burly man in a nurse's uniform and surgical mask stopped me in the hospital corridor. "You don't recognize me, do you?" he asked. "You helped me get into coal mine mechanics training 15 years ago. I made a lot of money, but it all ended in one day when the mine shut down without notice. I've retrained again as a nurse. It's about half the pay but I have a job"This man reflects the flexibility that 21st century recession job seekers need. The former miner retrained twice to adapt to a changing job market. He was willing to enter a career that for those times was non-traditional for a man. Some of his fellow miners, men I advised as a job counselor, were not so flexible. "What do you mean?" they would ask me indignantly. "Go back to school to train for a job that pays much less money than I've been making? Not for me."I was an employment counselor when Western Pennsylvania led the nation in low unemployment rates and also fifteen years later, when it was over 12 percent. My advice to displaced workers then and now: cast a wide net when looking for a new job. During the 12 percent unemployment spell I did not dole out advice about finding a dream job, negotiating higher wages or how to use the rifle rather than the shotgun approach to finding employment. It may not be necessary to take any job that comes along, but in bad economic times, job seekers should be open to several possible career avenues. Some quick tips:Get social. Do you Tweet? Social networking sites - LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter - are great new tools that can help you cast a wide net. Use them to reach out to colleagues and professionals in your field - and new fields - to research interviewers you might face or to touch base with someone who works at a target company who could provide an internal reference.Resist gimmicks. It's easy to feel lost in the crowd. Anxious job seekers often feel the need to stand out. Among some of the attention-getting tactics: résumés embellished with colors and creative graphics, sandwich boards, billboards, "need a job" wrist bands, résumés posted on the sides of a car.The fundamentals of good job hunting are networking, a sharp résumé and interview skills. Concentrate on those rather than gimmicks.Think stimulus. Government spending aimed at kick-starting job growth on the local level could be a source of job leads. But don't expect stimulus spending to bail you out with easy leads. Hunting for a new job created by stimulus spending is as time-consuming as any job hunting.Begin by targeting "shovel-ready" industries that will benefit from government spending plans. Industries targeted by stimulus money include transportation, healthcare, alternative and renewable energy, education, construction (roadways and bridge infrastructure), small business and government. Research these industries in your area and apply for jobs where you qualify.The federal government expects to hire 200,000 workers as a result of the stimulus plan. Employment related to Social Security and Veterans Affairs should be relatively strong.Jacque Simon, policy director for the American Federation of Government Employees, says the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Defense, the Food and Drug Administration, Border Patrol, Small Business Administration, Labor Department, Department of Education, Department of Agriculture, Housing and Urban Development and the National Science Foundation are expected to add staff directly tied to the stimulus money.4. Rank-and-file FPS officers speak out on federal facility security woes By Max Cacas | FederalNewsRadio.com | November 23, 2009Every day, hundreds of thousands of Federal workers depend on the Federal Protective Service to keep them safe in their offices. But do the rank-and-file staff that make up the FPS and the contract security guards they employ, have what they need to do the job? David Wright is president of the American Federation of Government Employees, local 918, representing rank and file Federal Protective Service security offiicers. Last week, he told the House Homeland Security Committee that FPS today is in need of the same commitment to security in Federal buildings as has been shown in the nation's airports: I believe the state of the FPS is little different than that of the airline industry security prior to 9/11. Then, a reliance on poorly trained, under-monitored contract guards with no law enforcement authority, security implementation by conflicting entities, an unworkable funding structure, and a perception of security through inspections, instead of "boots on the ground" federal workers proved disasterous. During last week's hearing, Committee chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) expressed concern about facilities security committees', found in almost every Federal building in rented space. These committees, often composed of non-security trained reps from the agencies who are tenants in these buildings, often have tremendous power of what kinds of security they will approve and pay for. And that, says Wright, is a big problem. Building security committees have failed to approve critical security countermeasures. There's a case going on right now, of an FPS recommendation for a nighttime security guard at a courthouse in a western state. That guard countermeasure has been declined for years by the non- security professionals, and recenty, there was gunfire directed into a congressional office window. Steven Amitay with the National Association of Security Companies, says FPS problems uncovered by the Government Accountability