Congratulations to the employees at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for a new, historic, seven-year contract that provides unprecedented workplace rights and represents the farthest TSA officers have come in the fight for Title 5 rights.
This new contract comes after years of hard work by the members of AFGE TSA Council 100. The new contract was agreed upon on March 5 after months of collective bargaining between the agency and the union. Leaders of TSA local unions nationwide ratified the contract on March 11.
It features several crucial new rights for TSOs, including a negotiated grievance and arbitration procedure to make it easier to resolve cases, new language to protect our members from unfair discipline, new uniform rights and higher allowance, better leave conditions, and the ability to bargain over local issues.
“This contract has done a lot to improve the lives of TSOs,” said AFGE President Everett Kelley at the signing ceremony at JFK International Airport in New York. “Throughout TSA history, workers have been underpaid and denied the rights guaranteed to most federal employees. But through years of dedication and dedicated organizing by the members of AFGE Council 100, our union has expanded tremendously. And it’s because of this growth and member activism that we obtained certain rights.
“This contract also represents the good that can come when management and labor work together. The power of ‘we’.”
Kelley thanked TSA Administrator David Pekoske for making this contract happen and mentioned how the new historic pay raise of 31% last year already helped reverse the high turnover at TSA, making our skies safer.
AFGE TSA Council 100 President Hydrick Thomas said the contract will greatly increase the quality of life for the TSOs that the union represents.
“In recent years we have made incredible progress by raising the pay, increasing workers’ rights, and now this new contract,” he said.
TSA Administrator Pekoske said this contract happened because of all sides working together to make it happen.
“We should continue to redouble our efforts. This collective bargaining agreement is historic. It’s a milestone. We can use that as a pivot point to an even greater relationship. We have the same idea, the same goal.”
Pekoske recognized President Biden for getting the pay package for TSOs. Because of the pay increase, TSA currently has the lowest attrition rate in its history.
Both AFGE and TSA thanked House Homeland Security Committee Ranking Member Bennie Thompson for his unwavering support of workers’ rights at TSA. Even though the lawmaker had to be in the nation’s capital to cast votes on legislation, he sent in a video message to congratulate AFGE and TSA on this special occasion.
“Combined with the pay raise, these improvements [in the contract] will have a fundamental impact on TSA’s ability to recruit and retain employees and carry out its security mission,” he said.
Thompson thanked Pekoske, Kelley, and Thomas for their partnership. He praised the efforts of AFGE activists and members for working hard to garner support from Congress for his legislation granting TSOs Title 5 rights year after year. The number of cosponsors of the bill went up from 68 in 2018 to 242 bi-partisan cosponsors representing the majority of the House in 2020. As a result, the House of Representatives passed a stand-alone bill granting TSOs Title 5 rights. The following year, the Biden administration announced its support for workplace rights similar to Title 5 and the pay increase on par with the GS system for TSOs. The administration went on and implemented the policy.
These rights, however, will need to be made permanent in law so they could not be easily taken away by a future administration that’s hostile to workers. That’s why Thompson also reintroduced the Title 5 bill, The Rights for the TSA Workforce Act, last week.
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