NFFE Local 1998 President Appears on CNN

Colin Walle, National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE) Local 1998 President, recently appeared on CNN to discuss the unprecedented volume of passport applications received by the Department of State this year, and the resulting consequences for passport adjudicators.

When the new Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) went info effect this January, requiring passports for air travel to the Caribbean, Canada and Mexico, passport applications began arriving at a never before seen rate.  The wait time for a passport increased from the previous average of 6-8 weeks to more than three months.

The State Department took a number of measures to reduce the backlog of applications, including hiring 400 new workers, opening a new processing center in Arkansas, calling retired employees back to work, and enlisting help from foreign service staffers.  The passport requirement for air travel to the previously mentioned areas was also relaxed temporarily. 

In spite of these measures, the workload has been daunting for passport employees.  Walle discussed carts of applications taking over break rooms and “teetering over employees.”  “The sheer volume of work itself has been grossly intimidating,” explained Walle, interviewed on CNN.

While the Department of State claims that the passport wait times are now back to their original average, the passport requirement for WHTI air travel went back into effect yesterday and passports will be required to travel to these destinations by car next summer, so whether the passport adjudicators are able to remain caught up, and at what cost, remains to be seen.

“Brother Walle did an excellent job of representing NFFE in the national media,” said NFFE National President Richard N. Brown.  “NFFE is proud to stand beside Local 1998, and will continue to fight to help ensure that Passport employees are able to work in the best possible conditions while maintaining the integrity of the passport adjudication process.”

To view the story on CNN, click here:  http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2007/09/30/chernoff.passport.deadline.CNN?iref=videosearch