Debunking misperceptions about the people who protect the country’s security, economy and public health and assist our most vulnerable citizens
 Clean air. Hurricane rescue and recovery. Secure borders. Safe medicine. Efficient tax system. Sound banks. Catching criminals on Wall Street. Groundbreaking science. Preserving national parks. These are just some of the things federal employees work on every day across the country. In fact, more than 80 percent of the nation’s federal employees live and work outside the Washington DC area.
A recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll found 57 percent of the public saying that the government should do more to solve problems and meet the needs of Americans; the highest percentage since the poll question began 22 years ago. Yet the efficient and effective government Americans want is jeopardized by budget cuts that result in a less-skilled federal workforce with fewer resources.
Federal employees are nonpartisan professionals who work for the taxpayers, not the politicians. Their role to uphold the Constitution and protect the public has been clouded by long standing myths about who they are and what they do. The National President of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), Tony Reardon, is here to set the record straight and tackle some of the most pervasive and hurtful myths about the men and women who work for the taxpayers.  Tony will discuss:
- Myths surrounding the nation’s civil servants (i.e. they are part of the swamp that needs to be drained, the federal workforce has grown out of control, they get free benefits and lifetime job security, etc.)
- The services federal employees provide taxpayers
- Customized stat of how many federal employees are in your local community; who they are- your neighbors, law enforcement officers, nuclear physicists, accountants, lawyers, bank examiners, chemists, engineers, secretaries, doctors, air traffic controllers, etc.
- Challenges federal employees are facing, and why that matters to all taxpayers
About Anthony M. Reardon (Tony) Anthony M. Reardon (Tony) was elected national president in 2015 at the National Treasury Employees Union’s (NTEU) 55th convention. As the union’s top elected official, he serves as the spokesperson for the union representing NTEU with the media, Congress and agency leadership on issues of importance to union members and federal employees. He leads NTEU’s efforts to ensure dignity and respect for all federal workers.
Reardon joined NTEU in 1990 as the union’s operations manager and rose to become chief operating executive, a position he held for 11 years. Throughout his career, Reardon has recognized that a union’s strength lies in its membership. He places a premium on building NTEU’s membership and providing exemplary service to its members. In December 2013, Reardon was elected to serve as national executive vice president—NTEU’s second-highest position. He represented NTEU on various union-agency management forums and worked with agency leaders. In 2015, President Obama appointed Reardon to the Federal Salary Council.
The NTEU represents 150,000 federal employees in 31 departments and agencies.
Sponsored by: National Treasury Employees Union (www.NTEU.org)
