A Message from the NTEU National President

You see federal employees every time you fly, checking passengers and their carry-on bags as the first line of defense in the effort to keep air travel safe. You see them if you travel in and out of the country, too, clearing vehicles and passengers at ports of entry across the nation.

These are among the most visible examples of the men and women of the federal workforce. At the same time, there are a great many others you don’t see, but who have an equally profound impact on the quality of your life and that of every person in America.

They print our nation’s money; preserve our national parks, historic sites and other evidence of our history and heritage; they work hard in pursuit of a healthier America and a nation in which no one goes hungry; they work every day to find ways for us to become energy independent; they help ensure a viable agricultural industry; they strive to make certain that our air and water are clean and healthful; they make sure our airwaves are used in the public interest; they help protect our democracy by letting us know who contributes to candidates for federal office; they collect the taxes that make all of this possible—and they work to ensure that everyone pays his or her fair share.

All that is just the beginning of the list of tasks these dedicated and talented public servants undertake each day in your name and in your service. These men and women make up the most diverse, best educated workforce in America, and they do it all for you, every day.

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The federal workforce, which provides so many vital services to America’s taxpayers, is at the beginning of a retirement wave that is predicted to become a tsunami. About 60% of current federal workers—and 90% of civilian senior government executives—will be eligible to retire in the next ten years. We need to preserve their expertise and attract new workers to a federal career.

It’s easy to take for granted the work that federal employees do. But they ought not to be overlooked, because there is a straight line linking their commitment to excellence, expertise and efforts to your life and that of your family.

The stereotype of government as an army of file clerks is a fallacy. At the federal level, it is much more likely to be a group of scientists searching for a cure for cancer or other diseases; a group of experts on all kinds of merchandise protecting the public from counterfeit products; a group of agricultural inspectors working to keep harmful pests from threatening our food supply; a group of patent attorneys helping foster the inventive climate so vital to our economic success; a group of experts in money and investing ensuring the integrity of our financial markets—and so many more doing so much more.

You surely will recognize federal employees in another way, too—as full-fledged members of your community, taking part in so many familiar neighborhood activities like helping keep a park clean or coaching a softball team. They do it for the same reasons you do—they love their community and their country and are happy being an integral part of both. And it is that joy and sense of fulfillment from working in the service of others that led them to choose the federal workplace.  

America’s federal workers. They truly do work for U. S.

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