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Washington, D.C.—The National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) has won an important procedural decision about who is eligible to vote in its nationwide effort to organize employees of the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA).

The Regional Director of the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA)—a three-member body that oversees federal sector labor-management relations—ruled that 490 NCUA field examiners are in fact eligible to be represented by NTEU. NCUA had challenged the bargaining unit eligibility of some 500 employees, mostly credit union examiners. Including those employees whose eligibility was not challenged, some 800 NCUA professional and non-professional employees will be eligible to vote in a representation election, which could be held this spring or early summer.

“In the wake of this very positive decision,” said NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley, “we look forward to an election and to bringing the benefits of NTEU representation to NCUA employees.”

NCUA has until Feb. 28 to appeal the decision. If NCUA appeals, the FLRA has 60 days in which to act, or the decision of the Regional Director will become final.

NCUA administers the Federal Credit Union Act, which gives it the authority to supervise and regulate federally-insured credit unions, as well as some state-chartered credit unions. Its principal

task is to ensure credit union safety and soundness and to minimize risk to the National Credit Union Shared Insurance Fund. That fund covers the liabilities of an individual credit union that might be closed and liquidated, ensuring that depositors receive all their insured funds.

Organizing NCUA employees would be another step in NTEU’s growing representation of financial regulatory agencies. The union already represents employees of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

As the largest independent federal union, NTEU represents some 150,000 employees in 29 agencies and departments.

For more information, visit the NTEU web site at www.nteu.org