U.S. ends collective bargaining for 50,000 TSA officers
WASHINGTON >> The Trump administration said today it is ending collective bargaining for about 50,000 Transportation Security Administration officers that staff checkpoints at U.S. airports and other transportation hubs.
American Federation of Government Employees President Everett Kelley called the decision “clear retaliation” because the “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.”
AFGE has challenged a number of actions by the Elon Musk-led DOGE team to cut the federal workforce.
The Homeland Security Department said the move will remove bureaucratic hurdles.
AFGE said the department had made “false claims” about the number of transportation workers performing union duties.
President Donald Trump on Jan. 20 forced out TSA administrator David Pekoske, whom he had named to the job in 2017 and was reappointed by former President Joe Biden.
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Trump has not yet named a candidate to replace Pekoske.
The TSA reached a new seven-year labor deal in May with AFGE after nearly a year of negotiations. The Biden administration expanded the scope of bargaining permitted in 2022 with TSA workers.
Workers got enhanced shift trade options, increased allowance for uniforms and the addition of parental bereavement leave, and weather and safety leave as part of the labor deal.
The Homeland Security Department declined to answer if it planned to continue to honor any provisions of the existing contract.
U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) released a statement saying, “Anyone who’s been to an airport knows that TSA officers play a critical role in keeping millions of people safe every single day. They deserve the same worker rights and protections as any other federal employee. Instead, this administration is undermining their rights, which will mean fewer officers, longer airport screening lines, and a greater threat to public safety and national security.”
U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, said “attempting to negate their legally binding collective bargaining agreement now makes zero sense — it will only reduce morale and hamper the workforce.”
Honolulu Star-Advertiser staff contributed to this report.
