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Washington, D.C.-- The proposed fiscal 1999 $1.7 billion budget for the Customs Service is "the bare minimum" needed by the agency to meet its responsibilities, the head of the union representing bargaining unit employees at Customs told a House subcommittee today.

President Robert M. Tobias of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) offered the union's support for the higher Customs budget, which includes a modest increase of $117 million and an additional 111 full?time equivalent positions over fiscal 1998 levels, in testimony before the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade.

"The new positions will be used to strengthen Customs' ability to disrupt normal smuggling channels, enhance investigative and intelligence capabilities and improve [the agency's] child labor enforcement program," Tobias said.

The union president noted that NTEU has been an enthusiastic partner with Customs in an aggressive six?month drug interdiction program centered on the U.S. southern border, known as "Operation Brass Ring," which so far has resulted in a 29 percent increase in narcotics seizures from year?earlier levels. "We pledge to continue our support end involvement in this critical work," Tobias said.

He noted that, in contrast to traditional adversarial labor?management postures, "Operation Brass Ring" is using labor?management techniques?limiting formal bargaining, acting in consensus whenever possible and providing that changes are not precedential ?that are common in labor?management partnerships. NTEU is the leader among federal unions in advocating and implementing workplace partnerships.

Tobias again urged Congress to provide law enforcement status for Customs inspectors and canine enforcement officers, a status granted to many others in federal service who, like those in Customs, "risk their lives every day" in the service of their country. To deny it to those in Customs is, he said, "unjust."

On specific legislative matters, the union president supported the inclusion of an employee representative on a Customs advisory board called for in H.R. 3644, noting that "the input of a frontline employee would be of great benefit" to the board and the Customs commissioner.

He said NTEU opposes proposed measures, contained in H.R 2262, affecting the Customs compensation system, which; among other things, call for changes in night work pay differentials; a cap of $25,000 annually on overtime for inspectors; and dental of overtime and premium pay in circumstances in which it clearly should be paid?such as periods of paid leave and as part of back pay awards.