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Washington, D.C.—The head of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) today reacted angrily to what she described as an attempt at “union-busting” by the administration in seeking to strip union rights from NTEU members, some of whom have held them for more than 30 years.

These employees are inspectors of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) who were transferred into the Justice Department from the Treasury Department less than four months ago.

NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley said she received information earlier today that Justice would notify the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) that it “has determined that our inspectors are exempt” from the NTEU bargaining unit “based on a new position description.” The move would affect between 450 and 500 employees, Kelley said.

“This disgraceful act of union-busting is what I have come to expect from this administration,” the NTEU leader said. She called it “even worse” than the executive order of more than a year ago that prevented employees of the Office of the U.S. Attorney in Miami from voting on whether or not they wished to be represented by NTEU.

She noted that neither the FLRA, which oversees federal sector labor relations, nor the Justice Department itself has provided NTEU with any formal notification of the action—and said that NTEU will fight such a determination.

The Justice Department itself seemed to take notice of the likelihood of a fight. In an electronic communication to its managers, it suggested that NTEU might file suit over the decision and that “hearings, testimony, depositions, etc. may result.”

Earlier this year, in conjunction with the creation of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), some inspectors of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms were transferred from the Treasury Department to Justice. NTEU’s first ATF chapter was chartered in 1970.

Last year, while NTEU was engaged in an organizing drive among employees of the Office of U.S. Attorney in Miami, the Justice Department successfully urged the Bush administration to issue an executive order not only preventing these employees from unionizing, but stripping from some 500 unionized employees their union and collective bargaining rights.

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