[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 18115]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


[[Page 18115]]

                 ON ROBERT M. TOBIAS, PRESIDENT OF NTEU

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Tancredo). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, in 1995, the National Treasury Employees 
Union, along with other Federal employee and retiree organizations, 
defeated the first attempt by the 104th Congress to raise Federal 
employees' retirement contributions and reduce their pension.
  At a press conference celebrating the victory, the NTEU national 
president, Robert Tobias, is quoted as saying, told over 500 Federal 
employees in attendance, ``You promised to serve the public with 
honesty. You promised to work hard. You promised to serve the public. 
And in return, you were promised fair treatment and fair pay. It 
sounded like a fair deal. You kept your word. Now we're asking Congress 
to keep its word.''
  Bob Tobias has spent the last 31 years making sure that the executive 
branch and Congress keep their promises to Federal employees. He has 
used lawsuits as a way to further Federal employees' causes and to 
escape the narrow confines of Federal collective bargaining.
  He has testified before the Subcommittee on Civil Service on behalf 
of the 155,000 Federal employees NTEU represents on numerous cases.
  Mr. Tobias is a leading authority on Federal employees' issues and by 
extension has expanded his union's lobbying power on Capitol Hill.
  In the last 20 years, Mr. Tobias has been involved in the development 
of a Federal employees retirement system, FERS, protecting Federal 
employees' health benefits program, restructuring the Internal Revenue 
Service, advocating for closure of the pay gap for Federal employees, 
and he worked with Vice President Gore to create labor-management 
partnership councils across the Government.
  Mr. Tobias is leaving the NTEU to embark on a second career, writing, 
teaching, and educating a new generation on public policy. Given Mr. 
Tobias' history, this is probably an attempt to train future 
politicians on how to vote on Federal employees issues before they get 
to Capitol Hill.
  As ranking member of the Subcommittee on Civil Service and on behalf 
of all Federal employees in my congressional district and throughout 
this wonderful country, I wish you the best, Mr. Tobias, in your future 
endeavors.

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