Just as a family that has recently moved must become accustomed to a new home, employees of the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection are trying adjust to their new circumstances.

Since March 1, the enforcement arm of the former United States Customs Service has been part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The reorganization also merged the U.S. Border Patrol, parts of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, and parts of the U.S. Department of Agriculture with Customs into a single organization. Some Customs functions—primarily those relating to revenue collections—remain with the Department of the Treasury.

The agency's new name and acronym (BCBP) are real tongue-twisters. Not surprisingly, international traders continue to refer to it simply as "Customs," and Customs itself has adopted the shorter Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on its Web site (www.cbp.gov).

Overseeing the transition of the four federal agencies to a single operation is Andrew B. Maner, chief of staff to CBP Commissioner Robert C. Bonner. Prior to joining Customs last year, Maner was an executive at two information technology companies. Before that, he served in several capacities in the first Bush Administration and did stints with A.T. Kearney, the Chicago Board of Trade, and a Washington, D.C., lobbying firm.

Customs has set a goal of having a truly unified agency in one year, Maner said last month at the Coalition of New England Companies for Trade (CONECT) annual conference in Newport, R.I. To realize that goal, he said, his office created a dedicated transition management team, researched both successful and failed mergers in private business, and brought in consultants on change management.

The biggest challenge for CBP, Maner said, will be to successfully manage the merger while implementing a steady stream of new trade security laws and regulations that require fundamental changes in the way Customs and the trade community do business.

Another concern for the new agency is labor management. The merger of four federal organizations means that CBP's 30,000 employees currently are represented by six labor unions.

In March, Bonner, Maner, and other top CBP officials met with union leaders to discuss the importance of cooperation in an agency that is dedicated to national security. The group agreed to hold a series of meetings to discuss labor concerns, including integration issues that will be subject to collective bargaining. Whatever the outcome, Maner said, labor issues must not be allowed to compromise CBP's ability to carry out its mission. "We cannot be held back by [collective bargaining agreements] and we will not. We're going to be aggressive. Ultimately, there's going to have to be fewer than six unions."

Maner also addressed the international trade community's concerns that CBP's focus on security could restrain trade and damage the economy. "We're not going to change things just for the sake of change," he said. "Everything we do has to pass a two-way test: If it doesn't improve anti-terrorism efforts and make the trade process more efficient, it's not acceptable."

Finally, Maner sought to reassure importers about CBP's ability to manage the flow of advance data that is required under the Trade Act of 2002. No information requirements will be implemented before the agency and its information systems are ready to handle that data, he said. "The Trade Act will be designed responsibly and will be implemented responsibly."