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Washington, D.C. – The leader of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) today called on senators to reject proposed unfair cuts to workers’ compensation benefits to injured federal workers included in postal reform legislation.

“A postal reform bill is no place to reduce the benefits for all federal employees who were injured on the job and through no fault of their own,” NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley wrote to senators, who are expected to take up postal reform legislation soon.

In November, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee approved a bill with changes to the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA) that would unfairly penalize workers who have lost their ability to earn a salary and retirement credits by cutting their benefit later in life. Under the measure, basic FECA payments would drop to 50 percent of pre-injury pay when a recipient reaches retirement age.

“Having lost the ability to continue earning a salary and retirement credits, these disabled federal workers would have their Workers’ Compensation benefits reduced just for becoming elderly,” Kelley wrote. “Entering such a time of life does not lessen their need for income but in fact brings new challenges and expenses such as health care needs.”

NTEU also opposes a proposal to eliminate the family benefit portion of FECA for injured workers with dependents. “This modest additional benefit recognizes that when federal employees suffer workplace injuries that rob their ability to practice their craft, they also lose their ability to support their families,” Kelley wrote.

As the nation’s largest independent union of federal employees, NTEU represents some 150,000 employees in 31 agencies and departments.