http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/16/politics/16UNIO.html
New York Times
January 16, 2002

Bush, Citing Security, Bans Some Unions at Justice Dept.
By STEVEN GREENHOUSE

Invoking security concerns, President Bush has issued an executive
order barring union representation at United States attorneys' offices
and at four other agencies in the Justice Department.

Although federal law bans strikes by federal employees, White House
officials said Mr. Bush had issued his order out of concern that union
contracts could restrict the ability of workers in the Justice
Department to protect Americans and national security.

The order, issued on Jan. 7, has angered unions, which say the
president is exploiting the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 to pursue a
campaign against unions.

The order bars representation for more than 500 workers at the United
States attorneys' offices, the criminal division, the National Drug
Intelligence Center, the Office of Intelligence Policy and Review and
the National Central Bureau of Interpol.

The associate director for collective bargaining at the American
Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Steven Kreisberg,
said unionization in no way threatened national security.

"We're outraged by this," said Mr. Kreisberg, whose union represents
more than 300 employees in the Justice Department, including
secretaries, file clerks and messengers.

"A lot of these Justice Department workers have been members of unions
for 20 years," he said, "and there's never been an allegation of a
problem. It's a very cynical use of the Sept. 11 tragedy by an
antiunion administration."

A spokeswoman for the White House, Anne Womack, said previous
presidents had barred other classes of federal workers from unionizing
by invoking the national security exemption in the law that gives
federal employees the right to unionize.

"The legislation," Ms. Womack said, "recognizes that a unionized work
force is not always appropriate for certain agencies or subdivisions of
government, including employees who engage in investigation,
intelligence, counterintelligence or national security."

The order has widened a rift between Mr. Bush and labor. Last week,
unions condemned his naming Eugene Scalia, son of Justice Antonin
Scalia of the Supreme Court, as Labor Department solicitor after
failing to win Senate approval. As a corporate lawyer, Mr. Scalia had
enraged unions by saying an ergonomics regulation from the Clinton
administration intended to reduce workplace injuries was based on
"quackery" and "junk science."

Copyright 2002 The New York Times Company