February 4, 2010
Collective Bargaining Rights
NTEU Seeks Administrative Order
Pressing ahead in the fight for workplace rights at TSA, NTEU is urging the Obama administration to unilaterally grant collective bargaining rights to TSA employees. NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley has sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano seeking a meeting to discuss the issue. Under the law establishing the agency, Napolitano has the authority to do so.
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Janet Napolitano. |
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"President Obama has previously indicated his support for collective bargaining in the TSA workplace," said President Kelley. "There is no reason to delay action any longer. TSA employees want and deserve a meaningful voice in their everyday work lives."
Oregon Rep. Peter A. DeFazio (D) voiced a similar opinion during a recent House Homeland Security Committee hearing when he asked DHS officials to consider immediately implementing collective bargaining at the agency. Such a move, he said, would benefit TSA employees and defuse the issue politically.
In addition to seeking an administrative directive, NTEU continues to pursue a comprehensive legislative solution to collective bargaining at TSA on Capitol Hill.
FY 2011 Budget
A 9 percent increase in TSA funding for the fiscal year beginning on Oct. 1 is just one of the initiatives called for in the FY 2011 federal budget blueprint released this week by President Obama.
Among other improvements, the budget proposes hiring an additional 2,000 TSA Officers at airports nationwide.
Ensuring adequate frontline staffing is one goal of NTEU's five-point plan for TSA representation.
Congress will consider the president's budget proposals in the months ahead as part of the normal legislative appropriations process. More
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NTEU Meets the Press
President Kelley issued a letter to the editor of the New York Post in response to a Jan. 24 editorial critical of the TSA workforce.
“Mass. Insecurity,” overlooks critical workplace issues at the TSA. Unless and until these issues are addressed, TSA will continue to fall far short of its goal of becoming a world-class counter-terrorism agency.
TSA has a high attrition rate, low morale and high on-the-job injury rates. Giving employees a voice in their workplace through collective bargaining rights—which the vast majority of law enforcement professionals have—is key to solving these ongoing problems.
Read the entire letter to the editor.
Union Wins Delay in Parking Rate Hike
NTEU has succeeded in getting Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) officials to hold off on fully implementing an ill-advised plan to raise parking fees considerably for TSA employees.
Airport officials recently postponed a substantial rate hike at a main employee parking lot—originally proposed to take effect this week—until March 1, but has indicated plans to move forward with closing one employee lot and has doubled the rates at another. NTEU continues to negotiate with airport authorities to reach an agreement that ensures employees maintain affordable parking options.
NTEU has actively protested the planned increase for weeks, including attending a December meeting with the top airport authority parking official; drafting and circulating a petition among all airport employees protesting the increase; sending a letter of protest to the LAX Board of Commissioners; coordinating with other airport employee groups; and making a personal pitch against the plan to members of the Los Angeles World Airports Authority.
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