Office when it comes to FPS using contract security guards amount to the age-old battle between quality versus cost. "Higher salaries attract higher caliber officers," he testified. "Internal training, screening, and operational procedures will be better, and internal company management oversight will be better." As for how to fix the problems, Rand Beers, Undersecretary for Homeland Security for the National Protection Programs Directorate, the new agency home for FPS at DHS, says many will be addressed in a top-to-bottom review of FPS now underway: We have, at the direction of Secretary Napolitano, undertaken a review of the staff size of the Federal Protective Service. We've had two data calls, and meetings to discuss that information, we've asked for more information, and we owe her the results of that. Beers says that study, which should be completed in the next few months, will also address training issues, finances for the FPS, and trying to change -- and correct -- the fact that the use of contract guards at Federal buildings often overshadows the number of full-time, government employed members of the Federal Protective Service. House Homeland Security Committee chair Thompson says he plans additional hearings in the future over the progress in fixing the Federal Protective Service.5. Joint training to help improve labor-management relations By Kendahl Johnson | Edwards Air Force Base | November 23, 2009 11/23/2009 - ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- The Warner Robins Air Logistics Center will soon provide joint training opportunities for managers and employees in an effort to give the two groups additional tools for resolving workplace disputes.The training, which focuses on communication, team building and the "necessity of changing paradigms," is unique because it doesn't focus on just supervisors and managers or just employees, but unites the two groups together. "These training sessions will help managers and employees build better relationships," said Ashley Hightower, a labor relations specialist in the Directorate of Personnel. "They will help them better understand their roles and responsibilities, and will give them the tools they need to resolve issues more effectively." This concept of joint training will help the WR-ALC reach its overall goal of fostering trust, confidence and respect through positive labor and management relationships, one of the Center's five key initiatives, she said. Hightower is excited about the new training program, but realizes there may be some apprehension by potential participants. "Anytime you introduce a program or a concept that forces people to re-evaluate their personal views or that may be contrary to their standard way of doing things, of conducting business, you are going to get some push back," she said. She said once people realize that the training will help them be better equipped to handle difficult situations that may arise in the work area, they will be more eager to participate. "When a supervisor or a steward is dealing with a distraught employee, a sexual harassment allegation, or a racially-charged situation, it should not be the first time that supervisor has been put in that situation," Hightower said. "The training will prepare them to deal with these situations." Jeanette McIlhaney, the elected treasurer for the 987 AFGE, is representing the local Union's interests in the joint training. She said she has positive expectations and views the training as an opportunity to help build respect and promote honest and open communication between labor and management. "I believe it's going to be effective in helping the two groups have a greater respect for each other," she said. "When you have both groups meeting together side by side - getting trained at the same time and receiving the same information together - it can only have a positive outcome." Leadership is hoping to begin the joint training sessions in January, beginning initially with a targeted group of employees in the 402nd Maintenance Wing. Eventually, sessions will be created and customized to accommodate units from across the ALC, with a target of 20-25 individuals per class.6. New sub will call shipyard home: USS Virginia decision could stabilize future for facility By Robert Cook | Citizen.com | November 22, 2009KITTERY, Maine — Portsmouth Naval Shipyard union officials hailed the Navy's decision announced Friday to have the USS Virginia call the shipyard its homeport as a key move that could stave off future threats to close the facility."That's a pretty big deal," said Paul O'Connor, president of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Metal Trades Council, a union that represents about 2,500 of the shipyard's 4,200 civilian workers.He said when the shipyard was threatened with closure during the last Base Realignment and Closure Commission process in 2005, one issue was that the facility was not a homeport to any of the Navy's nuclear submarines.O'Connor said the shipyard will now be the homeport of the Navy's newest Virginia-class submarine, which "could level the playing field for us."Currently, the Navy is in the process of phasing out its Los Angeles-class nuclear submarines by gradually replacing them with the Virginia-class submarines. The USS Virginia (SSN 774) is the first of the new class to be commissioned. In December 2008, the Navy signed a five-year, $14 billion contract to build one Virginia-class sub in 2009 and 2010, and two to be built in each of the 2011, 2012, and 2013 fiscal years, according to Alan Baribeau, a Navy spokesman. He said then