Maryland Lawmakers Call for TSO Workplace Protections

AFGE Praised for Role in Fighting for Collective Bargaining Rights

Washington, D.C., April 3, 2009 – Maryland Democratic lawmakers Sen. Barbara Mikulski and Rep. C.A. "Dutch" Ruppersberger this week joined American Federation of Government Employees President John Gage and District 4 National Vice President Joe Flynn in calling for full workplace rights for Transportation Security Officers.

Speaking at the union's meeting at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport March 30, Representative Ruppersberger acknowledged that TSOs are frontline workers in the war against terrorism and should be treated as such. He applauded TSOs for a job well done and asked them to be patient because "help is on the way." The congressman noted that the flying public should not view a TSO as someone who stands in their way as they rush through the airport.

"We need to make sure they respect you and know who you are," he told TSOs during the March 30 event. "It's important that you have pride in your job."

A representative from Sen. Mikulski's office presented a letter of support from the senator addressed to AFGE Local 444 TSOs, in which Mikulski praised the employees for their courage to call for the right to form a union. She wrote that TSOs are a new voice and a new energy that will help carry the banner of union rights and reinvigorate the movement.

Both Ruppersberger and Mikulski thanked AFGE for continuing to fight for collective bargaining rights for its members despite many obstacles.

"With savvy and persistence, with faith in your mission, you did what had to be done," Mikulski wrote. "And once again, you did it very well. I know you will continue to fight for full bargaining rights for all members."

Gage told TSOs about AFGE's legislative effort to have a bill introduced and passed that would grant them workplace rights. Both Gage and Flynn gave interviews to the local media about the lack of collective bargaining rights and how that impacts both workers' morale and public safety.

Also present at the event were Fred Mason, president of AFL-CIO Maryland State and District of Columbia, and Ernie Grecco, president of AFL-CIO Metro Baltimore Council. The AFL-CIO—of which AFGE is a member—recently passed a resolution calling on the Obama administration and Congress to ensure that TSOs have the same rights as other workers in Homeland Security.

Bill Would Move TSOs under Title 5, General Schedule

The American Federation of Government Employees has been working closely with House lawmakers as they crafted and introduced legislation to provide Transportation Security Officers with collective bargaining rights and other workplace protections.

The Transportation Security Workforce Enhancement Act, which was introduced April 2, would repeal a provision in the 2001 Aviation and Transportation Security Act that gives the Transportation Security Administration the authority to write its own personnel system regardless of any other law. The bill, H.R.1881, also would bring TSA employees under Title 5 civil service rules, which govern most federal employees. TSA's controversial pay system, PASS, also would be scrapped and TSA employees would be moved to the General Schedule pay system, which covers most federal employees, including those at Homeland Security.

"Civil service protections have helped the federal government work smoothly for some 50 years, and collective bargaining rights and workplace protections will only serve to enhance both the TSO workforce and the safety of the flying public," said AFGE President John Gage. "It is no coincidence that the one federal agency that fails to observe workplace protections, suffers from a variety of dysfunctions. TSOs ask only for the same rights as other federal workers, and simply want a systematic and fair manner to deal with real day-to-day issues in the workplace, that when appropriately resolved, result in a strong, loyal workforce.

The long-overdue legislation has been AFGE's main focus since Obama took over the White House. During the election campaign, Obama voiced his support for collective bargaining rights for TSOs and wrote AFGE to reiterate the need for these workers to have workplace protections.

Once converted to Title 5, TSOs would enjoy the same workplace protections as other federal employees, including collective bargaining rights, whistleblower protections and rights to appeal adverse actions to the independent Merit Systems Protection Board.

Collective bargaining rights – a cornerstone of civil service – ensure justice, equality, and dignity in the workplace. It allows workers to negotiate for better workplace rules, such as better health and safety standards, fair promotion process, and the right to file grievances before a neutral third party.

To provide these rights to TSOs, AFGE will continue to work with House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss.; committee member Nita Lowey, D-N.Y.; and Transportation Security and Infrastructure Protection Subcommittee Chair Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas.

AFGE is the country's largest federal employee union representing 600,000 federal employees across the country. The union currently has about 10,000 TSO members.