- The Department of Homeland Security has ended its collective bargaining agreement with U.S. Transportation Security Administration officers. DHS says that the move will improve workforce agility and productivity.
- DHS criticized the American Federation of Government Employees, claiming TSA has more people doing full-time union work than screenings.
- In response, AFGE President Everett Kelley called the decision an attack on workers’ rights. AFGE vowed to continue fighting for TSA officers’ dignity and union protections.
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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has ended its collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers. A CBA is a contract between workers and their employer, typically negotiated by a union, covering pay, hours, benefits and job terms.
A DHS news release claims that ending collective bargaining will remove bureaucratic hurdles, improving workforce agility, productivity, resilience and innovation.
The department criticized the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which represents TSA workers, claiming, “TSA has more people doing full-time union work than we have performing screening functions at 86% of our airports.
According to DHS, 374 of the 432 federalized airports have fewer than 200 TSA officers who perform screenings.
“Transportation Security Officers are losing their hard-earned dollars to a union that did not represent or protect their interests,” the release says. “The union has hindered merit-based performance recognition and advancement— that’s not the American way.”
In response, AFGE’s national president, Everett Kelley, called the move an attack on working Americans’ rights. He emphasized that 47,000 TSA officers work at over 400 airports daily to protect air travel.
“Let’s be clear: This is the beginning, not the end, of the fight for Americans’ fundamental rights to join a union. AFGE will not rest until the basic dignity and rights of the workers at TSA are acknowledged by the government once again,” Kelley said in a statement.
