Similar bills have cleared the House in the prior two Congresses but have not achieved final enactment. Image: David Tran Photo/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffA bipartisan bill (HR-8370) to revoke the remaining special personnel policies applying to TSA screeners and move them under the standard “Title 5” civil service laws has been reintroduced in the House.
Sponsors said the bill would build on changes of recent years that had the effect of rolling back policies—particularly those limiting union rights and appeals rights—enacted when the agency was created in the wake of the 9-11 terrorist attacks in the name of giving the agency more flexibility.
Those changes have included allowing union representation—although with a more limited scope of bargaining—rights to appeal personnel actions to a third party within the agency, and a general pay boost. “These improvements for the TSA workforce have already had a dramatic effect on TSA’s ability to recruit and retain employees, as attrition has dropped nearly in half,” sponsors said in a statement.
They said enactment of the bill would lock those changes into law by moving the TSA workforce into Title 5 “in a manner that is mindful of tenure and status, particularly with respect to leave, pay, group life insurance, health insurance, and severance pay.” It further would end the special pay system at TSA and move employees into the GS system.
The bill also includes protections to ensure that pay for employees is not reduced due to the transition to the Title 5 personnel system; allows employees to continue pursuing existing grievances under the current system or move to the MSPB process; and reiterates the ban against striking.
Similar bills have cleared the House in the prior two Congresses but have not achieved final enactment.
OPM Advises Agencies on Conducting RIFs During Shutdown
Updated Shutdown Contingency Plans Show Range of Impacts
Use Shutdown as Justification for More RIFs, OMB Tells Agencies
Unions Win a Round in Court Disputes over Anti-Representation Orders
Deferred Resignation Periods End for Many; Overall 12% Drop
Senate Bill Would Override Trump Orders against Unions
See also,
How to Handle Taxes Owed on TSP Roth Conversions? Use a Ladder
The Best Ages for Federal Employees to Retire
Best States to Retire for Federal Retirees: 2025
