Bargaining Rights Finally A Reality For TSOs

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)

After a nine-year battle to gain a voice in the workplace, more than 40,000 transportation security officers (TSOs) finally can become union members and bargain for a contract. In a major victory for working people, John Pistole, administrator of the Transportation Security Administration, announced last Friday that he has decided to grant partial collective bargaining rights to the TSA workforce. AFGE President John Gage praised the decision as an important first step, saying it would enhance safety for America’s flying public. “For nine years, TSOs  have had to deal with issues of dangerous workplaces, discrimination, selective hiring practices, nepotism, management intimidation, and reports of lax oversight at the agency with only AFGE to stand between them and an often arbitrary and capricious management,” said Gage. TSA ranks 240 out of 244 federal agencies on morale, Gage noted, adding that he’s sure that providing a voice at work for “these dedicated employees will improve that morale.” - by James Parks, AFL-CIO Now Blog; photo by Joe Kekeris