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Washington, D.C.—The visit today of a senior member of the House of Representatives to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) laboratory in Detroit is further congressional recognition of the vital roles these labs play in the safety and security of our nation’s food and drug supplies, the leader of the nation’s largest independent union of federal employees said today.

“I welcome and applaud the visit to the Detroit FDA lab by Chairman John Dingell (D-Mich.),” said NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley.

“Chairman Dingell played an essential role and one that is very much appreciated in turning back an unwise FDA plan to close seven of its 13 labs across the nation, including Detroit,” she said. NTEU represents more than 5,200 FDA employees, including those in the Detroit lab.

The long-serving House member, who chairs the Energy and Commerce Committee, raised serious questions about the FDA proposal and demanded a halt to implementation pending a review by the committee.

In a series of letters to the head of the agency, Rep. Dingell was sharply critical of the plan’s impact, including the likely loss of highly-trained scientific professionals. He also took an active role in an Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing on food safety and the FDA; and he supported successful efforts to block the reorganization, which was ultimately dropped by the FDA.

“Without his crucial support,” Kelley added, “the ability of the FDA to meet its wide-ranging responsibilities to the American people would have taken a serious step backward.”

The fiscal 2008 omnibus appropriations bill included NTEU-supported language that prohibits the FDA from closing any of the regional field labs.

“Given all the high-profile safety issues involving food, medical devices and other products the FDA has dealt with over the past year or so,” Kelley said, “it is important that we support this agency fully.”

To that end, she welcomed the long-standing and continuing support of Chairman Dingell not just for FDA employees, but for the federal workforce as a whole. “NTEU looks forward to continuing to work effectively with Rep. Dingell on a variety of issues that impact not just federal employees, but through their service to the public the entire nation,” she added.

As the largest independent federal union, NTEU represents 150,000 employees in 31 agencies and departments.