President Bush fires entire labor-management relations panel

President Bush Monday dismissed all seven members of a board that handles disputes between the government and federal employees, according to an official at the Federal Service Impasses Panel. Clay Johnson, director of the White House personnel office, sent all seven members of the Federal Service Impasses Panel (FSIP) letters thanking them for their government service and terminating their employment, according to Jill Crumpacker, executive assistant to Dale Cabaniss, head of the Federal Labor Relations Authority. All seven members were Clinton appointees. FSIP, which is part of the Federal Labor Relations Authority, resolves conflicts over conditions of employment between agencies and unions representing federal workers. Members of the Federal Service Impasses Panel are presidential appointees who serve on a part-time basis. Crumpacker said she was unaware of a similar incident in which a sitting President had dismissed the entire FSIP, but she pointed out that panel members "do serve at the pleasure of the President." Colleen M. Kelley, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, called Bush's actions "irresponsible." "While the President has the right to take this action, it was done with no notice and no indication of when these positions would be filled," she said. Without a panel to resolve conflicts between the government and unions representing federal employees, "the nation faces a costly disruption in labor relations," Kelley said. The White House did not return calls about the matter.