the Navy plans to build as many as 30 Virginia-class submarines.The USS New Hampshire was the fifth Virginia-class submarine that was built and later commissioned at the shipyard on Oct. 25, 2008.New Hampshire Sens. Judd Gregg and Jeanne Shaheen, and Maine's Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins jointly announced Friday the U.S. Department of Navy directed that the USS Virginia (SSN 774) will have its homeport changed to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard effective Oct. 1, 2010. The USS Virginia will undergo a planned maintenance period at the shipyard through April 2012."The Virginia-class submarines are the future of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, and the arrival of the lead boat in the class next fall will usher in a new era for the shipyard team," said the senators in a joint statement. "The USS Virginia is the most modern and innovative underwater warship on patrol today. It is only fitting that the Navy will rely on the nation's most capable submarine workforce for this inaugural extended maintenance period. The Navy knows which team to trust to do it right, and which team will set the standard for others to follow." The current homeport of the USS Virginia is Groton, Conn., from which the ship deploys to conduct operations worldwide.O'Connor said shipyard officials and members of the New Hampshire and Maine congressional delegations worked very hard to make sure the shipyard would see its share of Virginia-class submarine overhaul and maintenance work. He said the shipyard serving as a homeport to one of the Navy's Virginia-class submarines gives the shipyard a greater stake in the Navy's future plans.The ship is manned by 155 officers and crew, and is projected to have a direct economic impact of approximately $10.5 million on the York County, Maine, and Seacoast region.O'Connor said the Navy's announcement could also usher in a new long-term relationship with the shipyard that will not be as tenuous as it has been in the past.He said the submarine's crew members and their families will be permanently stationed in the Seacoast region instead of just during scheduled overhaul maintenance periods.John Joyal of Somersworth, who serves as second vice president of the American Federation of Government Employees, Local 2024, a union that represents up to 600 shipyard workers, was also pleased with the Navy's decision. "I think it's great news for our shipyard and the area that it's happened," he said Saturday afternoon.But he also said the news should be taken with a grain of salt.Joyal said he has heard some rumors the Navy may allow the shipyard to do the legwork and all of the planning for the USS Virginia's first overhaul. But the subsequent three overhauls may end up be shifted to Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, he said."I hope that's not the case," Joyal said. "Even though the politicians in Washington have changed, the politics in the Navy have not changed."He said he believes there are still some Navy officials who would prefer to close down the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.7. Army Veteran Assists Others as President of Local Union Chapter By Stanford Who’s Who | November 22, 2009DENVER, CO, November 22, 2009 /Stanford Who's Who/-- Bernard L. Humbles Jr. has earned his way among the ranks of Stanford Who's Who for his supreme dedication to his position as a Union Leader. As President of the Local 2241 Chapter of AFGE he has constantly risen above the call of duty.The American Federation of Government Employees has 600,000 members nationwide and overseas. They provide legal representation, legislative advocacy, technical expertise and informational services for workers of a variety of occupations. The AFGE is also affiliated with the AFL-CIO, the largest federation of unions in the United States and Canada.Bernard himself represents his local area of the Veterans Health Administration portion of the union. He relentlessly fights for the rights of United States Veterans. His service of 20 years in the Army makes for the perfect transition into handling Veterans Affairs. The VHA provides progressive programs for preventative nutrition, wellness and medical nutrition at VA health care facilities. Humbles has fought a number of battles for his fellow veterans and is a man of great honor.He has received an Honorary PHD in Humanities from Bishop George. Humbles is a Life Member of the NAACP, a Level 3 Counselor for the National Association for Drug and Alcohol Counselors as well as being a part of the American Counseling Association and VFW.Humbles also holds the distinction of Methodic Order of 32nd Degree Mason Shriner for Methodic Lodge 26.8. Thank Union-Covered Government Employees Letter to the Editor | The Post-Journal | November 21, 2009 To the Readers' Forum:The next time worker union-bashers feel the need to rant, stop and take a moment to realize that the Fort Hood civilian cop, Sgt. Kimberly Munley, who stopped the rampage of Maj. Nidal Hasan was a member of a union.She is a member of the American Federation of Government Employees, the same union that covers the hard-working employees at Social Security offices nationwide, those who serve on the front lines of border patrol, homeland security and in Department of Defense services and many other agencies that benefit us every day.So besides thanking men and women in the armed forces for your security, you ought to thank the hundreds of thousands of the men and women who support them in critical, union-covered jobs in the federal civil service.For me, I