Unionization Barred at TSA

The Transportation Security Administration has determined not to allow its passenger screeners to unionize, citing national security grounds. The question of unionization has been a hotly debated one since TSA was created more than a year ago under a law giving the agency greater leeway in many of its personnel practices, compared with most other federal agencies. TSA is to become part of the Department of Homeland Security when that department becomes operative; the law creating DHS overrode some provisions of the TSA’s enabling law, such as a provision that would have denied standard whistleblower protections to TSA employees. The American Federation of Government Employees has been working to organize screeners and has filed petitions for elections to create bargaining units at several large airports. AFGE is challenging the agency’s determination in federal district court.