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Washington, D.C.—Next Wednesday morning, National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) President Colleen M. Kelley will tell a key Senate committee that the rush to contract out an increasing number of federal jobs is unwise public policy—and at noon she’ll lead a Capitol Hill rally of hundreds of federal employees opposed to the Bush administration’s quota-driven contracting out.

These activities will be an integral part of the union’s 2002 Legislative Conference, which begins Tuesday morning at the Holiday Inn Capitol, 550 C St. SW, with remarks by Kelley, Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director Kay Coles James and Sen. John Kerry (D-MA). Newly-elected House Democratic Whip Nancy Pelosi (CA) will be the luncheon speaker on Thursday, March 7.

More than 350 NTEU chapter leaders and activists from around the country will be attending the three-day event, during which they will meet with their members of the House and Senate to press their views on their priority issues for the current legislative session and to provide educational material to support their positions.

In addition to contracting out, conference participants will push for fair pay and benefits for federal workers, particularly in light of the recruitment and retention problems federal agencies face in competition with the private sector; for adequate agency funding; in support of changes in an law unfairly targeting only employees of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS); and will address with their federal legislators a variety of issues affecting employees of the Customs Service, including the continuing shortfall in resources for this key border security agency.

President Kelley’s Wednesday testimony will be presented to the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee. She has been a leading advocate in the fight against administration moves to contract out an increasing number of federal jobs, arguing that the true cost, extent and quality of work done by government contractors is not known.

“I have said repeatedly, and I will continue to say, that federal employees are the best people to provide the governmental services the American people need and demand—and that federal workers deserve the resources, tools, training and opportunity they need to do what they do best. Anything else shortchanges them, and the nation,” the union leader said.

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