A group of Peterson Air Force Base commissary workers met with managers Tuesday to address a union grievance over the removal of a Presidents Day notice because it had President Barack Obama’s picture on it.

Management’s response to the grievance wasn’t available, but a spokesman defended the removal of the notice as good customer service after “several” patrons said it was inappropriate for the holiday marking the birthdays of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.

“These actions were motivated by a sense of customer service, not by any racial or political animosities,” said Ron Kelly, director of communications with the Defense Commissary Agency in Fort Lee, Va.

He said the agency was preparing a response to the grievance within the 10 days allowed under union procedures.

Kelly also emphasized that the picture removed wasn’t a portrait but rather a piece of “clip art” in the upper corner of a flier announcing the commissary would be open on Presidents Day, Feb. 16.

Kelly said the 2008 version of the flier wasn’t available, but the 2007 flier didn’t feature the picture of any living president. He’s also said a former manager told him no fliers from previous years featured current presidents.

This month, a customer complained about the flier with Obama’s picture, saying Presidents Day celebrates Washington’s and Lincoln’s birthdays, not living presidents or the current commander in chief.

But American Federation of Government Employees Local 1867 President Sterling Hiibschman said, “Their past practice is irrelevant.”

He alleged the flier was removed due to the complaint of “one female Caucasian,” not several people, and those actions “were backward and ignorant in terms of sensitivity of their minority employees.”

Hiibschman said if management and employees can’t work out a remedy, the matter could be appealed and ultimately go to arbitration.

Several union members submitted a petition to Peterson Air Force Base accusing it of “a pattern of hostility toward people of color” and ineffective Equal Employment Opportunity procedures. The petition seeks a sweeping investigation of racism in Colorado Springs and El Paso County governments, schools and at other military bases in the region.

“The 21st Space Wing at Peterson AFB is committed to providing a hostile-free work environment and has highly trained equal opportunity counselors who conduct inquiries of allegations from complainants thoroughly and expeditiously,” Jeff Bohn, a 21st Space Wing spokesman said in a statement. The wing operates Peterson.

He said in the past year, the Peterson Equal Employment Opportunity office handled one complaint alleging racism.

He didn’t say how it was resolved but said the base’s training program and a zero-tolerance policy resulted in the low number of complaints.

He also noted that official portraits of Obama have been placed in the appropriate places in base buildings, replacing those of former President George W. Bush.

Hiibschman called the employee petition’s complaints “too vague” to be included in a grievance, which must seek specific remedies.

“I think those (EEO processes) do work if they’re done right and if the case merits it,” he said. “No process is going to work for a meritless case.”

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