Federal Lawmakers Try to Address Challenges Facing TSA Workforce
WASHINGTON DC May 23 2019 — Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are looking to address many challenges facing the TSA workforce.
A hearing was held Tuesday following a Spectrum News 13 Watchdog investigation in April which uncovered allegations of bullying and retaliation against Orlando International Airport employees by TSA management.
Those allegations have caught the attention of the nation’s largest federal employee union.
“Management has the responsibility to not allow workplace bullying, harassment in the workplace by rank-in-file or by other managers,” said Jeffrey Cox, the national president of the American Federation of Government Employees in an interview with Spectrum News.
The problems are not isolated to MCO. According to a March government watchdog report, low pay, poor management, and unclear advancement opportunities are directly contributing to low retention rates.
“We believe security officers’ retention and training challenges contribute to airport security weaknesses,” said John Kelly, acting Homeland Security Inspector General during the hearing.
In the 2016-2017 budget years, TSA hired more than 19,300 TSOs, but lost more than 15,500 in the same period.
“It’s critical that we make sure our Transportation Security Officers understand how valuable they are,” said Rep. Val Demings (D) Florida 10th District, a member of the House Homeland Security sub-committee.
Some believe recent legislation that would extend federal workplace protections to TSA officers could greatly improve the situation.
“If the TSOs had full collective bargaining rights like all other federal employees, there would be a mannerism to address these things through grievances, arbitrations, and they could raise those issues and get some resolvement,” Cox explained. “Currently, they get to go to their supervisor, and their supervisor gets to decide if there’s a problem or not.”
However, an independent panel doesn’t think full collective bargaining rights is a logical solution, saying the classification and compensation system is “too inflexible to meet the needs of the 21st century workforce” in a report released on Monday.
Some lawmakers worry these workplace conditions could lead to a national security threat if left unresolved.
“That officer is the only person who really stands between the traveling public and someone trying to do harm to the traveling public,” Demings said.
The legislation has been referred to the House Homeland Security Committee, and a companion bill has been introduced in the U.S. Senate, where it faces an uncertain future.
Spectrum News / NY1
