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Return to Article: Union calls for investigation into TSA turnover

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  I work for TSA and I must say that under the circumstances, we have some of the most dedicated employees in government. Unfortunately, most of the comments are true. I have been their for a little over 6 months. I started with 12 TSO'S hired and I am the only one left. The attrition rate is unbelievable. It's unfortunate because we loose good people due to lack of pay, PASS systems and career paths. Our job is to protect our nations transportation system from terrorist attacks. I,e. look for bombs, weapons of mass destruction, knives, guns etc. All of this just for $24000.00 a yr. It's crazy. We look at the Customs folks who pretty much is a duplicate of services from what we do and they start at $45000.00 a yr. That is part of the problem. We cannot keep qualified individuals in our ranks. It's sad because the job is great in itself but, your not compesated for what you do.

  Employee Posted August 14, 2008 2:44 PM
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  Move with your feet, or stop whining. There are many opportunities in the private sector. Too hard to venture out of the nest?

  warren Posted June 23, 2008 2:57 PM
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  Lets see.... low pay, low morale, high attrition rate, low preemployment qualifications, yada yada yada, sounds like civil aviation security is back in the days when it was in the hands of crappy private security contractors. One thing not incorporated here is the failure rate of the TSA when covert testing of their efficacy is performed by other agencies to see what they can slip past them. Is this a result of low morale? Are we indeed any safer? DHS was hastily created out of the failure of our Intelligence Community to share information prior to 9/11 due to competetive rivalries, skewed interpretations of law,lame management policy,inter alia. Rearranging, combining and giving existing federal agencies new alphabet soup designations and placing them all under the umbrella of an expensive uberbureaucracy was a dog and pony show to sooth the wounded psyche of the American Public. DHS should have been designed only as a centralized intelligence analysis agency and clearing house empowered by a mandate that every US intelligence agency and law enforcement agencies at every level, report any discoveries or relevent information to it. In its present form, its mission still seems unclear to itself.

  Isaac Showalter Posted June 13, 2008 4:52 PM
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  As a TSO that moved into a FSD office as admin asst. I know first hand that TSA is a screwed up mess. HQ has NO idea of what the mission is. TSA has people who failed at United Airlines running the show for TSA! FSD office personnel have been heard saying "TSOs have the mentality of an 8th grader at best". HR is completely useless and the idea of a model workplace is a joke that sucks. TSA should be investigated on the out of control spending. Employee bad attitude is just the tip of the iceberg. Government credit cards are used for personal use on a regular basis. Management timesheets are a fraudulent joke. Paid hours that were NEVER worked, weren't even in the office. When reported NOTHING is done, just covered up or ignored. FSDs are forced to attend 3 hour meetings at HQ then return to their duty station, be it New York, Miami or California. Literally thousands of dollars spent per person for a 3 hour meeting. HQ personnel spend more time planning birthday and retirement parties than doing their job. Use of work computers should also be investigated, you will find everything from office love affairs to gay men sending straight girlfriends (HR Manager) pics of his new boyfriend...NUDE. One of the biggest problems with TSA is there aren't sufficient LAW ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL, too many retired double dippers that are just collecting a 2nd or 3rd paycheck, a Wal-Mart customer service mentality and absolutely NO concern or respect for their employees. This agency SUCKS big time and is the poster child of George Bush's long list of failures. This agency is a good as the idiot who created it.

  Former TSO and FSD Admin Asst. Posted June 12, 2008 12:08 PM
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  Tough jobs?? only in government speak.. how is any different than a cashier in a grocery store or working at any fast food restaurant. The only difference I see is that the cashiers are pleasant and TSA are surly

  Dan ketter Posted June 11, 2008 12:29 PM
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  It would be a very interesting real world field experiment if TSA would allow employees to choose to either continue with the current PASS system or opt to have union representation and the GS pay scale. Compare each group over 5 years for retention rates and performance. Why not give it a try? BTW, for the nay-sayers, the GS system does reward poor performers - an employee can be denied a step increase if they are underperforming.

  DB Posted June 11, 2008 10:55 AM
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  I hope the one commenter gets a job at TSA, he sounds so upbeat about the organization, perhaps that is because he doesn't yet work there. Wait until they recognize all of his years of experience and give him a supervisory postion, no wait, they don't do that at TSA. They don't by their own admission, and I have it in writing from TSA HQ that they don't recognize an applicants experience or education in the promotion process. This is an agency started by the worst administration this country has ever seen. It is no surprise that it was set up to self destruct.

