TSA lets airport directors restrict screeners’ holiday leave

The Transportation Security Administration has issued guidance giving federal security directors at the nation's airports the ability to restrict leave and require overtime for passenger and baggage screeners during the Thanksgiving holiday.

On Tuesday, the American Federation of Government Employees blasted the move, arguing that management problems at TSA have created the need for forced overtime, not just during the holidays, but throughout the year.

TSA is gearing up for a busier holiday travel season than last year. The Homeland Security Department is allowing the federal security directors at airports to take a number of steps to reduce passenger wait times while maintaining security, said Asa Hutchinson, its undersecretary for border and transportation security, at a news conference Tuesday.

Those steps include restricting time off and requiring overtime for screeners, putting managers on the front lines with screeners, and coordinating schedules with airlines to ensure the appropriate number of screeners are in the right locations.

TSA is leaving it up to the security directors to decide exactly which steps should be implemented depending on their unique circumstances, said spokesman Brian Turmail.

"Ultimately, the federal security directors are the professionals on the scene to make the call about what steps to take," he said.

Turmail added that TSA is also asking airports to work with vendors to ensure that maintenance tasks and deliveries are completed either before or after the Thanksgiving holiday to reduce unnecessary activity and free up as many workers as possible.

Patrick Haynes, security director for Reagan National Airport in Washington, said he agrees with TSA's recommendations. From Nov. 26 to Dec. 1, all screeners at Reagan National will be required to work overtime and restricted from taking time off, and managers will help screen passengers and baggage.

"It's a full-court press," he said. "We intend to accommodate the traveling public."

Nationally, TSA manages a workforce of 48,000 screeners. Congress had ordered the agency to cut its workforce from 55,600 screeners, which it did through attrition and hiring part-time workers. The agency employees about 3,000 part-time screeners.

Hutchinson acknowledged that the reduced screening workforce might place a strain on screening operations this holiday season. He said TSA believes its screening systems will work very well nationally, but acknowledged that some airports could have problems.

AFGE President John Gage sharply criticized TSA officials for implementing the new policies.

"Airport screeners are dedicated to the job of providing maximum security for the traveling public every day, not just during the holiday season," Gage said. "But like other Americans they, too, enjoy the opportunity to be with their families and friends on special occasions. Because of costs overruns as a result of mismanagement and contractor waste and abuse, TSA eliminated the jobs of some 6,000 screeners earlier this year, who had gone through extensive training at taxpayer expense. The result has been staffing shortages on a daily basis at many airports across the country, not just during peak holiday travel days." TSA also issued new security directives on Monday requiring domestic airlines to randomly inspect cargo and ordering foreign air cargo carriers to comply with the security procedures domestic carriers must follow. The foreign carriers must begin complying with domestic procedures on Thursday, but domestic airlines do not have to start performing random inspections until after Christmas.

The new cargo screening requirements are intended to add another layer to security systems, Hutchinson said. Under the requirements, passenger aircraft that carry cargo will be subject to random inspections on domestic and international flights. Inspections will be conducted by the carriers, with TSA overseeing the process.