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Washington, D.C.—Now that a final, futile appeal has been filed against its overwhelming election victory, the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) looks forward to the upcoming day in May when it will be certified as the exclusive bargaining representative for employees of the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the leader of NTEU said today.

“When the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) rules on this latest delaying tactic,” said NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley, “the way will be cleared for NTEU to bring its considerable strength and skill to bear on behalf of employees in this critical unit of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).”

That day, she added, “can’t come a moment too soon not only for the thousands of CBP employees who have no union representation, but for the entire bargaining unit of some 20,000 employees.”

Under FLRA rules, that three-member body has to rule within 60 days on the latest appeal of NTEU’s 2006 election victory filed today—the final date possible—by the losing union, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE).

NTEU won last year’s election by a vote of 7,349 to 3,426, a victory that was upheld in January against an AFGE challenge by the FLRA’s regional director. In dismissing the appeal, the FLRA official wrote that he found “none” of the issues raised by AFGE to have any merit, “whether considered separately or cumulatively.” He called for NTEU to be certified “without further delay.”

In a message to AFGE at that time, President Kelley said it would “unconscionable and damaging to all CBP employees” to delay the certification process any further, and called on that union to “do the right thing” and cooperate with NTEU “on a smooth transition.”

CBP was formed in the DHS merger and includes employees from three legacy agencies—the U.S. Customs Service, Immigration and Naturalization Service and inspectors from the Agriculture Department. NTEU had long represented Customs employees.

President Kelley said NTEU is anxious to begin the work of extending such contract benefits as bilingual pay for employees in other legacy groups within CBP, and of seeking contract improvements for all bargaining unit employees on such key matters as work assignments, bid and rotation rules, overtime and alternative work schedules.

NTEU is the largest independent federal union, representing some 150,000 employees in 30 agencies and departments, including more than 14,000 in CBP.