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Washington, D.C.—The leader of the union representing thousands of frontline homeland security employees is moving assertively to seek appropriate steps to protect the traveling public, as well as workers at the nation’s ports of entry and airport passenger screeners from the possibility of contacting swine flu.

The National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) is in touch with senior management at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) on this vital issue. NTEU represents the entire 22,000-employee CBP workforce, as well as thousands of TSA screeners at major airports across the nation.

“There are immediate and important issues that need to be addressed,” said NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley, including having DHS modify its ban against CBP Officers and TSA screeners wearing masks so that employees can don a protective mask at his or her discretion.

In the present circumstance, Kelley has called for CBP and TSA employees to have the right to wear masks and gloves, and to have frequent breaks so they may wash their hands; this latter precaution is prominent among the recommendations of a variety of public health experts.

Another issue significantly affecting the work of both CBP and TSA employees is the impact on them of guidance from both the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) that, for safety reasons dealing with this outbreak, they maintain a distance of at least six feet between themselves and someone who appears to be ill.

“That is virtually impossible for TSOs in the screening process,” President Kelley said, “particularly those assigned to pat-down, wanding and boarding pass checking responsibilities.” As for CBP Officers, she noted they regularly work in close proximity with travelers, including performing such duties as checking documents.

Kelley said NTEU is working to ensure that employees have ready access to hand-washing facilities, and that those assigned to perform functions in closer proximity than six feet be provided the option of wearing protective masks and gloves.

In these discussions, Kelley said NTEU has stressed the fact that both OPM and the CDC have said travelers could be contagious with the disease without showing symptoms, and that any kind of restriction on wearing protective masks by employees undercuts the safety afforded by that measure.

“NTEU believes the best course is to act with an abundance of caution,” the union leader said.

NTEU is the largest independent federal union, representing some 150,000 employees in 31 agencies and departments.