Message from the National President

Dear CBP Employees,

I am writing to inform you of the aggressive steps NTEU is taking to ensure that CBP appropriately protects all of its employees from exposure to the swine flu.

NTEU has asked DHS senior management to modify its ban against CBP Officers wearing masks and permit employees to don a mask at their discretion. I pointed out to DHS and CBP that the Centers for Disease Control has said that a traveler could be contagious with the disease without showing symptoms, and that the ban on wearing masks undercuts the safety afforded by that protection. I also pointed out that Office of Personnel Management guidance tells employees to maintain a distance of at least six feet from someone who appears to be ill, but this is virtually impossible for frontline CBP employees.

Management contends that the traveling public would be alarmed by seeing CBP employees in masks, but NTEU believes that travelers—many of whom are wearing masks themselves—would understand. And most importantly, your safety must be a priority.

As NTEU continues to pursue this matter with CBP officials, I advise employees who have the option and desire to wear masks to do so. If management orders you to remove your mask, as much as I disagree with this policy, I recommend that you comply with it if it is a direct order until the situation is resolved. I will notify you as soon as NTEU receives a response from management.

NTEU is doing everything in our power to make sure that management moves quickly to provide adequate safety measures for all CBP employees, for as long as the swine flu threat exists.

Thank you for your service to our country every day, and especially during this critical time.