am proud to be a federal employee, proud of public service and equally proud that I have chosen to serve my co-workers as their union representative.Paul DemlerJamestown 9. Most TSA employees are in line for performance-based payouts By Alex M. Parker | Govexec.com | November 20, 2009More than three-quarters of workers under the Transportation Security Administration's pay-for- performance plan soon will receive a performance-related raise, according to an internal report. But federal employee unions are claiming TSA's method of determining the pay hikes was arbitrary and confusing.Seventy-six percent of employees under the agency's Performance Accountability and Standards System will receive pay boosts or bonuses, based on the quality of their work in 2009, the report said. These payments will supplement an annual cost-of-living increase, which has yet to be determined. The percentage of employees receiving a raise is roughly the same as last year, but TSA cautioned that some employees might not receive as much money despite similar performance."While the pay pool for 2009 performance will ensure that PASS-covered employees are properly recognized for their hard work and outstanding achievements, there is no guarantee that all PASS-covered employees will receive a payout equal to or greater than their 2008 performance payout," the report stated. "In addition, due to the unpredictability of current and future budget levels, the overall funding level should not be viewed as a guarantee of future pay pool levels." TSA acting Administrator Gale Rossides said there was slightly more money available for raises in 2009 than in 2008, but there also were more employees in the system, making the amount available per employee similar. One difference between the two years, however, was that the workforce as a whole did a better job in 2009, raising the bar for payouts."We look at all of the data, when it's all completed, and all of the ratings have been submitted, and we look for the natural breaks in those results," Rossides said. "This year, the ratings ranges were slightly different than last year, because the workforce had performed better. The officers are staying on the job longer, and gaining more experience, and they're becoming more skilled in the job."According to the report, about 17 percent of employees fell into the top performance category in 2009, earning a 4 percent boost to their base salary and a $2,500 bonus. About 32 percent were in the next tier and will receive a 2 percent raise and a $1,500 bonus. Twenty-seven percent will receive a 1 percent raise and $1,000 bonus, and nearly 24 percent will receive only a $500 bonus. A small portion (0.02 percent) of employees will not receive any raise or bonus other than the cost-of-living increase, which everyone will get. Some officers will receive additional cash bonuses. Last year's report showed approximately the same distribution and payout to employees.National Treasury Employees Union officials said members were frustrated they didn't know the score or performance level they needed to get a certain pay hike until after TSA had distributed the raises. Union representatives also noted that at least one NTEU member was slated to receive a smaller raise than in 2008, despite achieving a better performance review score."The fact that you can score higher from one year to the next and receive a smaller merit-pay increase points to the unfair and arbitrary nature of the PASS system," NTEU President Colleen Kelley said.American Federation of Government Employees attorney Chad Harris also blasted the system, claiming that the changing thresholds and payouts were unfair to employees."It's an extremely subjective system, in terms of evaluating the [transportation security officers] and what scores they will ultimately receive," Harris said.Both unions support legislation that would move TSA employees to the General Schedule and grant them the right to bargain collectively, but its prospects for passage remain murky. The bill (H.R. 1881) has cleared two House panels and is awaiting a floor vote; it has yet to be introduced in the Senate, however.Rossides defended the pay plan, noting employees know at the beginning of the year the actions they must take and the tasks they must perform well to qualify for rewards. The system is critical to ensuring dedicated TSOs are well-compensated, she said. 10. Schumer: Ray Brook, Other Prisons Overcrowded Posted by North Country Gazette | November 19, 2009NEW YORK—In a personal letter, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer, has urged Attorney General Eric Holder to accept a request made by the Council of Prison Locals (CPL) of the American Federation of Government Employees to meet and discuss ways to combat the increasing violence in federal prisons in New York and across the country. Schumer toured Otisville and Ray Brook federal prisons earlier this year and said he was troubled to discover the facilities overcrowded and understaffed due to a lack of funding. At the time of his visits, Otisville was operating 42.7 percent over its rated capacity and was 14 percent understaffed. Similarly, the institution at Ray Brook was operating at 64.2 percent over its rated capacity and was 12.6 percent understaffed. Schumer found that Ray Brook Prison was operating with 14 fewer guards than were needed and Otisville was operating with 44 fewer guards than needed. Schumer said that the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) was severely underfunded and he would support the corrections officers’ request for additional resources to ensure safe operations of federal prisons. FCI Ray Brook is located in Upstate New York, midway between the villages of Lake Placid and Saranac Lake; FCI Otisville is situated in Orange County, 70 miles northwest of New York City.