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Washington, D.C.—The president of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) today urged the Senate to “firmly reject” an amendment to pending homeland security legislation that “would serve to negate” civil service protections for tens of thousands of federal employees, “while doing nothing positive” to improve the nation’s security. NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley was sharply critical of the amendment offered by Sens. Phil Gramm (R-TX) and Zell Miller (D-GA).

NTEU represents nearly 12,000 employees of the Customs Service, who are among the 170,000 federal workers from some 22 agencies and departments who would be transferred into the new Department of Homeland Security.

“These are dedicated, talented men and women who work every day to protect our nation,” the NTEU leader said. “It is beyond me why anyone would think it serves any rational, reasonable purpose to strip them of their rights at the same time that we are asking them to provide even more service to America.”

The Gramm-Miller amendment largely mirrors language in House-passed homeland security legislation that would allow civil service rules to be replaced at the discretion of the secretary of the new department, and allow the president to take away union rights for employees transferred to the Homeland Security Department.

The amendment is being offered to homeland security legislation advanced by Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) that would retain civil service and collective bargaining rights for the employees transferred into the new department.

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