The Nation : Army Drug Testing of Civilians Upheld

About 7,000 civilian employees of the Army can be required to undergo random urine tests to detect drug use, a federal appeals court ruled. The 3-0 decision by the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia upheld most of a 1986 Army plan to ask some civilian employees to undergo drug tests. The ruling means that civilians who fly or service the Army’s planes and helicopters, work in law enforcement or as drug counselors will be required to submit to urinalysis on a random basis. The plan would also require them to pass a drug test before being hired, if their supervisor had probable cause to suspect on-duty drug impairment or if they were involved in a mishap. But the court declined to uphold testing for workers with access to chemical or nuclear warfare agents, or for laboratory employees who conduct urinalysis tests for the drug and alcohol control program. The ruling was prompted by six lawsuits filed by the National Federation of Federal Employees and the American Federation of Government Employees.