WASHINGTON, March 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Leaders of 23 labor organizations representing federal civilian Department of Defense workers signed the following letter to Congress on Friday, February 27 to protest proposals to radically alter the rights of civilian workers under the terms of the National Defense Authorization Act adopted by Congress last year.

We, the undersigned representatives of unions representing federal employees within the Department of Defense (DOD), express our strongest possible objections to the proposals outlined by DOD officials today.

We have been presented with a series of concepts, resting on seriously deficient rationales, that would effectively reduce the federal civilian workforce to one serving totally at the whim of the Secretary of Defense. Even under the most benign imaginable conditions, this would be an unacceptable proposal.

First and foremost, the entire approach DOD has outlined contradicts the explicit instructions from Congress that any new procedures implemented under the Act must honor the rights of workers under Chapter 71 unless there is an overriding and must demonstrably be necessary for national security. Instead, we see nothing more than a demand for blanket and unilateral exemptions from any meaningful obligations beyond perfunctory "consultation" to work with employees and the representatives of their choosing, with no more justification than "because we say so."

Moreover, DOD has failed to comply with the congressional instruction that this new system should be developed jointly with the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). We understand that OPM has played no substantive role in the plan.

Furthermore, it is evident that these proposals would destroy more than a century of positive relationships between employees and management that have been built on shared trust in the objectivity, integrity and mutual dedication to the mission of the Department of Defense by the civilian workforce.

What we see in these proposals is an underlying contempt for workers and their representatives.

Finally, we cannot and will not accept verbal assurances that DOD will address -- at some future date and in some vague way -- our expressed concerns over the absence of legitimate employee appeals procedures including expressly the elimination of the grievance-arbitration process.

Regardless of the mission of a federal agency, there can be no justification for subjugating the fundamental rights and freedoms of an entire class of workers and substituting the unilateral authority of a cabinet secretary in place of sound and proven dialogue between management and workers.

It may at times be inconvenient, or even unpleasant to recognize workers rights. But, these rights exist and they are vital! It is not DOD's prerogative to destroy them and we cannot abide by the wholesale destruction which DOD proposes.

We call upon Congress to inform DOD that this proposal is contrary to congressional intent and should be withdrawn.

    Signed:
    Ronald Ault  Metal Trades Department (AFL-CIO)
    John Barry  IUOE
    Tom Bastas  ACT
    Gil Bateman  IBEW
    Rick Blea  UA
    Travis Brock  United Power Trades
    Rick Brown  NFFE
    Don Buchanan  SMWIA
    Becky Buchele  NAGI
    Frank Carelli  IAMAW
    Randi Cisazewski  MEBA & MMP
    Dale Dandrea  NAGE
    Kelly Dull  AFGE-DFAS
    Joe A. Gonzales  AFGE (Army Depot)
    Robbie Ataham-Exley  LIUNA
    Susan Grundmann  NFFE
    Don Hale  AFGE DEFCON
    Jim Hewitt  LIUNA
    Jim Johnson  IAFF
    Clark King  IFPTE
    Steve Lenkart  NAGE
    Jerry Surrey  SEIU
    Claud Lewbach  United Power Trades
    Maryanne Lewis  NAGE
    Tom Maahs  DCMA/AFGE Council 170
    Pat Mason  AFGE
    Rocky Morrill  AFGE (Navy)
    Matt Morrison  AFT
    H.T. Nguyen  FEA/NEA
    Susanne Pooler-Johnson  NAGE
    James Price  IAMAW
    Robert D. Purcell  LIUNA
    George L. Reaves  NAIL
    Brent Reynolds  AFGE
    Mark Roth  AFGE
    Dale B. Schafer  C240-AFGE
    Dan Schember  ACT
    Jim Seidl  Metal Trades Dept.
    Michael Sheehan  NAGE
    Richard Tarr  FEA
    Ben Toyama  IFPTE
    Patty Viers  AFGE DLA
    Keith Wagner  Heat and Frost Insulators
    Tony Walencik  Ironworkers Intnl
    Bob West  NAAE
    Tracy J. Brock for Mark Matoamoto  Hawaii Defense Comm. Council
    Bill McDevitt  Painters and Allied Trades