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Washington, D.C.—As the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officially begins its operations today, the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) stands ready to share ideas that will contribute to its success, NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley said.

NTEU represents some 12,000 employees of the Customs Service who will be among the 170,000 employees from 22 federal agencies and departments transferred into DHS.

“NTEU wants DHS to succeed in its critical mission of protecting Americans,” President Kelley said. “We want DHS employees to be able to do the jobs the American people expect of them, and we stand ready to work with the administration to accomplish these goals.”

Under the legislation creating DHS, Secretary Ridge and the director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) will have latitude to develop and implement a personnel management system.

Kelley has been outspoken in her belief that the only way the new department can succeed is for its employees to be fully involved in both the development and implementation of such a system. “Any way you look at it, that is the key,” she said.

At the same time, President Kelley said she remains concerned that the new agency lacks adequate resources to perform its missions, and that employees moving to DHS still have more questions than answers about possible changes in their pay and benefits, and on other key personnel issues. “Uncertainty always leads to low morale and poses the serious risk of hampering the work of this department,” she said.

The NTEU leader reiterated that the Senate’s rejection last week of an amendment to the omnibus appropriations bill that would have added $5 billion for homeland security demonstrates a lack of full

understanding of the work done by federal employees at the front lines of homeland security.

“The rhetoric of improved security must be matched by the resources to turn that into reality,” President Kelley said. “Anything less is a disservice not only to the federal employees charged with responsibility for keeping the nation safe, but to the American people as a whole,” she added.

NTEU is the largest independent federal union, representing more than 150,000 employees in 28 agencies and departments.