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Washington, D.C.—The leader of the nation’s largest independent union of federal workers today praised the hundreds of employees of the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) who have stepped forward to volunteer in the ongoing relief efforts following Hurricane Katrina.

In fact, the response from CBP employees to the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) call for volunteers has been so overwhelming that the agency has more qualified volunteers than it can currently deploy, said President Colleen M. Kelley of National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU). NTEU represents 14,000 CBP employees.

“The response of CBP employees during this time when the need for assistance is so urgent is a testament to the spirit of this federal workforce and its commitment to our country’s well being,” said the NTEU leader. “What is more impressive is that many of these employees have agreed to volunteer despite the sparse details available to them regarding their assignments, including the length and dates of their travel. This is a tremendous sacrifice not only on the part of these very generous CBP employees, but also their families.”

In the days since Hurricane Katrina, NTEU has been working to ensure actions are taken to support impacted federal employees and is disseminating information on how to help and obtain help. In addition, NTEU has offered its assistance to the Office of Personnel Management in such activities as marshalling volunteers, as well as to individual agencies in ensuring Americans continue to receive essential government services.

President Kelley is reminding employees from all government agencies that they can help hurricane victims by contributing to the Federal Employees Education and Assistance Fund’s (FEEA) NTEU Fund. This newly created fund allows donors to earmark contributions to go directly to assist impacted federal employees in NTEU-represented agencies.

Money raised will be used to provide federal employees with emergency assistance and relief, as well as grants and no-interest loans to help with rebuilding efforts. Employees can also contribute by pledging to FEEA #1234 in the Combined Federal Campaign, which began Sept. 1. For more information on the FEEA NTEU Fund, visit www.feea.org/NTEUdonations.pdf.

NTEU is the largest independent federal union, representing some 150,000 employees in 30 agencies and departments.