President Obama’s second pick as TSA administrator, Retired Army Maj. Gen. Robert Harding, has withdrawn his name from consideration because of questions surrounding his background as a defense contractor.
However, the ongoing absence of a confirmed administrator hasn’t deterred unions in their efforts to represent the screener workforce.
The American Federation of Government Employees has filed a petition with the Federal Labor Relations Authority to hold a union election at TSA, even though its employees do not have collective bargaining rights.
The FLRA has accepted the petition, acknowledging that enough screeners wish to hold an election – 30 percent – and requested from DHS information on employees who would be in bargaining units to make its determination. It has also asked the TSA to state its position on collective bargaining.
The National Treasury Employees Union, after initially questioning the AFGE petition, quickly filed a petition of its own to ensure it would be on any ballot if an election is granted.
A vote on Obama’s first nominee, Errol Southers, was held up for months over concerns he would be in favor of collective bargaining, which remains central to the White House vetting process.
With the agency leaderless for over a year unions have given up waiting. AFGE has argued settling the question of which union would have exclusive representation rights – something NTEU wrested from AFGE with the Customs workforce following an election a that agency – would enable it to immediately begin negotiations with management on a range of issues such as hiring procedures and work scheduling.
