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Washington, D.C.—A day after a meeting of Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) employees, organized by the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) at Dulles Airport, three influential Republican members of the House asked the head of CBP to “reassess” the agency’s policy of requiring officers at Dulles and John F. Kennedy Airport in New York to pay substantial daily parking costs.

The letter to CBP Commissioner Robert Bonner was sent by Reps. Frank Wolf (VA), Tom Davis (VA) and Peter King (NY), new chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee. Rep. Wolf and NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley met with CBP employees at a meeting organized by NTEU Chapter 159 at Dulles. Rep. Davis is chairman of the Government Reform Committee, and Rep. Wolf is a key member of the House Appropriations Committee.

In their letter, the House members said that “imposing substantial parking fees on law enforcement officers engaged in homeland security activities is counterproductive.”

They added that “morale, attrition and retention issues are vital to maintaining Department of Homeland Security’s national security mission,” noting that the Dulles workforce of 200 already is strained by 30 current vacancies. As of Oct. 1, parking fees at Dulles were increased to $325 per year; at JFK, the fee is even higher—$600 annually.

President Kelley thanked the House members for their prompt attention to the issue, particularly since CBP has thus far been unwilling to bargain with Chapter 159 over the matter of unreimbursed parking.

The House members’ letter to Commissioner Bonner noted that the cost of reimbursing parking for every CBP officer at Dulles would be $65,000 a year. “For such a small cost,” they wrote, “CBP will add a huge benefit to attract new officers and improve morale among existing employees.”

It would be a particularly small price to pay for improved retention and morale, the congressmen said, pointing out that Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees at Dulles do have their parking costs reimbursed.

“These (CBP) officers work side by side and are aware of this discrepancy, causing a dramatic morale issue for CBP,” they wrote. “Considering the extensive training and expertise required of these officers, retention is key for reducing the training and hiring costs.

To read the letter, visit http://www.cbpunion.org/CMKVisit/

Bonnerparkingletter.pdf.

NTEU is the largest independent federal union, representing 150,000 employees in 30 agencies and departments, including some 14,000 in CBP.