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Washington, D.C.—In a strongly worded letter, President Colleen M. Kelley of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) urged Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge “to step back from the kind of inaccurate and inflammatory comments” he made yesterday suggesting that Customs Service employees are standing in the way of homeland security improvements.

“Suggesting that union leaders like myself do not reflect the views of our members and, in fact, are not patriotic is insulting, counterproductive and wrong,” Kelley wrote. NTEU represents some 12,000 Customs employees, who would be among those transferred to the new Department of Homeland Security.

The NTEU leader told Mr. Ridge that his comments in a speech to the U.S. Conference of Mayors that Customs employees refused to wear radiation detectors is “patently false.”

Kelley noted that Customs has yet to provide this equipment to all affected workers; and, in fact, such devices are not available to inspectors of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), who work alongside Customs personnel at the nation’s ports of entry.

As a result, she said, in situations when only INS inspectors are present at ports, no personal radiation detectors are in operation. “I believe this constitutes a serious lapse in the homeland security efforts that I know are of the utmost concern to you, to me and to the front line employees I represent,” President Kelley said.

The union leader added: “Please stop these attacks and work with us to provide this country with the best homeland security efforts possible. I know that is what all of us want.”

NTEU is the largest independent federal union, representing some 150,000 employees in 26 agencies and departments.

COPY OF LETTER ATTACHED

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September 27, 2002

The Honorable Tom Ridge

Homeland Security Director

The White House

Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Governor Ridge:

I was surprised and disappointed to see a copy of the remarks you made yesterday to the U.S. Conference of Mayors. In those remarks you made several inaccurate statements with regard to my union’s actions. You suggested that the union or its members refused to wear radiation detection devices. That is patently false. Customs inspectors represented by NTEU have been voluntarily wearing these devices for several years.

When Customs notified us last December that they intended to phase in over a 4 to 6 month period the mandatory wearing of these devices by all Customs inspectors I initially proposed the policy continue on a voluntary basis due to concerns related to training. Shortly thereafter, upon receiving information related to these training concerns, I notified Customs that I had no problem with this change. AT NO TIME DID NTEU OR ITS MEMBERS REFUSE TO IMPLEMENT THIS POLICY, NOR WOULD IT HAVE BEEN LEGAL UNDER CURRENT LAW TO DO SO. The policy went into effect as proposed by Customs.

I would like to point out, Governor, that radiation detection devices have not been provided to all Customs inspectors as of this date. Nor are such devices available to INS inspectors who work side by side with my members. It is my understanding that in situations when only INS inspectors are present at ports, no personal radiation detectors are in operation, creating a danger to the public and the workers. I would ask you to look into this situation. I believe it constitutes a serious lapse in the homeland security efforts that I know are of the utmost concern to you, to me and to the front line employees that I represent.

Governor Ridge, I realize that differences of opinion with regard to federal workers’ rights have heated up the rhetoric surrounding homeland security legislation being debated in the Senate. I urge you to step back from the kind of inaccurate and inflammatory comments you made yesterday. Suggesting that union leaders like myself do not reflect the views of our members and, in fact, are not patriotic, is insulting, counterproductive and wrong.

NTEU members at the U.S. Customs Service put their lives on the line every day to protect this country. As their elected representative, I do not forget that fact for one minute of any day. They have put their trust in me and I will fight for them. Those are the values that my Teamster father taught me when I was growing up in Pittsburgh. That’s what he told me leadership was about. The employees I represent, along with all of the employees that will be in the new Department of Homeland Security, need that kind of leadership from you. Please stop these attacks and work with us to provide this country with the best homeland security efforts possible. I know that is what all of us want.

Sincerely,

Colleen M. Kelley

National President