Home Media Center News Releases

Washington, D.C.—In the largest representation election ever in the federal sector, the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) has won a major victory in its campaign to become the single representative of the more than 20,000 bargaining unit employees in the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

In the mail ballot conducted by the Federal Labor Relations Board (FLRA), NTEU was the choice of eligible voters by a count of 7,369 to 3,426. NTEU must be certified by the FLRA as the exclusive representative of the CBP bargaining unit five days after the election, unless objections are filed by the other union on the ballot. If so, the objections must be resolved before NTEU is certified.

“This is a major victory not only for NTEU, but for all the dedicated women and men of CBP, who will now have available to them NTEU’s demonstrated skill and determination at the bargaining table and in representing their interests in the workplace, in the courts and on Capitol Hill,” said NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley. CBP employees play critical roles in the nation’s physical and economic security.

She called on the FLRA to certify NTEU as the sole bargaining representative of CBP employees “as soon as possible,” so that the union can begin negotiations for a new labor agreement.

CBP, which is a bureau of the Department of Homeland Security, is made up of the U.S. Customs Service—where NTEU had been the bargaining representative for more than 30 years; and the Immigration and Naturalization Service and Agriculture Department.

“I’m pleased that NTEU had so much support from employees from all three legacy agencies, as well as the newly hired CBP Officers,” President Kelley, “and I look forward to their full integration into single, united bargaining unit that speaks with one voice at CBP.”

A united bargaining unit, she said, “will be well positioned to address serious problems” at CBP, including low employee morale caused by a variety of agency decisions and actions—including implementation of a misguided and mismanaged program known as ‘One Face at the Border.’

By combining the work of legacy inspectors from these three key segments of CBP, Kelley said, the impact of the program has been to seriously dilute inspectional expertise. NTEU repeatedly has called for the elimination or the complete overhaul of the ‘One Face’ program.

“Critical employee issues at CBP have been put on hold for far too long by the agency, pending the outcome of this election,” said Kelley. “The employees have made their choice clear; now it is time to move forward and make a difference in the lives of these dedicated homeland security professionals.”

In addition, the NTEU leader said, the combined voices of CBP employees will lend strength to the union’s continuing call for additional resources—including more staffing—at the nation’s 317 ports of entry.

The representation election was the result of a petition by CBP to the FLRA for a single bargaining unit. Prior to that, CBP employees were represented by the unions that served them at the time of the 2002 creation of DHS. The FLRA oversees federal sector labor relations.

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