The National Border Patrol Council, the union for Border Patrol Agents, is urging Congress to pass an amendment to H.R. 5230 that will increase border security.
Council President, Brandon Judd says, “At this time of critical need, we are not fully staffed at the border. Currently, federal restrictions prevent us from doing the job we are trained to do. We must be able to use the resources we have to fulfill our mission of protecting the borders. The Pay Reform legislation gives us the ability to get our full complement of agents in the field.”
“Confusion and uncertainty caused by new rules on Administratively Uncontrollable Overtime are a prime example of why we need a consistent and reliable system to pay Border Patrol agents,” said Arizona Congressman Ron Barber. “That is why nearly 10 months ago, I joined Rep. Jason Chaffetz, a Utah Republican, and other colleagues in introducing the bipartisan H.R. 3463, The Border Patrol Pay Reform Act. This bill will create certainty for our agents and save taxpayers more than $100 million.”
In a memo released last week, Customs and Border Protection Commissioner R. Gil Kerlikowske said that AUO would be available to frontline field agents in the Border Patrol, first-line supervisors and field investigators.
It will not be available to supervisors and managers “at or above the second-line supervisory level and employees performing administrative and predictable duties.” That affects about 75 Border Patrol personnel in Arizona, Chief of the Border Patrol Michael J. Fisher told Barber.
The Border Patrol Pay Reform Act addresses AUO – the overtime component within the Border Patrol pay system that was established almost 40 years ago. AUO has been a frequent target in budget negotiations, leaving agents uncertain what they will earn from year to year.
The legislation would resolve this problem while saving taxpayers more than $1 billion over 10 years, according to initial estimates.
It would replace AUO with three options:
•work 80 hours in a pay period and receive straight pay;
•work 90 hours in a pay period and receive a 12.5 percent pay differential;
•or work 100 hours in a pay period and receive a 25 percent pay differential.
Local 2544 of the National Border Patrol Council backed the legislation when it was introduced – but the bill has not advanced in the House, according to Barber.