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Border agents ready to quit
Unions say many looking for new jobs
By Hernán Rozemberg
The Arizona Republic
Jan. 15, 2003
National security soon could be jeopardized because thousands of immigration agents, including members of the Border Patrol, would quit before facing new regulations stripping them of all employee rights, their union leaders warn.
The new Department of Homeland Security, which will officially begin doing business Jan. 24, assumes the duties of 22 federal agencies.
The merger includes the Immigration and Naturalization Service, which is scheduled to be split into two new branches, one for immigrant services and another for law enforcement, on March 1.
But no matter the new agency name or who's in charge, Border Patrol agents and immigration inspectors still will be needed as the nation's first line of protection, union leaders said. They said the already demoralized rank-and-file will not tolerate the loss of union protection, which many agents expect will happen under the new department.
But the government maintains that unions will be allowed to stay in place for one year, and employees will retain rights even if collective bargaining is taken away.
Agents and inspectors have long complained of being underpaid and say they are constantly confused by contradictory orders from federal leaders.
T.J. Bonner, a 25-year Border Patrol agent and president of the National Border Patrol Council, said government leaders haven't done much to assure agents that they're essential to the future security of the nation.
"People are very nervous and ready to get of town," Bonner said, noting that the council represents about 9,000 agents. "The administration doesn't seem to realize it's got a crisis in its hands."
Bonner said thousands of agents are applying or will apply for other jobs, primarily with local and state law enforcement agencies.
For example, he noted, all 79 agents attending a union meeting in San Diego last month said they were seeking other jobs.
Without unions the agents could be suspended or fired without a right to appeal, Bonner said.
He said he was not comforted after meeting last month with the future director of border security, Asa Hutchinson, who is now director of the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Charles Showalter, a vice president with the 16,000-member National Immigration and Naturalization Service Council, remains optimistic that the new department's leaders will want happy workers. But he agreed with Bonner that leaders' continued silence isn't helping.
"Inspectors have no idea of who they'll be working for and how they're going to be treated," Showalter said. "They're not going to work for someone who makes them more worried about office politics than about doing their jobs."
Gordon Johndroe, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security, said attention will be paid to union concerns even though a minority of the new agency's 190,000 workers will be union members - about 25 percent, mostly in INS and Customs, he said.
"We'll sit down and work this out together," Johndroe said. "The top thing they need to worry about is keeping terrorists out and not their job security."http://www.arizonarepublic.com/special03/articles/0115homeland-unions.html
Unions say many looking for new jobs
By Hernán Rozemberg
The Arizona Republic
Jan. 15, 2003
National security soon could be jeopardized because thousands of immigration agents, including members of the Border Patrol, would quit before facing new regulations stripping them of all employee rights, their union leaders warn.
The new Department of Homeland Security, which will officially begin doing business Jan. 24, assumes the duties of 22 federal agencies.
The merger includes the Immigration and Naturalization Service, which is scheduled to be split into two new branches, one for immigrant services and another for law enforcement, on March 1.
But no matter the new agency name or who's in charge, Border Patrol agents and immigration inspectors still will be needed as the nation's first line of protection, union leaders said. They said the already demoralized rank-and-file will not tolerate the loss of union protection, which many agents expect will happen under the new department.
But the government maintains that unions will be allowed to stay in place for one year, and employees will retain rights even if collective bargaining is taken away.
Agents and inspectors have long complained of being underpaid and say they are constantly confused by contradictory orders from federal leaders.
T.J. Bonner, a 25-year Border Patrol agent and president of the National Border Patrol Council, said government leaders haven't done much to assure agents that they're essential to the future security of the nation.
"People are very nervous and ready to get of town," Bonner said, noting that the council represents about 9,000 agents. "The administration doesn't seem to realize it's got a crisis in its hands."
Bonner said thousands of agents are applying or will apply for other jobs, primarily with local and state law enforcement agencies.
For example, he noted, all 79 agents attending a union meeting in San Diego last month said they were seeking other jobs.
Without unions the agents could be suspended or fired without a right to appeal, Bonner said.
He said he was not comforted after meeting last month with the future director of border security, Asa Hutchinson, who is now director of the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Charles Showalter, a vice president with the 16,000-member National Immigration and Naturalization Service Council, remains optimistic that the new department's leaders will want happy workers. But he agreed with Bonner that leaders' continued silence isn't helping.
"Inspectors have no idea of who they'll be working for and how they're going to be treated," Showalter said. "They're not going to work for someone who makes them more worried about office politics than about doing their jobs."
Gordon Johndroe, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security, said attention will be paid to union concerns even though a minority of the new agency's 190,000 workers will be union members - about 25 percent, mostly in INS and Customs, he said.
"We'll sit down and work this out together," Johndroe said. "The top thing they need to worry about is keeping terrorists out and not their job security."http://www.arizonarepublic.com/special03/articles/0115homeland-unions.html
With their experience, it would be easy for them to get hired by San Diego Sheriff or Police. As a rule, larger CA agencies pays its cops well and there's plenty of OT. Leave? Why not?