Union to appeal A-76 ruling on defense depot work

The American Federation of Government Employees will appeal a decision to outsource management of a Defense Logistics Agency depot in Barstow, Calif., AFGE officials said Tuesday.

Last week, DLA announced that operations and management of the Defense Distribution Depot in Barstow will be contracted out to EG&G Logistics, of Manassas, Va. AFGE has 20 calendar days to appeal that decision.

AFGE is currently examining the documentation of the public-private competition and will appeal the decision based on errors in costing and failure to comply with Office of Management and Budget Circular A-76, which governs public-private competitions, said Wiley Pearson, an AFGE spokesman.

"For us, this is not an academic issue. We're talking about people's lives here. So, we'll do everything in our power to make the case that the government arrived at the wrong decision," Pearson said.

According to AFGE, 120 warehouse jobs will be affected by the DLA decision. The California depot stores and distributes large tactical vehicles and equipment, tests and repairs nuclear, chemical and biological equipment, and provides support to Marine, Army, Navy and Coast Guard units.