TSA: Another public employees union to hold America travel hostage and milk the treasury! Replace the TSA with returning combat veterans. More security and better discipline.
It is time to abolish public employee unions on the basis that we are negotiating against ourselves – insuring that a union with an unvetted and political leadership is able to pressure politicians into granting ever-increasing salaries, perks, privileges, benefits, pensions and work rules which disadvantage the American taxpayer while not improving productivity. In fact, reducing the amount of work performed by each employee so that additional unionized workers are needed.
Airport screeners ratify first-ever union contract with TSA
The nation’s 44,000 newly unionized airport screeners have ratified their first-ever collective bargaining agreement, giving them more say in what they wear on the job, the shifts they work and the time off they take, whether they can change from part-time to full-time work or back, their union announced today.
The American Federation of Government Employees union, which won the right to represent the screeners in an election last year, said its members voted 17,326 to 1,774 in favor of ratifying the first labor deal struck with the Transportation Security Administration since the agency was founded 10 years ago in the wake of 9/11.
The TSA’s enabling legislation left it up to the TSA administrator to grant screeners collective bargaining rights. When the agency was formed, the position of the Bush Administration was that work rules achieved through collective bargaining might hinder TSA managers’ ability to mobilize screeners for security purposes. However, the TSA’s current administrator under the Obama Administration, John Pistole, decided in 2010 to allow collective bargaining rights with the provision that pay and security-related issues were not negotiable.
The agency and the AFGE took about 8 months to work out the terms of the three-year deal, before it was put to a nationwide electronic vote this fall.
In a side agreement that was not part of the agreement ratified today, management and labor also agreed that, effective Nov. 1, employees would be entitled to third-party arbitration in disputed disciplinary cases. Source: Airport screeners ratify first-ever union contract with TSA | NJ.com
Economic Justice?
TSA uniform perks more expensive than Marine Corps
Under their new collective bargaining agreement, Transportation Security Administration officers get to spend more taxpayer money on their uniforms every year than a United States Marine Corps lieutenant can spend in a lifetime.
“TSA employees will see their uniform allowances nearly double to $446 per year,” the House Transportation Committee noted in a press release on the TSA’s new collective bargaining agreement. “By comparison, a combat Marine Lieutenant receives a one-time uniform allowance of $400. The cost of the increase in TSA uniform allowance is an estimated $9.63 million annually.”
Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., faulted TSA for failing to streamline its bureaucracy or address criticism of security failures, such as the recent inspector general report on the failure to screen checked baggage at the airport in Honolulu, Hawaii. <Source: TSA uniform perks more expensive than Marine Corps | WashingtonExaminer.com>
Bottom line …
Just traveling through any airport reveals any number of employees so unfit for security work as to make the entire effort a joke. Now we have another politicized cadre of untouchable democrat-voting workers who believe that the taxpayers owes them a life of comfort and ease far in excess of what is available in the private sector. Folks, this is a repeat of France, Greece and other socialistic countries which are governed by unions.
Imagine a work slow-down or stoppage during the next holiday season and politicians caving to their demands for more money, larger benefits and relaxed work rules. And they can’t be summarily fired without red tape, arbitration and a long, long process.
I say, replace all of the lame TSA people with returning combat veterans who could use the job. They are fitter, more apt to follow orders and, in general, deserve the jobs.
We are screwing ourselves and our economy into the ground.
-- steve
“Nullius in verba.”-- take nobody's word for it!
“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw
“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”
“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS "The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius “A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell “Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar “Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS