IRS union elects new president

The National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), the country’s largest federal labor group, on Tuesday elected a longtime executive to be its new president.

Tony Reardon, currently the NTEU’s executive vice president, will replace Colleen Kelley, who’s retiring after 16 years at the helm of the union.

{mosads}Reardon, who received roughly nine out of every 10 votes in the union’s election, said he was “honored and humbled” by the support. 

“I am committed to building on Colleen’s legacy and strengthening NTEU’s role as the voice of the federal workforce on Capitol Hill, at the agencies, in the media and in the courts,” added Reardon, who has spent a quarter-century at the union.

“Our members do critical work for our country and I will fight for them and be vigorous in my defense of them. I promise to work hard each day to help them realize their aspirations for the future.”

The union has had a tough job in recent years defending IRS staffers in the wake of the agency’s improper scrutiny of Tea Party groups seeking tax-exempt status. The NTEU has, for instance, pushed back at Republicans who have criticized bonuses received by IRS employees and the GOP’s successful efforts to slash the agency’s budget.