DHS tells TSA it will no longer honor contract

[Rideback]

Allison Pohle - Wall Street Journal

"The Department of Homeland Security said it would no longer honor a bargaining agreement with the union representing airport-security agents, the latest Trump administration move aiming to weaken labor unions representing federal workers.

The department said the move was meant to remove “bureaucratic hurdles that will strengthen workforce agility, enhance productivity and resiliency, while also jump-starting innovation.” It will also push Transportation Security Administration employees who work full time on union matters to transition back to being security officers.

No workers will be fired as a result of the change, a DHS representative said.

“Transportation Security Officers will no longer lose their hard-earned dollars to a union that does not represent them,” DHS said.

The move is a violation of the law, said Johnny Jones, secretary-treasurer for the American Federation of Government Employees TSA Council 100. The union represents more than 40,000 TSA workers. Union-represented transportation security officers and the agency signed a new labor contract last year that was set to run through 2031.

The department’s move could add uncertainty within a labor force that secures the nation’s transportation system. “Nobody wants to work in a place where you have no rights or workplace protections,” said Jones, a 22-year TSA employee.

Union and government officials have said TSA has experienced high employee turnover, in part, because of lower pay levels.

“If we didn’t have this CBA, if we didn’t have this pay package, I would submit to you, we probably wouldn’t have a TSA in five or 10 years,” former TSA Administrator David Pekoske said during the contract signing.

Other unions panned the move Friday, and have been critical of Trump administration efforts to shake up the federal workforce. In a January executive order, President Trump directed federal employees to return to offices in a bid to end remote-work arrangements. Federal workers and other groups have sued the government over efforts to reduce the workforce by firing probationary employees and shutting down agencies.

Private-sector contractors conducted most of airport-security screenings before the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Those responsibilities were largely brought under federal oversight after the TSA was established in 2001.

TSA workers initially didn’t have collective bargaining rights. In 2011, then TSA Administrator John Pistole granted partial bargaining rights for workers, though they weren’t permitted to negotiate on some issues including pay. Recent pay increases for TSA workers have been funded through the budget packages passed by Congress.

The DHS announcement said nearly 200 TSA officers were paid by the government but worked full-time on union matters. It goes on to say that 86% of airports have fewer than 200 TSA officers to perform screening functions.

The DHS is presenting an inaccurate picture, said Jones. Out of the 45,000 employees represented by the union, 193, or less than 1%, are paid to work on union matters, he said. They are spread out across the country, not concentrated at one location, he adds.

TSA agents are responsible for securing more than 430 federalized airports, screening both travelers and bags. Employees aren’t allowed to go on strike. The TSA last year screened 904 million passengers, up more than 5% from 2023.

Project 2025, a government policy-road map developed by the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation, recommended that the TSA be privatized. When asked, the DHS representative said the move to end collective bargaining wasn’t a response to the road map."