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Washington, D.C.— The leader of the nation’s largest independent federal sector union today charged the White House and Republican House leaders with orchestrating an assault on federal employee rights based on “empty promises.”

National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) National President Colleen M. Kelley said that while the amendment offered by Rep. Connie Morella (R-MD), which was backed by NTEU, was narrowly defeated, every House member voted to limit the president’s authority to take away collective bargaining rights.

“Our goal is to maintain the civil service protections that federal employees now have, including the right to belong to a union and to bargain collectively. The federal employees moving to the new Department of Homeland Security deserve nothing less. They have demonstrated their ability to protect the rights and freedoms of Americans. They should not be asked to give up their rights now. We will continue our fight in the Senate,” said Kelley.

Kelley said the Republican House leadership stacked the deck against House lawmakers who support federal employee rights by arranging for “Trojan Horse” amendments that “look good on the outside, but could serve to gut” civil service protections in the new department.

“The rhetoric of support for federal employees does not square with the fine print of the proposals adopted today in the House as part of the Homeland Security Department bill. These were amendments crafted to block amendments that would have provided the civil service protections essential to the success of the new department,” said Kelley.

She said that NTEU will now look to the Senate and an eventual conference committee to address the shortcomings of the civil service provisions adopted in the House.

NTEU represents some 12,000 employees of the Customs Service, who would be among the 170,000 federal workers transferred to the new department.

Kelley has been leading the fight for these employees to retain their civil service rights, including the right to join unions and bargain collectively.

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