“The Department of Justice has an obligation to sit down with these men and women, who are on the frontline of keeping society safe, to discuss the problems they face every day,” said Schumer. “I’m sure the Department will agree that allowing this situation to continue is intolerable. These facilities house dangerous criminals and are bursting at the seams, putting correctional officers in a dangerous position. Working together, we must find a way to change this.”Schumer said these conditions present an unnecessary and genuine risk to the officers and staff who work at federal prisons. In fact, a report issued in 2006 by the BOP documented significant increases in prison inmate assaults against correctional officers and staff, as well as between prison inmates. More recently, the slaying of Correctional Officer Jose Rivera in June of last year by two prison inmates, and the string of assaults in penitentiaries in Lewisburg and Canaan serve as tragic indicators of an underfunded system.The Federal Correctional Institutions (FCI) in Ray Brook and Otisville are medium security facilities that houses adult male offenders. A medium security FCI has a strengthened perimeter (often a double fence with electronic detection systems), mostly cell-type housing, a wide variety of work and treatment programs, and a higher staff-to-inmate ratio than lower security FCIs.Schumer revealed that the Ray Brook and Otisville facilities are 64 percent and 40 percent overcrowded respectively, based on recent average daily population figures:The federal prison in Ray Brook in Essex County has a recommended capacity of 747 but has an average daily population of 1,227. The federal prison in Otisville in Orange County has a recommended capacity of 844 but has an average daily population of 1,205. According to a letter from the Director of the Bureau of Prisons to Senator Schumer, the overcrowding crisis at Ray Brook and Otisville has forced the facilities to house “inmates in areas within the institution which were not originally designed as inmate sleeping areas.” Schumer said that the main reason the institution is more than 64 percent over capacity is because the Bureau of Prisons does not have sufficient bed space in New York or across the country.In addition to being severely overcrowded, the prisons in New York are significantly short- handed. Ray Brook has 14 authorized correctional services positions vacant while Otisville has 44 positions vacant. Schumer said that the BOP on some occasions has been forced to use non- correctional staff (such as counselors or managers) for correctional duties to fill the gap.Schumer said that other federal prisons in New York face similar dire conditions. Statistics show that federal prison facilities in Manhattan and Brooklyn are all more than 40 percent overcrowded and also severely understaffed. Prisons across the country are not much better off. Facilities outside of New York are, on average, 37 percent over-crowded.According to the BOP’s own studies, including one conducted in 2005, on average, an increase in overcrowding and staffing shortages are directly associated with an increase in serious assaults. 11. Federal prison union endorses Gitmo transfers to U.S. By Jordy Yager | The Hill | November 19, 2009The union for federal prison officers said it supports transferring the prisoners being kept at the Guantanamo Bay prison into the U.S. federal prison system.The announcement comes as the White House actively looks for ways to close the Cuba-based prison, which houses several hundred suspected enemy combatants from the wars Iraq and Afghanistan.President Barack Obama’s efforts have come under fire recently from Republicans who are vehemently opposed to bringing any of the prisoners into the prison systems in their states. The criticisms vary, with some arguing that the high-profile prisoners would put their local communities at risk of attack, while others say that the facilities could serve as a network for the foreign prisoners to spread their radical ideology.On Wednesday Attorney General Eric Holder and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) acknowledged during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing that the Illinois state Thomson Correctional Center – a maximum security prison about 150 miles west of Chicago – would be one of the most secure options where the detainees could be transferred. The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which represents more than 600,000 correctional officers throughout the country, agreed.“We fully support housing Guantanamo Bay detainees at the Thomson Correctional Center,” said John Gage, AFGE’s president, in a statement.“This is an opportunity to bring thousands of good-paying jobs to an area in desperate need of an economic revival. Furthermore, we do not see a safety risk to the surrounding community. Our correctional officers are the best-trained, most-qualified candidates in the world for this job. We have no doubt [Bureau of Prison] correctional officers are up to the task.”Durbin too has plugged the plethora of jobs and other economic benefits that would be created by transferring the Guantanamo Bay prisoners to the Illinois-based prison.But at a press conference on Wednesday, the top-ranking House Republicans on the committees with jurisdiction over prisoner detainee issues pledged to do everything they could to thwart Obama’s plan to transfer the prisoners to the U.S. But as a minority party with 40 fewer members than the Democrats, the GOP may have little sway on the ultimate outcome.Another prison union, the Council of Prison Locals (CPL), disagreed with the Republican worries, saying that the communities around the prisons holding the detainees would remain free from harm.