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UPDATED LETTER (April 4th, 2013)
While
it appears as though Congress appropriated sufficient funds to pay the
salaries of Border Patrol agents within the current Continuing
Resolution (CR), CBP has yet to make a decision on the spending plan.
Consequently, the proposed plans and indecision have unnecessarily
caused Border Patrol agents and their families to worry about their
safety at work and the uncertainty of their financial stability. Please take
action to prevent CBP from reducing the numbers and pay of Border
Patrol agents who risk their lives daily to patrol our borders and keep
our nation safe.
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The Border Patrol is considering measures to reduce the number of Border Patrol agents in the field |
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Wednesday, 08 August 2012 |
The National Border Patrol Council (NBPC) has received information from numerous, reliable sources around the country about an imminent reduction in pay resulting from a variety of measures the Border Patrol is considering. Some of the information mirrors arguments that were presented during the Border Patrol's prior, unsuccessful campaign to reduce the pay of agents. Thankfully, that campaign failed because Congress noticed the irrational and disingenuous arguments asserted by management officials from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Border Patrol. However, it appears as though CBP and Border Patrol intend to circumvent Congress and reduce the pay of agents by decreasing the number of agents in the field at a given time.
Ironically, this effort comes at a time when the Border Patrol is increasing the salaries of high-level management positions; creating new, redundant levels of management in the chain of command; promoting mission support personnel to newly created, high-level division chief positions regardless of the fact they never attended the Border Patrol Academy or worked as a Border Patrol agent; and unnecessarily wasting taxpayer money to change the titles of many management positions.
The Union also recently discovered how many CBP labor-employee relations specialists have an equal or higher base salary than Border Patrol agents (http://tinyurl.com/94kb3oa). This information is particularly disconcerting considering how CBP and Border Patrol management officials justify the reduction in pay for agents by repeatedly claiming that CBP is operating in the red with regards to the budget and salaries.
Border Patrol Agents perform an extremely dangerous job in remote areas with substandard equipment and limited resources available to assist in an emergency. Regardless of frivolous claims made by various political appointees and management officials about the security of the border, decreasing the number of agents in the field is not an appropriate solution when one considers the efforts made by Congress to increase the number of agents. Furthermore, singling-out Border Patrol agents for a reduction in pay is not fair or sensible considering the dangers agents face on a regular basis, nor is it logical when one considers the recent discussions regarding corruption in CBP.
The CBP core value of "integrity" should apply to all employees, not just the rank and file. The NBPC urges the Administration and Congress to hold political appointees and management officials accountable for the budget shortfalls, wasteful spending, and inconsistent, disingenuous claims that these officials continue to cite when attempting to single out Border Patrol agents for a reduction in pay.
For additional information, please contact NBPC President George McCubbin III at 855-BP UNION (855-278-6466) ext. 800.
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