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Washington, D.C.—The leader of the nation’s largest independent union of federal workers today hailed as “a tremendous victory for federal employees” approval by the House Government Reform Committee of an amendment offered by Rep. Connie Morella (R-MD) that would ensure that employees of the new Homeland Security Department continue to have the right to remain in their unions and bargain collectively.

President Colleen M. Kelley of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), which represents some 12,000 employees of the Customs Service who would become part of the new department, said the Morella amendment “ensures that employees who have been members of bargaining units will retain that right in the new department,” calling that “the right thing to do.”

These employees, the NTEU leader said, “have been fighting the war against terrorism before, during and since September 11. They have been fighting to protect our freedoms, and should not have their own freedoms taken away as a result.”

President Kelley said this action by Congresswoman Morella demonstrates her continued leadership and effectiveness on behalf of all federal employees. “She is one of federal employees’ best friends on Capitol Hill.”

Kelley added that “this step means more than just continued civil service rights for tens of thousands of federal employees, and called it “a significant step forward in strengthening the Homeland Security Department itself.” NTEU has been assertively pressing for such action.

The language of the Morella amendment adopted as part of H.R. 5005, legislation creating the Department of Homeland Security, says that “no agency or subdivision of an agency which is transferred to the Department pursuant to this Act shall be excluded from the coverage of Chapter 71 of Title 5, United States Code…”

As originally proposed, the person named as secretary of the new cabinet department would have had wide-ranging authority, working with the director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), to decide on the rights of Homeland Security employees.

As the largest independent federal union, NTEU represents some 150,000 employees in 25 agencies and departments.