Unions, airport screeners seek prohibition on private screening services

Union representatives and federal airport screeners called on Congress Wednesday to pass legislation that would strengthen the Transportation Security Administration and prohibit the privatization of passenger and baggage screening services.

"Public employees who know how to do their job and who are empowered to do it through enlightened management and collective bargaining are the key to keeping hijackers and bombs off airplanes," said Andrea Brooks, the American Federation of Government Employee's national vice president for women and fair practices.

AFGE released a white paper outlining the problems that screeners face and listing a dozen recommendations for new legislation that would give screeners more rights. The union is seeking congressional support for the legislation, called the Safe Aviation by Empowering Federal Employees (SAEFE) Act.

The act would prohibit airports or the government from privatizing passenger and baggage screening operations.

Congress created a federal screening workforce after the 9/11 attacks. Lawmakers stipulated, however, that starting in November 2004 airports could apply to TSA to use private contractors in place of federal screeners. Only two airports to date have applied to use private screeners.

TSA plans to award private screening contracts this fall. The law requires private companies to provide screening services that are at least as good as federal screeners. TSA would continue to regulate all screening activities.

Union members and some screeners, however, contend that private companies will put profit ahead of passenger safety.

"It's time for Congress to pass, and the president to accept, legislation making the government's responsibility to provide airport security screening permanent," said Tom Brantley, president of the Professional Airways Systems Specialists.

AFGE's proposed legislation would also allow more federal screeners to be hired, and give screeners collective bargaining rights. Congress originally capped the total number of screeners at 45,000. Screeners have never had collective bargaining rights.

Other provisions in the proposed legislation would: improve training, testing and pay practices; eliminate mandatory overtime; require the best available equipment to be used at airports; guarantee protection for whistleblowers and veterans' preference rights; convert screener positions into competitive service appointments, and guarantee screeners due process and constitutional rights.