Posted on 08/06/2012 2:18:49 PM PDT by Crazieman
From The Right Scoop, initially blogged by PJ Media:
As of Thursday, August 2, 2012, the Transportation Security Administration has agreed to unionize. The agency, best known for groping and offending Americans as we attempt to fly from one part of the country to the other, has agreed to allow the American Federation of Government Employees to unionize its workers.
From the Facebook page of the American Federation of Government Employees, the official announcement:
“For 10 long years AFGE has fought hard so that Transportation Security Officers would have collective bargaining rights. We have often looked back and wondered why it was taking so long,” said AFGE National President John Gage. “Today we begin to look forward.”“This collective bargaining agreement will better the working lives of 45,000 hard-working, dedicated employees, and that’s a fantastic feeling,” AFGE TSA Council 100 President Kim Kraynak-Lambert said. “TSOs come to work every day in the face of intense public and congressional scrutiny and, to the best of their ability, protect this nation from terrorist attacks. Now we can look forward to new rights and new working conditions, and a chance to form a true labor-management partnership. And, contrary to some of the misinformation circulating about TSA, an agreement will not adversely affect security – security related matters were strictly excluded from negotiations. In fact, this agreement will strengthen our ability to carry out TSA’s vital mission of protecting the American people.”
“What this contract will do is provide for increased uniformity on fair treatment and the other issues important to employees across the nation’s airports,” Gage added. “Both parties believe the agreement will also provide much needed schedule flexibility. Improvements in working conditions will also benefit both TSA and the officers by fostering a family-friendly workplace where the employees have greater job satisfaction and feel supported in performing their important security work.”
Of course, the TSA workforce will have to vote on whether or not to ratify the collective bargaining agreement. According to the aforementioned Facebook announcement, that process will be taking place in the coming months. In the meantime, so many jokes can be made about this. Off the top of my head…
1. Fostering a family-friendly workplace. Does that mean no mothers, grandmothers, and children will be groped?
2. Does the TSA’s “important security work” include protection from sexual harassment by federal employees?
3. I’m curious about these “new rights” that TSA employees will get. Will those new rights be given in exchange for giving law-abiding Americans our rights back?
4. “New working conditions,” huh? Given that at least one estimate has said the TSA at one point had failed screening tests 70% of the time, perhaps those new working conditions could include actually finding at least one person who is a potential terrorist threat?
5. From my buddy Nick R. Brown, who is far more clever than I am: “If they strike, do we get to opt out of gropings?”
In all seriousness, the TSA needs significant reform, but this isn’t it. We really don’t need further complications or expense within an agency that continually and unnecessarily violates too many constitutional rights to keep track of. I personally support eliminating its existence entirely, though I admit to not having a cohesive replacement strategy in mind. Last year Ed suggested the TSA continue to look at how Israel conduct its airport security, though a former co-worker with expertise in the airline industry told me that what Israel does would not work for America. Any suggestions in the comments as to how to phase out the TSA and replace it with something better? Or should the TSA stay, and merely be significantly modified?
[Update] A number of comments are talking about the unionization, and asking how it came to be, since the Bush Administration hadn’t allowed unionization. I called James Sherk of The Heritage Foundation to ask him about this, and he explained that the decision to collectively bargain or not has been left up to the Administrator of the TSA. James pointed out that while workers have a right to join a union because of free association, the question always remains as to whether the employer will bargain with that union. Obviously, under Bush, no Administrator was going to do so. Once President Obama got his pick for Administrator through the Senate, however, he instituted collective bargaining in the agency.
It seems to me that there should be a way to set up an employee group that could protect employees rights, without the forced donations part of it, and the blatant union thug problems that crop up.
Unfortunately, human nature being what it is, I think any attempt to develop one would be wishful thinking on the order of Jimmy Carter. It just wouldn’t work.
Are they un-American? We’ll they sure aren’t pro capitalist. That’s for sure. Most people would agree they’re un-American.
What a great little graphic that is. Thanks.
I saw that graphic and it stared me to thinking.
It would be interesting to know what percentage of Democrats have government jobs and what percentage of Republicans have government jobs.
I think I’ll see if I can find an answer to that.
What could POSSIBLY go wrong?
I agree with some of your comments. When it comes to the type of activity you support here, I cannot.
Essentially what you are seeking is another Civil War. You may or may not see it that way, but that would be the outcome.
Prior to the Civil War many well-meaning Southern people actually wanted one. That was when both sides had at least a chance of winning the war.
Any pretense that a break away portion of the nation could match the full power of the remaining forces is woefully misguided.
You in fact may get some sympathetic military support. In the end, that support probably wouldn’t be the majority, and most certainly wouldn’t be the best armed and funded over a period of time.
Look, that’s my take on it. I’ve been known to be wrong before, but I think you’re biting off way more than you can chew there.
You still haven’t solved the simple logistics challenges.
How will you feed 3 million people in DC and deal with their waste during the strike?
>>the politicians in D. C. would melt like butter
You’re assuming they’d be in D.C. and not watching, and laughing, at the spectacle from elsewhere.
A general strike is no more a solution today than it was in the days of the Beer hall Putsch. It’s a socialist non-solution that facilitates thuggery.
http://www.google.com/#hl=en&biw=1467&bih=686&sclient=psy-ab&q=colorado+coal+strike+ludlow+massacre
You still haven’t solved the simple logistics challenges.How many porta poties will 3 million people need super genius?
OEG, they’ve already had 1 to 1.5 million on the mall. Somehow they survived. It’s not that big a deal. Grow up.
>>OEG, they’ve already had 1 to 1.5 million on the mall.
For how long?
How many porta poties will be required for 3 million people for multiple weeks?
Are the sugar pot drivers not part of your “general strike” fantasy? What about those responsible for delivering and stocking the groceries?
You don’t have a clue. Get one.
[Shameful! That’s really what you think of Conservatives huh? Wow.]
Conservative Americans don’t call for general strikes comrade.
Got any other tactics you’d like to borrow from union commies?
FAIL.
What are you, an entry level staffer on Capital Hill?
We’ve got a nation going in the tank, and you’re worried if you be able to take a piss or not on the Mall. Buck up junior. If you can’t make it on your own, I’m sure there will be grow-ups around who will call a police officer. Perhaps they’ll call you mom for you.
If I need to clue, you’re the last person I know of who can spare one.
Conservative Americans will participate in anything that has a remote chance of peaceably getting our leaders to pay attention. And if you don’t have the spine for it, then go hide in your closet with your favorite blankie and suck your thumb.
Union members do lots of things. Earlier you were saying that Conservatives would be lowering themselves to resorting to violence on the mall. Lying about Conservatives is also something union thugs do. I notice that isn’t beneath you is it.
I don’t care what tactics have been used by Leftists. If the matter is important enough, good people will go to Washington for as long as it takes to demand and get promises of corrections.
What I’d like to know, is why you not only won’t join in, but you’re desperate to trash something we haven’t tried. As I said, if you’re too afraid to participate, you can stay home and lock your doors.
As for a general strike, there are certain parts of the economy that must continue. Health care, food, power supply, transportation support.
There are plenty of other areas where people could take off in an emergency setting. And if you don’t think we’re approaching an emergency setting, what the hell are you doing here in the first place?
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