Tens of thousands of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees may lose union privileges after the Department of Homeland Security announced Friday it is ending a collective bargaining agreement with the TSA.
The decision strips collective bargaining power from unionized Transportation Security Officers (TSO) in particular, who are responsible for screening passengers, baggage, and cargo at airports and other transportation places.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which represents TSO, has failed to protect members’ actual interests, as well as hindered productivity and merit-based performance.
“Thanks to Secretary Noem’s action, Transportation Security Officers will no longer lose their hard-earned dollars to a union that does not represent them,” a DHS spokesperson said. “This action will ensure Americans will have a more effective and modernized workforces across the nation’s transportation networks. TSA is renewing its commitment to providing a quick and secure travel process for Americans.”
TSA has nearly 200 officers working full-time solely on union matters, with salaries funded by taxpayer dollars. Most airports are already short on screening officers, DHS said, with 374 out of 432 airports having fewer than 200 TSO to perform screening functions.
DHS also claims that at 86% of federalized airports, TSA has more employees doing full-time union work than performing screening functions, at taxpayer expense.
But AFGE President Everett Kelley called the DHS’ decision an “unprovoked attack” based on “completely fabricated” claims.
“Secretary Noem and the Trump administration have violated these patriotic Americans’ right to join a union,” Kelley said in a statement. [T]his action has nothing to do with efficiency, safety, or homeland security. This is merely a pretext for attacking the rights of regular working Americans across the country because they happen to belong to a union.”
Kelley added that all employees who join AFGE or any other union do so voluntarily, and that union membership is not required to work at the TSA.