“Supervising terrorists is nothing new for our BOP correctional officers,” said Bryan Lowry, president of the CPL, in a statement.“They’ve maintained a safe and secure environment at Supermax and they can do it at the Thomson Correctional Center. We welcome the idea of protecting our nation, and the world, from these detainees.”12. Committee Postpones Southers Hearing By R.G. Edmonson | The Journal of Commerce | November 19, 2009The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee called off a meeting late Wednesday in which it was to consider the nomination of Earl Southers to be the new head of the Transportation Security Administration.The committee may reschedule the meeting on Thursday, according to a committee spokeswoman.Southers, currently in charge of the homeland security and intelligence for the Los Angeles World Airports Police Department, won the endorsement of the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents some 12,000 TSA security officers. He testified before the committee on Nov. 10. In a statement on Tuesday, the union urged the committee to approve Southers’ nomination, saying “TSA is in desperate need of a strong, knowledgeable leader to fulfill its incredibly important mission of ensuring safety for the flying public. The combination of Mr. Southers' education, experience and commitment to security and justice make him ideally suited to lead TSA."Southers’ nomination had earlier won approval from the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. But he also ran into some tough questioning before the Homeland Security panel, where Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, asked him about the FBI’s decision to issue a censure to him in 1988 over his use of a police database in a personal situation.13. House panel uncovers surprise on fed building security By Max Cacas | Federal News Radio | November 19, 2009The House Homeland Security Committee has resumed its look at the Federal Protective Service. The agency, which is responsible for security in most Federal government offices, continues to be the subject of intense scrutiny on Capitol Hill. This is the second hearing this year that the House Homeland Security Committee has held on the Federal Protective Service. And there is no more telling evidence of the problems that continue to beset FPS than a video shown yesterday by the Government Accountability Office. The GAO'S Mark Goldstein showed a video summarizing a recent investigation, in which investigators were able to easily smuggle the makings of an improvised explosive device into a number of Federal Buildings. At none of the ten Federal buildings we went into were we stopped. We were able to go into the building with the materials, assemble them in a bathroom, and work virtually unimpeded at many of the offices we went to. Goldstein testified that the facilities include offices for the Departments of Justice, State, and Homeland Security, and the field offices for a U.S. Senator and a Congressman. But it was during questioning by Rep. Bennie Thompson (D.-Miss.), the chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, that we learned this interesting, little known tidbit about security at Federal buildings in relation to the GAO investigation. Gary Schenkel, Director of the Federal Protective Service, said that none of the items that were smuggled into the buildings by GAO investigators were on a proscribed list of items banned from being brought into a federal building. Thompson asked Schenkel, who decides what's on that list? Schenkel replied that, "it is determined by the 'facilities security committee' in each building." As Thompson listened in amazement, Schenkel went on to explain that these committees, often made up of representatives from the agencies who share space in a building, are chaired by the largest agency in many multi-agency buildings. These committees often have no members who are knowledgeable about security matters. What's more, representatives from the American Federation of Government Employees representing FPS staff, complained that the committees are also able to veto proposals to change security protocols proposed by the FPS. The panel also learned that agencies are assessed a fee, calculated by the square footage they inhabit, to pay for facility security provided by FPS, no matter what level of security is dictated by either the building or other factors. Under questioning from Chairman Thompson, Rand Beers, DHS Undersecretary for the National Protection Programs Directorate - the DHS group that is slated to assume management of the FPS in the next few months - testified a summit meeting of FPS officials and representatives from the General Services Administration (which manages rental of many Federal buildings) was convened recently to map out security training for all "facilities security committees" and to insure that security-trained personnel also become members of these committees. Following the hearing, Chairman Thompson told Federal News Radio that he was surprised to hear about the "facilities security committees", and the surprising clout that they wield when it comes to security matters. "The general assumption is