11/1/11: Today NTEU wrote this letter to every member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform urging a “No” vote on moving out of committee, H.R. 3029, a bill to slash the size of the federal workforce by 10 percent by 2015. The bill was introduced by Representative Mick Mulvaney (R-SC) on September 22, 2011, and is identical to H.R. 2114, the Workforce Reduction Act introduced by full committee chair Representative Darrell Issa (R-CA) earlier in the year. Both measures call for a workforce that is 10 percent smaller by 2015 and require that only one employee may be hired for every three who leave. If the 10 percent reduction is not met by the end of the third quarter of 2014, a hiring freeze would be imposed on all federal agencies. 

As you can tell by the attached letter, NTEU opposes this misguided legislation. Despite what its proponents say, the provisions of this legislation will drastically reduce an already shrunken federal workforce, will not produce savings, and will result in reduced services to the public.  Furthermore, while the bill claims work will not be shifted to contractors, it opens an enormous loophole to allow new costly contracts when there is a claim of “financial advantage.” Private contractors generally cost more, are less accountable, and are unable to do the work as well or as efficiently as federal workers.

NTEU vehemently opposes this bill, and we will work against moving it through the legislative process.  For more information on this issue and to find out how you can help, you can visit www.capwiz.com/nteu.