U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Administrator John Pistole today issued permission to vote on whether they want a union to collectively bargain with the agency on their behalf. The only problem (or silver lining, depending where you fall on this issue) is that about the only thing the union can negotiate is whether their Christmas party will be pot luck or catered.
The “permission to unionize” came with a list of workplace issues that would not be subjected to collective bargaining — basically all of them.
Here’s how the official release from TSA puts the situation:
“The safety of the traveling public is our top priority and we will not negotiate on security,” said TSA Administrator Pistole. “But morale and employee engagement cannot be separated from achieving superior security. If security officers vote to move forward with collective bargaining, this framework will ensure that TSA retains the capability and flexibility necessary to respond to evolving threats, and continue improving employee engagement, performance and professional development.”
This framework is unique to TSA in that it allows for bargaining at the national level only – while prohibiting local-level bargaining at individual airports – on certain employment issues such as shift bids, transfers and awards. Pistole’s Determination prohibits bargaining on any topics that might affect security, such as:• Security policies, procedures or the deployment of security personnel or equipment
• Pay, pensions and any form of compensation
• Proficiency testing
• Job qualifications
• Discipline standardsAdditionally, the Determination strictly prohibits officers from striking or engaging in work slowdowns of any kind.
It looks like President Obama can chalk up another election promise kept, but with no teeth. Is it officially unionization when the union can not negotiate anything?
Rep. Mica, Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and one of the founders of TSA, in anticipation of a sweeping permission to unionize the TSA workforce noted, that the unionization being announced on top of the reluctance of TSA to allow for privatization of TSA’s workforce was “…all bad news for the traveler, the taxpayer and aviation security.”
If this new TSA union can do anything, it might be a big negative. But with the current restrictions, about the only official function that the union can bargain about is the department party. Mica and the rest of us may have nothing to worry about.
With no collective bargaining power, no input over workplace issues, no say in training or discipline, no input about compensation or pensions and no negotiating about any deployment of personnel or equipment, there doesn’t seem to be much to this announcement.
Charlie Leocha is the President of Travelers United. He has been working in Washington, DC, for the past 14 years with Congress, the Department of Transportation, and industry stakeholders on travel issues. He was the first consumer representative to the Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protections appointed by the Secretary of Transportation from 2012 through 2018.