that security is left to professional law enforcement personnel, and this hearing brought out that a committee potentially made up of no law enforcement security personnel is making security policy decisions. We plan to follow up on it, and see what needs to happen to correct that. Because we want to assure the public that as they go in and out of any Federal building, that the security protocols are as robust as possible." Officials at the Department of Homeland Security also testified that they are currently conducting a top-to-bottom review of the Federal Protective Service to determine staffing, budget, and other needs, as it moves to the National Protection Program Directorate.14. Bill to extend benefits to same-sex partners advances By Joe Davidson | The Washington Post | November 19, 2009The effort to expand domestic benefits to the same-sex partners of federal employees took another step forward Wednesday when a House committee advanced legislation to do just that. After sometimes heated debate, the 23 to 12 vote in the Oversight and Government Reform Committee broke down along party lines, with the victorious Democrats arguing that the measure is a matter of fairness and equality. Republicans opposed it because, among other things, they said it would undermine the concept that marriage should be between a man and a woman. "As a matter of simple fairness and equality, this is the right step for the federal government to take at this time," said Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-N.Y.), the committee chairman. "Providing gay and lesbian federal workers with the same family benefits that their married colleagues receive will ensure that the federal government maintains its role as a model employer in the United States." Under the legislation, same-sex partners would be able to share the workers' benefits, including those covering health insurance, retirement and disability. The employee would have to sign an affidavit certifying that the relationship meets certain standards in the measure that define domestic partnership. Democrats said that the current lack of benefits for same-sex partners conflicts with the principle of equal pay for equal work. With a significant portion of employee compensation coming from the benefit package, employees who can share those benefits with members of their households are effectively more highly compensated than those who cannot. Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) was succinct in his opposition. "I, for one, stand tall for traditional marriage. I think the American people stand tall for traditional marriage," he said, citing the repeated failures of gay-marriage advocates to pass state referenda on the issue. Seemingly unaware that Republicans lost the last election, Rep. Dan Burton (R-Ind.) cited opposition to the legislation from the Office of Personnel Management -- the agency's stance under President George W. Bush. In stark contrast to that position, President Obama's OPM director, John Berry, told a House hearing in July that "the White House and the Office of Personnel Management wholeheartedly endorse passage of this bill." That same month, Obama issued a presidential memorandum that extended a limited set of benefits to same-sex partners. The directive allows them to be added to long-term-care insurance policies and says employees will be allowed to use their sick leave to care for same-sex partners. Much of the discussion centered on a series of defeated Republican amendments. In one of the more heated moments, Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy (D-R.I.) accused Republicans of "playing on bigotry" during debate on an amendment that would have required those getting benefits to prove they were not illegal immigrants. Intern program targetedThe largest federal employees union has asked the president to end the Federal Career Intern Program, saying "it undermined merit system protections and restricted the federal, competitive hiring process." In a letter to Obama, the American Federation of Government Employees complained that managers use the program to bypass the measures that are designed to ensure fairness in federal hiring. "If not eliminated or dramatically revised, FCIP's inherent lack of transparency has the ability to undermine basic civil service protections that date back to the Pendleton Act over 100 years ago," AFGE President John Gage said in a statement Wednesday. "The FCIP simply is not compatible with merit system protections. And we know that the federal workforce cannot succeed at the expense of merit systems principles or at the expense of competitive fairness." Not to be confused with a summer intern program for college students, the FCIP is a two-year, highly structured program meant to help agencies fill critical needs. Along with the letter, Gage sent a proposed executive order that he would like Obama to issue. It would revise the program by calling on OPM to establish merit-based principles for the recruitment, placement and development of career interns. The program also has long been a target of the National Treasury Employees Union, which has taken legal action against it. The NTEU says that rather than using the program as a supplement to merit-based hiring, some agencies misuse it through overuse. According to the NTEU, Customs and Border Protection has used the intern program for years as its sole means of hiring new officers, and 62 percent of the Social Security Administration's new hires came through the program in fiscal year 2008.

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