Lowey, Thompson, Jackson-Lee Introduce Expansion of Work Protections For Transportation Security Officers
April 2, 2009 (WASHINGTON) – Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY), Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), and Transportation Security and Infrastructure Protection Subcommittee Chairwoman Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX) today introduced legislation that would grant Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) the same workplace protections that other federal employees enjoy.
The Transportation Security Workforce Enhancement Act (H.R. 1881) would allow more than 42,000 TSOs and more than 50,000 total TSA employees to bargain collectively, to be compensated appropriately, and to be safe from whistleblower retaliation. These are basic rights that employees at Federal Emergency Management Agency, Customs and Border Patrol, and numerous other federal security agencies enjoy.
“Extending basic workplace protections to TSOs is not only the right thing to do for 42,000 individuals performing grueling work to protect us,” said Lowey, “it will also decrease the cost and improve the results of our efforts to increase air security. I look forward to working with Chairman Thompson and Chairwoman Jackson-Lee to pass this critical legislation quickly.”
“Securing these rights and protections is critical to attracting, developing, and retaining the best and the brightest for our transportation workforce,” said Chairman Thompson. “This bill will not only improve employee morale but the security of our nation. I look forward to working with my colleagues and the Department on this important and vital piece of legislation.”
Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) working in airports across the country are a first line of defense against terrorism. However, these workers suffer from high injury rates, attrition, and the lowest morale of all federal agencies. They lack the workplace protections – collective bargaining rights and whistleblower protections – that other federal employees enjoy. The lack of protections for screening personnel, combined with poor workforce management, increases costs and decreases security.
The House of Representatives approved expanding TSO workplace protections in the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007, but the provision was dropped in conference in response to President Bush’s veto threat.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Matt Dennis (Rep. Lowey) 202-225-6506
Dena Graziano or Adam Comis (Chairman Thompson) 202-225-9978
Leon Buck (Rep. Jackson-Lee) 202-225-3816
