Since the creation of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) two decades ago, TSA officers had been some of the lowest-paid federal workers in the nation. Not anymore.
Thanks to AFGE’s relentless fight, TSA workers this month received their first paycheck with an increase of up to 31%. This is the first major pay raise since the creation of TSA 21 years ago and a monumental step toward fighting the high attrition rate and difficulties in recruiting and retention TSA has experienced.
On July 27, AFGE, Representative Bennie Thompson and the Department of Homeland Security held a joint press conference at Ronald Reagan International Airport to celebrate the increase.
“Today is a turning point for TSA, for the workers, for the administration, for America,” said AFGE President Everett Kelley. “Today’s paycheck is more than a monetary incentive. It’s a symbol of respect. It’s a symbol of dignity.”
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said the U.S.’s airport security has come a long way since the September 2001 terrorist attacks as it’s much safer to travel now. Even those who work in the field of security no longer think security is the upper most concern in air travel.
“For those of us who are old enough to remember what it was like going to an airport or getting on an airplane in the years immediately following the tragedy of 9/11 that we’ve reached this point today is a remarkable achievement,” Mayorkas said. “No longer would the travelers worry about whether they would reach their destination safely. Now we mostly think about the ease of travel. That remarkable achievement thanks to the dedication, vigilance, and resolve of the personnel at TSA.”
The significant pay raise and improvement of workplace rights for TSA employees were included in the 2023 omnibus government funding bill with the support of Reps. Bennie Thompson and Rosa DeLauro. The bill was signed into law on Dec. 29. The $398 million allotted to TSA to improve the pay and bargaining rights for TSA officers moves them closer to an equivalent to the general schedule.
TSA Administrator David Pekoske said the pay raise already played a major role in retention and recruitment at TSA as there has been a 30% increase in the applications for all positions at TSA. More importantly, there was a 61% reduction in workforce attrition at the beginning of this fiscal year.
“What it means is we retain talent. We don’t have to recruit and retrain and spend the funds to do that and that increases our overall experience base across the agency,” he explained.
Pekoske said without this pay increase, TSA wouldn’t have been able to handle the record volumes of passengers passing through airports across the country this summer.
15 years of work
House Homeland Security Committee Ranking Member Bennie Thompson, who has been a staunch supporter of TSA officers and working with AFGE to win this significant pay raise, said this progress was a result of over 15 years of work.
“Thankfully with this administration, we have a partner in an effort for the first time, which has made a huge difference,” he said at the press conference. “For me traveling through the airport this last week, I saw more smiling faces on the TSOs because as I said it’s long overdue.”
Thompson said over the next few months, he and his colleagues would make sure that the pay raise money will still be there next year. He told TSOs not to worry as he’s not aware of any raise that has been taken away from employees. AFGE supports Thompson’s Fund the TSA Act, H.R. 3394, that would make sure we continue to invest in airport security personnel.
Since the beginning, AFGE has taken the lead to win better pay, collective bargaining, and workplace rights for the Transportation Security Officers, the workforce that keeps air travelers safe. Thanks to the continued hard work of AFGE TSA Council 100, the historic raise and expanded rights became a reality.
Hydrick Thomas, president of AFGE Council 100 which represents 44,000 TSA employees nationwide, thanked Thompson, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and TSA Administrator David Pekoske for their support. He also thanked AFGE National for years of hard work.
“The TSOs need to be recognized for what they’re doing,” he said.
Reaction from TSOs
AFGE members are happy with the pay increase that they received on Friday, July 21.
“It was nice to be able to see a nice paycheck that made me feel better about the work that I do and the time that I spend at work,” said Christopher Lee, who has been working at TSA for five years.
“I was very happy about it. You don’t have to worry about being paycheck to paycheck and after you’ve done all your bills and everything, you still have enough leftover at least. It was a nice increase I would say,” said Breanna Graham, who has been at TSA for a little over a year.
“This helps out a little bit more. I feel more appreciated for the work and the time that we do, especially with my family due to the schedule. So, I’m pretty excited,” said Willis Brown, who has been at TSA for a year.
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