Ten unions have united to file suit against Department of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Acting Office of Personnel Management Director Dan Blair, claiming that the two leaders circumvented the will of Congress in the design of DoD's proposed National Security Personnel System.

The American Federation of Government Employees, the Association of Civilian Technicians, the International Association of Firefighters, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the International Federation of Professional & Technical Engineers, the Laborers International Union of North America, the Metal Trades Department of the AFL-CIO, the National Association of Government Employees, the National Federation of Federal Employees, and the United Power Trades Organization filed their suit in the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia.

The coalition claims that the Defense Department refused to consult with the unions that represent the department's employees, as called for in the defense authorization legislation that sanctioned the creation of the new personnel system. The group says that in issuing its proposed rule changes without their involvement in the system's design, both DoD and OPM have violated section 9902(m) of the Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2004.

"DoD has unveiled a plan that is has created unilaterally," said John Gage, national president of AFGE. "In the 10 meetings we had with DoD officials, we were never permitted to go beyond the superficial, resulting in a personnel system that will compromise national security, and which has grave implications for safety of America's fighting men and women."