(WASHINGTON, D.C.)—The nation’s airport screeners have elected a slate of officers for their union, TSA Local 1 of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which represents airport screeners across the country.
Local President Ron Moore works at Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI), which serves the Washington, D.C. region, a target of the attacks of September 11, 2001.
“Soon after those hijackings, the American people demanded a federal workforce for airport security to replace the lax and often incompetent contractors who, at that time, were entrusted with the safety of the nation’s airports,” said AFGE National President John Gage, who also served as president of TSA Local 1 prior to the recent elections. “To meet that demand, Congress created the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which today employs the nation’s airport screeners.”
“Federal airport screeners are keenly aware of the threats posed to the flying public by terrorists and other criminals,” added Moore. “We see, close-up, problems in our current system and ways to fix them. The trouble is, those who speak up are either punished for doing so, or simply ignored. That’s why this union is so desperately needed.”
Joining Moore on the AFGE TSA Local 1 executive board are Executive Vice President Shawn Franklin, also of BWI; Vice President (East) Justin Rooney of Buffalo Niagara International Airport; Vice President (West) Cris David Soulia of San Diego International Airport; Women’s Coordinator Kimberly Kraynak and Fair Practices Coordinator Carrie Wise, both of Pittsburgh International Airport.
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The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is the largest federal employee union, representing 600,000 workers in the federal government and the government of the District of Columbia.