  JT Posted June 11, 2008 8:37 AM
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  I don't know what role the pay and performance system plays in all this, but I'd wager it's not the primary factor. Face it, these are tough jobs -- physically and psychologically, and there's not much of a career ladder. Attrition of 20%+ is certainly on the high side, but it's unrealistic to expect turnover in a job like this to conform with overall government norms. Would any of us want to spend years and years doing this work? I'd think TSA and DHS could help mitigate this by identifying subsequent jobs/career paths for experienced screeners, building on what they learn on the front lines and making it more worth their while to hang in there longer. But that would require a more strategic HRM perspective, which apparently is in short supply these days.

  Skepticus Posted June 10, 2008 2:19 PM
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  When you read some of the comments from the people that left you'll see quotes like . I have to stand on my feet 8 hours . I thought I would be a supervisor (GED) . I have to be on time Basically they felt they were being hired for the typical GS position and didn't realize they were going to be worker bees

  Dan ketter Posted June 10, 2008 11:19 AM
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  I'm sure Ms Kelley's remarks are well intentioned but are inaccurate. Statistically, well over 80% of TSA employees expressed positive findings during the most recent survey. How many other organizations, government or private sector, can boast such figures? Not many, I imagine. TSA, if one actually took the time to investigate before sounding off, partnered with corporate principals early on to build one of the most progressive and enlightened services ever. TSA does more to listen to, and apply, the expertise of TSO's (the people who have the most contact with the public) than any other federal agency does including the military (with the exception of the Special Operations Forces.) The fact is, being a TSO is a very tough job. Having stood 12-hour shifts as a National Guard soldier post-9/11 at a major airport, I know how much disrespect and verbal abuse is dumped on the TSOs by impatient travelers daily. Being a TSO is a lot like being a cop: everyone criticizes but no one else is willing to do the job. What is remarkable to me is that 80% persist in their chosen profession year after year. Let's take a moment and remember to thank a TSO the next time we fly. Of all the critics out there, how many of you you ever done that? Regarding pay for performance, the bad news for the dinosaurs in government who wish to ignore change but complain about the possibility of extinction: pay for performance is here to stay. It is continually being improved, as it must; it's evolution has a long way to go. Accept the fact that the old days of continuing pay increases having nothing to do with one's performance are in their twilight. For one thing, there isn't enough money to apply the old ways in modern times. Finally, I'm not sure why the head of a Tresury labor union is so interested in fault-finding TSA; is it to create an opening to unionize TSA? Having spent the majority of my working life in government, military, and law enforcement, I believe that no law enforcement or security organization should ever have the right to strike. Which is why none do. The last time the Air Traffic Controllers tried to strike, they got put down hard. It's easy and fun to criticize TSA. But an objective view of TSA's progress and results reveals a professional organization that continues to rapidly grow, adapt, and evolve. And, no, I do not work for TSA. Yet.

  Jonathan Crane Posted June 9, 2008 2:06 PM
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  TSA employment criteria/requirements are not a sky high. It certainly does not require college degree, nor years of experience. Yet the attitude of the TSA workers is that their job is extreemly important and they should be paid on the level of professional worker with years of education. Little bit of inflated self importance??? Perhaps that is where some of the attricion lays...

  fedworker Posted June 9, 2008 12:26 PM
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  The problem is not only the Pass system, but the loopholes in the system that allow management to not follow their own rules. If you want some hard evidence on how bad the system is please feel free to forward my email to the Inspector General, or any Senator or Representative that has any questions. This excepted position for TSA management takes rights away from TSO's that are afforded those detainees in Guantanamo Bay.

  Bill Posted June 9, 2008 11:42 AM
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  TSA has a long way to go. The 20+ percent attrition rate should be looked at with shame by the senior executives at TSA, being at least 5 times the rate of other federal employees, and continuing year after year. As a taxpayer I am offended by the costs associated with the attrition at TSA; such as training, the costs of background checks, administrative costs, uniforms, and the intangible costs of the lack of experience and low morale. How many disgruntaled employees are out there who know the systems flaws and could reveal them to others? Wouldn't a reasonable person want a more experienced employee monitoring the security equipment at an airport? The fact that TSA has had a 20+ percent attriton rate since its inception says its time to change the agency from top to bottom!

  George Posted June 7, 2008 10:34 PM
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  "People are tired of worrying about their jobs when they're supposed to be worrying about security."

  This statement summarizes all of DHS, not just TSA. If only the American public knew how totally messed up DHS is.

  Fed Up Posted June 6, 2008 6:55 PM
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  Just one more example of what the "New" pay system is all about. Breaking Unions and paying employees B scale wages...not to mention low morale a hostile work environment. A vote for McCain will mean more of the same

  Retired ATC Posted June 6, 2008 6:23 PM