WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) delivered remarks today at the opening session of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU)’s 2016 Legislative Conference. This year’s theme is “Working for a Better Future.” Below are his remarks as prepared for delivery:

“Thank you, Tony – not only for that warm introduction but for your quarter-century of service to this organization and on behalf of federal employees across the country.

“Since taking the helm in August, you’ve continued the outstanding work of your predecessor, Colleen Kelley, and built upon it.

“And Jim has stepped into the National Executive Vice President role with more than thirty years of experience organizing and overseeing the growth of NTEU chapters in the west and across the country.

“And let me also say something about Mo Gilman, with whom I’ve worked closely for many years and who remains one of America’s great champions of federal employees.

Her advocacy has been critical to holding the line against many of the most egregious attempts by Republicans to roll the clock back on 130 years of federal civil service law and worker protections.

“The NTEU and America’s federal employees are very fortunate to have her in their corner every day.

“I know there are exciting things ahead at NTEU, and I am very much looking forward to continuing our work together over the coming months and years.

“And we have a lot of work ahead.

“Not only because the challenges federal employees are facing are so great, but because this Republican-led Congress is not doing its part to meet those challenges.

“In fact, it is making things even more difficult for those who serve our nation in the federal workforce.

“The 62,000 federal employees I represent in Maryland’s Fifth District and their 2.6 million colleagues across the nation have been working hard these past several years to help bring our economy from recession to recovery and to counter threats to our security at home and abroad.

“They’ve done so with extraordinary talent and an unyielding will.

“And, throughout, they’ve endured one indignity after another – from pay freezes to pension changes, from furloughs and a shutdown to a near-constant background noise of vitriol directed at them from Congressional Republicans denigrating their service and contributions.

“Not to mention, of course, the $159 billion that federal employees have already contributed to deficit reduction while others were not asked to do so.

“I have been proud to stand with NTEU and the other federal employee unions for years in defense of our hard-working federal civilian workers.

“That’s not only because I’m fortunate to represent so many in Congress but because I believe strongly that the way we treat our federal employees says a lot about our values as a country and our vision for effective government.

“In a democracy like ours, founded on the principle of government by, for and of the people, it is critical that our federal departments and agencies are responsive, effective, and accountable.

“That means we need the best civilian workforce possible, which requires that we invest in recruiting and retaining the most talented employees at every level.

“We have so many skillful and experienced federal employees, including many who are nearing or past retirement age, and we need to take steps to keep them in federal service so that our nation can benefit from their years of expertise.

“And we can’t do that if the Republican-led Congress continues to attempt changes to pensions or pay freezes.

“These also hurt our ability to recruit some of our nation’s most talented young graduates into federal service.

“So I’m going to keep working with Tony, Jim, and Mo to push Congress to take the steps necessary to increase pay, strengthen benefits, and close the pay gap between public and private sector workers.

“First and foremost, though, we need to increase membership in NTEU and bring more federal workers into the unions.

“That needs to be your most critical task this year: to go out there and sign your colleagues up.

“Organize, organize, organize! 

“When our unions are strong, our workforce is strong and protected – and our nation is stronger for it.

“And with stronger representation, we can push even harder together to achieve progress in a number of key areas.

“First, we need to raise pay.

“I’ve been calling for parity between civilian and non-combat military pay year after year, and I’m pleased that we were able to get that included in the President’s budget for 2017.

“However, we still need to get a budget through Congress.

“At the same time, 1.6 percent is simply not enough, especially after five years of pay freezes and the growth in the pay gap to 35 percent.

“I’m going to continue working to give federal employees the raise they deserve, and I’ve been working with members like Rep. Gerry Connolly and others who have been deeply involved in federal workforce issues to put forward proposals of how to do so.

“Additionally, Congress needs to pass legislation granting federal employees paid family and medical leave.

“With many private sector employers now doing the right thing and recognizing the need to help their employees balance their work and family obligations, it’s time the federal public sector did so as well.

“Not only would that help employees who need to take time off after starting a family or to care for a sick loved-one, it would also put pressure on private sector businesses without paid leave to follow suit.

“And one of the most important things we need to achieve this year is to continue defending against Republican efforts to erode due process rights for federal employees and protect the right to engage in union activities on official time.

“These are crucial rights we must protect, and we cannot allow the Republican-led Congress to turn our nonpartisan civil service into a workforce where anyone can be fired for their political ideology or affiliation.

“I’ve been proud of my votes against Republican bills and amendments to that effect, and I’m going to keep working with the NTEU to ensure that those efforts go nowhere.

“Our civil service must remain free from political interference.

“Because that’s what ‘government of the people, by the people, and for the people’ truly means:  one that is steady, stable, and represents our nation as a whole – not one that is subject to the shifting political winds.

“Republicans ought to remember their noble role in the nineteenth century leading the movement for civil service reform, which they now, sadly, seem to have forgotten and are trying to undo.

“At the same time, I’m going to continue working with my Democratic colleagues to hold the OPM accountable for the security of our federal employees’ personal data.

“The data breaches last year underscored the importance of an all-hands-on-deck approach to cybersecurity, and I will keep pushing to ensure that we are both investing in the encryption and cybersecurity technologies we need as well as protecting those whose data has already been accessed from becoming victims of identity theft.

“My office has been working closely with the OPM on this issue and will continue to do so in 2016.

“So as we move forward this year, I want to thank you for everything you’ve done to stand up for federal employees’ rights and for your efforts to make our federal workforce the best it can be.

“But I also need to ask that you redouble your efforts this year.

“As an election year, 2016 is likely to see more attacks against federal workers and attempts to diminish their contribution to our country.

“We must not let those go unanswered.

“We must not let the opponents of our civil servants’ much-deserved pay, benefits, and job security drive the narrative.

“I know NTEU is going to continue helping to organize and lead the charge against those efforts as well as to continue going on the offense for the victories I know we can achieve in the months and years ahead.

“I look forward to seeing you all on the front lines of that fight.

“Thank you.”