Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is setting herself up for a fight with the labor movement after she moved to dismantle collective bargaining at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), citing a bizarre claim about the number of union officials at the agency.
On Friday, Secretary Noem claimed that collective bargaining for TSA officers was constraining the agency’s ability to safeguard the US aviation and transportation systems because officers had the ability to file Family and Medical Leave requests.
Noem also cited the fact that of the 47,000 TSA officers currently employed by the agency, around 0.42% work full-time on union business for the AFGE union, which has represented TSA employees since 2003.
“They gave as a justification a completely fabricated claim about union officials – making clear this action has nothing to do with efficiency, safety, or homeland security,” slammed AFGE National President Everett Kelley.
“Our union has been out in front challenging this administration’s unlawful actions targeting federal workers, both in the legal courts and in the court of public opinion. Now our TSA officers are paying the price with this clearly retaliatory action,” Kelly continued.
In order to justify her decision to abolish collective bargaining at the TSA, Noem conflated the number of employees working on full-time union business with the number of TSA officers who screen passengers at airport checkpoints.
In a statement, the DHS argued: “TSA has more people doing full-time union work than we have performing screening functions at 86% of our airports. Of the 432 federalized airports, 374 airports have fewer than 200 TSA Officers to perform screening functions.”
“Nearly 200 TSA Officers are paid by the government but work full-time on union matters. These people do not retain certification to perform screening functions.”
Aviation unions, however, argue that collective bargaining has helped improve security by making the TSA a better place to work, which in turn has resulted in lower attrition and more capable candidates applying for the role.
“The decision to eliminate collective bargaining rights for TSA is terrible for aviation security and everyone who depends on safe travel,” commented Sara Nelson, the president of the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA-CWA), which represents tens of thousands of crew members across the United States.
“This will take us back to the days of security at the lowest price with the highest costs for our country,” Nelson contained.
“Let’s be clear: this Administration does not care about safety, efficiency, or homeland security. This and the illegal firings of thousands of federal employees is an unprecedented attack on workers’ rights and our government as a whole.”
A spokesperson for the DHS has denied accusations that the abolition of collective punishment at the TSA is an “egregious attack on workers’ rights,” saying that the Trump administration is committed to “returning to merit-based hiring and firing policies.”
