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EXCLUSIVE: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) says it is ending collective bargaining for Transportation Security Officers with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
In a release obtained exclusively by FOX Business, DHS said the TSA has more people doing “full-time union work” rather than performing screening functions at 86% of U.S. airports.
This means that out of 432 federalized airports, 374 airports have fewer than 200 TSA Officers to perform screening functions. These officers are paid by the government but work “full-time on union matters” and do not retain certification to perform screening functions, DHS said.
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A Transportation Security Administration officer at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta on Monday, Oct. 2, 2023. (Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
The department cited a recent TSA employee survey which found that more than 60% of “poor performers” are allowed to stay employed and “not surprisingly, continue to not perform.”
DHS said these circumstances have impeded TSA’s chief responsibility “to safeguard our transportation systems and keep Americans safe.”
DHS argued that eliminating collective bargaining will make airports more efficient by removing “bureaucratic hurdles that will enhance productivity, and lower passengers’ wait times in security lines.”
A TSA security officer checks a passenger’s ID in Terminal 1 at Chicago O’Hare International Airport on April 3, 2024 in Chicago. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images / Getty Images)
DHS said Transportation Security Officers will now be promoted based on their performance, not longevity or union membership.
“Thanks to [DHS] Secretary Noem’s action, Transportation Security Officers will no longer lose their hard-earned dollars to a union that does not represent them. The Trump Administration is committed to returning to merit-based hiring and firing policies,” a DHS spokesperson said in a statement.
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A TSA officer inspects a bag at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta on Monday, Oct. 2, 2023. (Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
“This action will ensure Americans will have a more effective and modernized [workforce] across the nation’s transportation networks—meaning shorter airport security wait times. TSA is renewing its commitment to providing a quick and secure travel process for Americans.”
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FOX Business has reached out to the American Federation of Government Employees for comment.
