Posted on 01/22/2019 8:02:12 AM PST by SeekAndFind
The government shutdown, now in its 30th day and being the longest ever in U.S. history, has caused massive media coverage on Transportation Security Agency (TSA) employees and their fate due to the shutdown. This is precisely because the TSA could bring the country to a virtual standstill, and thus has more power than most to end the shutdown by pressure.
Over this holiday weekend, sick call-ins for TSA employees not getting paid during the shutdown hit 10 percent, suggesting that the problem could spiral out of hand, despite the Agency’s insistence to the contrary.
There’s plenty of reason for the public sympathy with the TSA, despite the grueling process they put travelers through at the airport. Still, you won’t find this same level of human interest stories about judges, lawyers or other federal workers affected by shutdown.
Part of the reason may be the fact that TSA employees are the worst paid, or maybe because the agency exists because of the 9/11 attacks.
More than 51,000 TSA staffers are involved in the airport screening process which is essential for people to travel across the United States. In average, the agents screen 2 million passengers in average per day at nearly 440 airports as travelers follow their instructions as if they are in the military because they feel safer doing so.
But now media reports are increasingly emerging about TSA workers calling in sick. According to a recent TSA press release, figures show that the agency has now experienced a national rate of 8 percent of unscheduled absences compared to a 3 percent rate one year ago at the same time.
Over the weekend, TSA closed a checkpoint at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport over a lack of staffing. The event occurred about a week after Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport closed one of its checkpoints. Airports in Houston and Miami also shut down terminal checkpoints over the weekend.
Even more alarming, the TSA was forced to call up National Deployment Officers (NDO) to operate checkpoints because of the increasing absence of screeners over the weekend.
NDO’s have been sent to several major airports, including at Newark Liberty International airport, LaGuardia Airport and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
But where growing numbers of TSA workers are calling in sick, plenty of others are happy to take their place—despite the government shutdown—with more than 300 applicants gunning for positions just over the weekend at a Minnesota job fair.
In the meantime, the public is feeling highly sympathetic toward the TSA employees’ plight. Passengers have reportedly been dropping off gift cards, bringing in food and making various offers of assistance.
Members of the band, KISS are offering TSA employees a free meal at their Rock and Brews. TSA employees can get a free pulled pork sandwich or strawberry fields salad.
And then there is also American Airlines, whose credit union is offering 1-percent interest loans of $1,200 or the amount of a single net paycheck to airport security workers.
Last week, President Trump signed a new bill into law guaranteeing back pay for those federal employees who are taking a hit. But it’s not enough to make him look like the good guy in a historically long government shutdown over a massive border wall.
Even more so when the State of California is making a point to bring more attention to it by encouraging TSA workers to file for unemployment—even though that goes against White House guidance.
So not only is the TSA the one agency that could force and end to the shutdown, but it is also the key agency in the political popularity contest right now, and a lot is at stake over reputation.
When ATCs tried this, Reagan just fired them all.
Show me any such low skilled job in the private sector that pays as much as the TSA and comes with FULL PENSION.
Lots of soldiers sitting around on the taxpayer’s dime. Send them to the airports to run the screening devices.
Not enough soldiers available? Bring them in from Europe and Africa and Asia.
How did we fly before this union laden crap? Fire them and bring in real professionals, instead of a bunch of welfare bottom feeders!
I equate TSA with the stupid unarmed Security ‘monitors’ you see everywhere that makes minimum wage or barely above. TSA is the exception since they are fed gov employees, unionized, and get full pensions.
So? Just build the damned wall. Problem solved.
The National Guard weenies would be perfect for the job.
I remember when the Air Traffic Controllers thought they had the power to bring the Nation to her knees...lots of them ended up in soup lines.....maybe a Super RIF is in order.
How about just getting rid of the TSA altogether?
There’s no evidence they are doing anything to make us safer.
“This is a huge opportunity for airports to privatize screening security.”
Absolutely. Fire their asses. Bring in private firms with the current ees’ names on a blacklist with no possibility of being hired.
“Show me any such low skilled job in the private sector that pays as much as the TSA”
And consider what would happen if private sector ees copped attitude and bullied their customers as the TSC mouth breathers do.
We have to fly next month qnd aren’t looking forward to it.
The real question in all of this is whether freedom or security is most important.
Also, whether it’s contractors/military or TSA providing the “Security”, all security measures would still be developed, implemented and mandated by the government.
“Lots of soldiers sitting around on the taxpayer’s dime.”
Probably thousands of able-bodied vets who’d love to have a good job.
Day 30! The WFR act has been triggered, That’s work force reduction act. Normally you pretty much can’t fire a Gov. employee but after 30 days furlough you can because, wait for it..... They might not be essential.
Say by by TSA, would make my heart soar.
If they can't leverage their veterans preference to get a federal or state job, they must be really bad.
MCI - Kansas City - one of the worst set up small airports in the country. Always a pain to fly in or out of. A few million dollars and some common sense could have really improved things there. And bringing the TSA couldn't have hurt.
Looks like the current plan is to clean out the taxpayers and passengers, bulldoze everything, and build from scratch.
The rank and file TSA employees are made up of people who used to work at McDonalds and other fast food joints.
“The rank and file TSA employees are made up of people who used to work at McDonalds and other fast food joints.”
Sad but true. Don’t forget that many of the rank and file regard English as their second (or third) language.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.