Washington Post Flooded with TSOs' Messages Endorsing AFGE

Washington, D.C., Aug. 6, 2009 – The first time Transportation Security Officers were asked to publicly voice their union preference, the American Federation of Government Employees emerged as their union of choice. Nearly 100 comments flooded the Washington Post's Federal Eye blog last week in response to the blogger's question, "Which union should win the right to organize TSA employees?"

These comments and endorsement from TSOs speak volumes of AFGE's representation and dedication to its campaign to win workplace rights for TSOs so that they are no longer subject to unfair and absurd rules, bias, discrimination, and management's whims.

The following are some of the comments posted on Federal Eye at http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2009/07/eye_opener_airport_security_un.html :   

"AFGE has been on the scene for TSA employees since our inception. They have stood beside us, fought for us, and encouraged us in any/all workplace issues! I have seen them in action, at our own L915, within the last year. Our L915 was just recently established, after many months of organizing. We have had so much support from our AFGE organizer, as well as other unions all around us, especially the BOP. AFGE has helped several of our local TSOs with workplace issues. It is high time that TSA nationwide recognize the quality and value of their employees by embracing AFGE. Aviation Security is a vital part of fighting terrorism. We are on the front lines EVERY day. Thanks AFGE for having "our back on the ground" so that we CAN ... "have your back in the air"!"  --  LadyHawk915

"As an employee of the TSA at Denver International Airport, I have been NOTHING but completely impressed with our AFGE Local 1125. TSA employees have been treated poorly from the beginning, and it has only been with the support of AFGE that we have seen any relief."   -- denver-bdo

"I have never been pro-union; however, AGFE has shown that they are willing to be in and stay in the trenches with TSA. Enough said. AFGE - DONE." --  janaspring

"For the past six years I've been with TSA, I have witnessed unfairness and disregard for the rights of people equivalent to that of the fight for civil rights waged in the 1950's and 1960's. AFGE is the only union that has been at the forefront of this battle and is the only union that ALL TSOs around the country should be a member of." --  edonal7372

But there is one particular post that spoke volumes about what it means to be on the front line without collective bargaining:

Afraid
By a TSO

My fear wakes me.
Afraid I go to work
Afraid of being late
Afraid of the supervisors
Afraid of my manager
Afraid of my managers who lie, threaten, do not keep faith, and withhold information
Afraid from watching corrupt managers get promoted up the chain to Headquarters.
Afraid of missing an internal test
Afraid of missing a tip
Afraid of missing a real weapon
Afraid of missing a compromised document
Afraid of making a stupid mistake
Afraid of missing a detonator
Afraid of missing an external test
Afraid of missing an explosive
Afraid someone looking over my shoulder sees something I missed
Afraid of missing an IED
Afraid of not completing my online courses
Afraid of offending a passenger
Afraid my uniform is not right
Afraid of a real attack in a terminal
Afraid of an airport becoming the Madrid Spain Train Station
Afraid of watching friends die because we do not have the proper training
Afraid of speaking my mind and telling the real truth
Afraid for my employment
Afraid because I care
Afraid because some screeners see this as only a job or a paycheck
Afraid being on break too long
Afraid of garbage policies like Dual Function
Afraid being on lunch for too long
Afraid of a bag search
Afraid of the Explosive Trace Detector not being in calibration because the calibration is done wrong and not signed
Afraid my higher managers do not listen
Afraid of my next bid for schedule, which will throw my life into disarray again
Afraid flights may be delayed
Afraid the passenger is late
Afraid the flight is overbooked
Afraid I may have to work late
Afraid my friends may get hurt because they were assigned wrong
Afraid I may get home late
Afraid of waking up, I go to sleep; worried that NTEU may be here.
Afraid I wake up, knowing there will be no change from the day before till AFGE gets here.

Posted by: Shadowalker | July 29, 2009 9:49 PM |

"Many of the issues this TSO speaks about in the poem are issues we will take care of with collective bargaining," said AFGE President John Gage, "Having to live with these kind of fears because you work in an agency with so many arbitrary and capricious rules, and no real accountability – well, it's just plain wrong. It's why AFGE took up this fight in 2001, and it's why we won't rest until this workforce is granted the same workplace rights other DHS employees enjoy."

Gage added that the membership number – 11,000 and counting – shows that most officers have already chosen AFGE as their union. "We are humbled and motivated by their ongoing faith in our campaign to do the right thing for the TSA workforce."